We start our coverage of the games with a look at the brand scam.
We start our coverage of the games with a look at the brand scam.
As you may have noticed a number of "official" sponsors have been tied into the London games and naturally The Men In Suits have been hard at work protecting their interests.
According to press reports, the authorities – using specially passed laws – are out looking for anything that undermines the sponsors "rights."
So no firm in an Olympic zone can sell chips because McDonalds have the "exclusive" right to that. More disturbingly, a army of representatives from the Olympic Delivery Authority are now out roaming around the country looking for anything that might contravene laws stopping unauthorised firms from linking themselves to the games.
According to Martin Hickman in today’s Independant:
"Olympics organisers have warned businesses that during London 2012
their advertising should not include a list of banned words, including
"gold", "silver" and "bronze", "summer", "sponsors" and "London".Publicans
have been advised that blackboards advertising live TV coverage must
not refer to beer brands or brewers without an Olympics deal, while
caterers and restaurateurs have been told not to advertise dishes that
could be construed as having an association with the event."
The report continues:
Marina Palomba, for the McCann Worldgroup agency in London, described
the rules as "the most draconian law in advance of an Olympic Games
ever". The ODA and Locog (London Organising Committee of the Olympic
Games) say the rules are necessary to protect brands."These rights are acquired by companies who invest millions of pounds to help support the staging of the Games,"
In fact it was us taxpayers who have contributed the most to get these games up and running. However, it will be the officials, the assorted politicians and the sponsors who will be getting all the benefits. We are entitled to ask: whose games are these anyway?
One good thing to come out so far from these games is that we have yet another example of just how useless private enterprise is at providing services. The revelation that the company responsible for providing security for the games has come up well short is just the first such story to break. There will be more.
