COMMITTEE TO SHAME AMBUSH ADVERTISERS
By Adnews Staff
Sydney 2000 Olympic Games organizers plan to embarrass ambush - those who are not Olympic sponsors but promote the games in their ad campaigns. Five agencies have been asked to pitch for the business. Qantas Airlines launched a campaign last month featuring Australian athletes, many of which were Olympic champions or contenders. The theme for the campaign was "Flying toward 2000." Qantas is not a sponsor. Ansett Airlines has paid over $30 million(US) for its Olympic sponsorship. The National Australia Bank has launched a campaign called Team National which features Australian athletes. The National Australia Bank is not a sponsor. The Westpac Banking Group paid about $25 million for its sponsorship. Organizers agree that neither company breached copyright, but a survey done last week showed 40% of respondents believe that Qantas is the official Olympic sponsor.