Ambush marketing: How much is too much?

When you think about major sporting events some of the first things to come to mind are beer and merchandised material. It’s a marketers dream. This World Cup season, ambush marketing has infiltrated traditional marketing and advertising mediums to take centre stage. 

Leading the discussion surrounding ambush marketing is Dutch brewery Bavaria NV who arranged for 30 women to go to a Denmark and Netherlands game and reveal the brand’s signature orange “Dutchy Dress.”

(Image courtesy of NYTimes and photographer Michael Koorean for Reuters)

Reactions to the stunt have been mixed:

The bad: 

• South Africa has a law against  “ambush marketing” that is being diligently enforced by police during the World Cup. Several of the women involved in the event have been arrested.

• The act violates formal commercial agreements with FIFA for World Cup sponsorship. FIFA takes these deals seriously- more than 60% of FIFA’s 2007-2010 revenue has come from corporate sponsorship. This means that the organization has a vested interest in keeping its sponsors happy. 

 The good:

•  The act has resulted in extensive international media coverage

• The act has linked the Bavaria name to the World Cup

• This kind of behaviour is becoming commonplace in major sporting events with strict sponsorship rules 

 At the end of the day, it can be argued that Bavaria’s stunt was effective as a marketing/PR tool because it increased brand awareness. Is this kind of guerilla marketing tactic or PR stunt  acceptable? OR do you believe brands should respect the rights of the paid sponsors and avoid opportunities to take some of the spotlight?