Olympics 2012 - ops I've just broken the law!

As Chair of the CIM in Wales I appear to get invited to a lot of buffets - Breakfast, lunch and dinner...this morning was another such occasion.

Today I was chairing a breakfast meeting in Cardiff given by Mark Stewart - who is head or research at the CIM - on the subject of the Olympics 2012.

In Wales we have yet to receive anything like the amount of contracts that have been issues to other parts of the UK - indeed in many cases the concept that Wales will have any part of the London games appears to be completely missing - take for example the issue of the canoeing and kayak events - in Bala (North Wales) we have some of the finest white water in the world so the London committee decide to host this event in Norfolk - possibly the flattest county in the UK with a discernible lack of the white stuff...Mmmm...

Any how - marketers beware - for us this will be the most legislated games of all time. There will be little room for guerrilla marketing as the Mc brand police will have eyes and ears everywhere.

Just as an example Mark gave us a list of the words that - if used in combination - would/will contravene the London 2012 legislation (yes I repeat legislation - this has been passed by Parliament as a law!).

Take a look - two lists...take care now!

Listed Words
Two of the words in List A or any word in List A with one or more of the words in List B
List A:
Games
Two Thousand and Twelve
2012
Twenty-Twelve

List B:

Gold

Silver

Bronze

London

Medals

Summer

Sponsor/s

For more info get your hands on the CIM's 'Shape the Agenda' - 'Marketing and the Olympics' or take a look at the following links:

http://www.competefor.co.ukcompanies/ of any size can register to compete for available tenders
•www.traintogain.gov.ukBroker resource to enable companies to find qualified workers in many sectors; this will remain as a business resource after the Games
•www.businesslink.gov.ukalso carries details of the requirements
•www.london2012.comhas a Business Network and Working for 2012 sections

This in my opinion amounts to restriction of practice for marketers and we need to campaign as a profession against such restrictive legislation...

OK - time for another danish pastry now...by the way the pic is Resi Stiegler - the US downhill skier with the Kellogg's Tony the Tiger ears -Kellogg was not an official sponsor of the Winter Olympics but Stiegler wore the ears...guerrilla or creative marketing - whatever you think it would be outlawed in London twentysomething...

JHD