2010 ambush marketing: Bavaria does it again!
18 Jun 2010
Dutch brewery Bavaria has done what it did at the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany: advertise its brand 'illegally' despite knowing very well that the practice amounts to ambush marketing. While in Germany, its 'marketers' did escape the long arm of the law, but this year in South Africa two Dutch women involved in the controversial marketing campaign were arrested, named and shamed.
"Yes, they appeared in the Johannesburg Magistrates' Court on Wednesday afternoon and were released on bail of R10 000 each," SA Police spokesperson Colonel Vishnu Naidoo told Bizcommunity.com yesterday.
"We strongly believe that these are the people who organised the whole campaign," Naidoo said, adding that the women's passports have been confiscated.
FIFA sees orange
Barbara Jennifer Castelein and Minte Immy Niewpoort, who will again appear in court on 22 June 2010, were part of a group of 36 'marketers' wearing orange mini-dresses - known as the 'Dutchy' - and cheering their team on during the Netherlands-Denmark match on Monday, 14 June 2010 at Soccer City in Johannesburg.
The rest of the group are believed to be SA models.
The dresses bore a small logo and FIFA investigators firmly believed it was Bavaria's strategy to upstage American firm Anheuser Busch, the maker of Budweiser beer, the official brand at this year's World Cup.
In 2006, Anheuser Busch paid up to US$50 million (about R377 million) to FIFA to advertise Budweiser at the World Cup.
Police said following further investigations over these past 48 hours, they arrested Castelein and Niewpoort on Wednesday around 8.45am at their hotel in Roodepoort.
The women face charges of contravening the Merchandise Marks Act (unauthorised use of trade mark at a protected event), and some sections of the Special Measures Regulations Act (entry into designated area while in possession of prohibited commercial object).
Despite facing mounting criticism for what many describe as 'bullying' and 'autocratic' commercial tactics, FIFA remains unfazed, insisting the methods are necessary to protect the marketing rights of its official sponsors.
Leave out the orange lederhosen
Meanwhile, UK's Daily Mail reports that ITV has fired World Cup pundit Robbie Earle after around 30 match tickets allocated to him were used to 'illegally' advertise a beer company during the Holland-Denmark game - apparently a reference to the ambush marketing campaign involving Castelein and Niewpoort this week in SA.
The BBC News website reported that in 2006 in Germany up to 1000 fans Dutch fans had to watch the Argentine-Cote d'Ivoire match in underpants after being denied entry because they were wearing the orange lederhosen - apparently given away by Bavaria with purchases of its beer.
An incensed Bavaria chairman Peer Swinkels was quoted at the time by Reuters as saying: "I understand that FIFA has sponsors but you cannot tell people to strip off their lederhosen and force them to watch a game in their underpants. That is going too far."
According to the Daily Mail Swinkels said this week the dress is nice, very fashionable and people should have the right to wear whatever they want.
Naidoo said: "We view ambush marketing in a very serious light and we urge people not to embark on these ambush campaigns."
For more:
- Bizcommunity.com: FIFA loses 5-0.
Marketing campaign gets the red card
About Issa Sikiti da Silva
Issa Sikiti da Silva is a winner of the 2010 SADC Media Awards (print category). He freelances for various media outlets, local and foreign, and has travelled extensively across Africa. His work has been published both in French and English. He used to contribute to Bizcommunity.com as a senior news writer.
