advanced theory and practice in sport marketing - Marshalls University

ETHICS IN ADVERTISING – SHOCK TREATMENT USING
OFFENSIVE MARKETING – Continued
images of women may come from the highly sexualized and nearly nude images
of women portrayed in sports and reality TV shows. Others say it is just a sign
of companies trying to break through the clutter, and assuming that it is okay to
use such sexual images of women when selling products (such as beer) that are
primarily targeted to men. Female ad executives say they are working hard
behind the scenes to expand the images of women beyond the stereotypical
housewife or bikini-babe molds. Despite the increasing number of women in
top agency roles, many creative departments are still dominated by men.
Source: Gordon, K. (2003). Shock Treatment. Reprinted with permission from Entrepreneur
Magazine, April 2003, www.entrepreneur.com.
Suggested Discussion Topics
1. Is it ethical to use potentially offensive images to market a sport product
if the target audience is presumed to be among those who will not
be offended? For example, using scantily clad women in beer or sport
advertisements aimed solely at men? Is it correct to still utilize such
advertisements just because there may be some who are not offended,
while fully aware that some (or many) others will be offended?
2. Has the United States desensitized its youth with the bombardment of
sexual images in sport advertising? Even though these types of images
may still offend some, is it still acceptable to use something that may
be considered “less harmful” based on today’s society?
Ambush Marketing in Sport Advertising
Ambush marketing is a method utilized by organizations to create an illusion
that their products or services are associated with a specific sport endeavor.
This association is without the permission of the sport endeavor or its official
partner(s), and the desire is to deceive the sport consumer into believing that
there is an official association.
Companies hire marketing firms to find creative ways to crash the event without
having to pay the high sponsorship fees. They will do this in a number of
ways, including signage near the event, buying television commercial time during
the event, and offering promotions in conjunction with the sales of products that
are related to the event. Four of the more classic advertising efforts that involved
ambush marketing happened during the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer,
Norway; the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia; the 1996 International
Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup in India; and the 2002 Super Bowl in New
Orleans, Louisiana.
In 1994, when American Express was replaced by Visa as the official credit card
sponsor for the Winter Olympics, American Express came up with an advertising
232 ADVANCED THEORY AND PRACTICE IN SPORT MARKETING