The Olympics have always been an exciting time when athletes from all over the world come together and compete for the bronze, silver, and gold medals. The first Olympic Games began in Olympia, Greece in 776 BC, and then stopped some years later when the Romans gained more power in Greece. The Games were revived in 1859, sponsored by Evangelos Zappas, a wealthy Roman philanthropist, and in 1896 the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the supreme authority of the worldwide modern Olympic movement, took over. It wasn’t until the IOC took over that companies started contributing revenue to the games through advertisement.
Advertising is a big part of today’s society, and celebrities are constantly seen advertising different products, restaurants, …show more content…
There is evidence that shows that “celebrity advertising delivers a premium in terms of impact and memorability” (Mehta 194). This means that celebrities, including Olympic celebrities, are more memorable in advertisement than random people. This is especially true when the celebrities shown are relevant to the time. However, it is better for the advertisers to use well-known athletes, such as swimmer Michael Phelps or gymnast Gabby Douglas, than it is to use less well-known athletes such as luger Goerg Hackl or snowboarder Seth Wescott. If no one really knows who they are, the advertisement would be just about as effective as having a random person in the commercial. Even though not everyone falls for the advertising gimmick, it is helpful when an athlete is paired with an advertisement that is relevant to the athlete’s life. For example, when Subway picked up Michael Phelps, an 18-time gold medal winner, and showed that a Subway foot long was a part of his training regime, it is easy to believe that if a champion swimmer is able to eat at Subway and stay healthy, that non-Olympic athletes can …show more content…
However, in 2012 at the London Olympics, Rule 40 was implemented for the first time. Rule 40 states that: “Except as permitted by the IOC Executive Board, no competitor, coach, trainer or official who participates in the Olympic Games may allow his person, name, picture or sports performances to be used for advertising purposes during the Olympic Games” (teamusa.org). This means that if a company is not a big-name, official sponsor of the Olympics, such as Coca-Cola or General Electric, they cannot use athletes or other officials to promote their company. To be an official sponsor, a company would need to pay $100 million US dollars, and that is a lot. So, no athletes could wear beanies or stickers, etc. with non-official company logos on them. Athletes were mad, and took to social media to voice their frustrations. However, while the athletes were not happy, the companies that were no longer allowed to advertise themselves took an even harder hit. For one, they lost the exposure they would otherwise have had if they were allowed to advertise during the Olympics. Second, if companies were caught violating Rule 40, they could pay a fine of up to US$21,326 (forbes.com). For example, if Michael Phelps comes out of retirement for the 2016 Rio Olympics, it would hurt Subway because they are not an official sponsor of the Games, and therefore cannot use him to promote their restaurant during the blackout period, which
Advertising is a big part of today’s society, and celebrities are constantly seen advertising different products, restaurants, …show more content…
There is evidence that shows that “celebrity advertising delivers a premium in terms of impact and memorability” (Mehta 194). This means that celebrities, including Olympic celebrities, are more memorable in advertisement than random people. This is especially true when the celebrities shown are relevant to the time. However, it is better for the advertisers to use well-known athletes, such as swimmer Michael Phelps or gymnast Gabby Douglas, than it is to use less well-known athletes such as luger Goerg Hackl or snowboarder Seth Wescott. If no one really knows who they are, the advertisement would be just about as effective as having a random person in the commercial. Even though not everyone falls for the advertising gimmick, it is helpful when an athlete is paired with an advertisement that is relevant to the athlete’s life. For example, when Subway picked up Michael Phelps, an 18-time gold medal winner, and showed that a Subway foot long was a part of his training regime, it is easy to believe that if a champion swimmer is able to eat at Subway and stay healthy, that non-Olympic athletes can …show more content…
However, in 2012 at the London Olympics, Rule 40 was implemented for the first time. Rule 40 states that: “Except as permitted by the IOC Executive Board, no competitor, coach, trainer or official who participates in the Olympic Games may allow his person, name, picture or sports performances to be used for advertising purposes during the Olympic Games” (teamusa.org). This means that if a company is not a big-name, official sponsor of the Olympics, such as Coca-Cola or General Electric, they cannot use athletes or other officials to promote their company. To be an official sponsor, a company would need to pay $100 million US dollars, and that is a lot. So, no athletes could wear beanies or stickers, etc. with non-official company logos on them. Athletes were mad, and took to social media to voice their frustrations. However, while the athletes were not happy, the companies that were no longer allowed to advertise themselves took an even harder hit. For one, they lost the exposure they would otherwise have had if they were allowed to advertise during the Olympics. Second, if companies were caught violating Rule 40, they could pay a fine of up to US$21,326 (forbes.com). For example, if Michael Phelps comes out of retirement for the 2016 Rio Olympics, it would hurt Subway because they are not an official sponsor of the Games, and therefore cannot use him to promote their restaurant during the blackout period, which