Photo: Michael Ohara was at the centre of the ambush marketing fiasco at Champs 2015. ISSA insists that they will be taking legal action against any company found guilty of similar attemps to violate terms and agrrements involved in sponsorship of the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Track and Field Championships which begin on March 15th.
The Jamaica Administrative Athletics Association (JAAA) through its president, Dr. Warren Blake said that the ISSA/Grace Kennedy Boys and Girls Athletics Championship 2016 is not the place for a repeat of the unfortunate display of ambush marketing as was seen during last year’s championship.
Speaking at the launch of the 106th staging of the championships he made it clear as crystal to the audience gathered in attendance.
“We have been sensitizing those who needs to be told, because we have also been victims of ambushing marketing in some of our events and people using the image of our athletes in national colours, when they don’t sponsor our national federations, yet they say they are sponsors of athletics. So we will be seeking legal remedies and we are going to be putting out statements in the media, which I gather champs is also doing. They are protecting the rights of Champs and their title sponsors who have come on board,” Blake stated.
The athletes will also be a part of the sensitization process to ensure that they themselves have a firm understanding of the issues and do not become embroiled or entrapped in the act that has happened in the past and has the risk of reoccurrence.
“We have ensure that we educate the athletes as well because we have a situation some years ago where athletes were tweeting events and happenings within the camp to their sponsors and their sponsors were then posting those tweets and those sponsors had no relationship with the organization whatsoever. We had to have a word with the athletes to tell them that it was wrong and it was a form of ambush marketing and they should cut it out. So this is something we will have to be included in the briefing of our athletes leading into Champs.”
The move is not one that will prevent schools from being supported by other competition brands outside of the title sponsors, but there are stipulations by which that can be done and this must be properly adhered to.
“Well it’s not really a problem, because most of these brands are within the limits allowed by the organization. It’s when you go out of the way and splash that brand. Let’s say you are a champion athlete from one school and you’re sponsored by a competing brand and you choose to put that brand in an oversize fashion on your jersey, then that’s a form of ambush marketing.”
The president alluded to what exists in the international circles and noted that these standards should be applied and observed locally.
“Even the Olympic and IAAF at the World Championship, they have specific branding arrangement where the brand logo have to be of a certain size and cannot be greater than that stipulated size. Once those are stuck to, it would be in keeping with international norms.”
Puma was announced as the official apparel sponsor for Champs, Grace Kennedy Limited the title sponsor, associated sponsors are Flow, and First Global and Lucozade is the isotonic sponsor. The Media partner is TVJ and event sponsorship is being shared by Consumer Brands, Main Event Entertainment Group and Brawta Sports.
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