Apple’s decision to sell national flag-themed Apple Watch bands exclusively in Rio may look like an official Olympics tie-in, but it’s actually a smart bit of guerrilla marketing that’s having the (unintentional?) side effect of drawing attention away from rival Samsung, a.k.a. the official phone sponsor of the Olympic games.
Apple is selling its bands — which are nylon straps bearing the colors of the national flags for all 14 major Rio competitors — at an Apple Store six miles away from the main Olympics park. Top Olympics sponsors regularly shell out $100 million over four years to the International Olympic Committee for exclusive marketing rights to the event. Apple, however, has done no such thing.
That hasn’t stopped the straps from appearing on the wrists of several Olympics competitors, including Team USA sprinter Trayvon Bromell, though. While the Olympics committee frown on the marketing of non-official sponsor products during the Games, Bromell shared his photo on Twitter six days before the stipulated “blackout period” started.
“As long as [Apple] do not use the Olympic logo, the Rio 2016 logo or our look, there is no infringement,” Sylmara Multini, director of licensing and retail for the Rio 2016 organizing committee, told Reuters.
“While they don’t appear to be breaking any rules, they appear to be getting really close to the edge of ambush or guerilla marketing,” said Jeff Benz, a a former general counsel at the U.S. Olympic Committee who who arbitrates disputes for international dispute-resolution firm JAMS.
Here in 2016, Apple may be far from the scrappy underdog that it once was — back when it was prodding genuine giants like IBM and Microsoft — but moves like this shows it’s still got some of that sneaky “think different” approach to marketing.
And, hey, even a company with the cash reserves that Apple does can’t be too upset about saving a cool $100 million!
Luke Dormehl is a U.K.-based journalist and author, with a background working in documentary film for Channel 4 and the BBC. He is the author of The Apple Revolution and The Formula: How Algorithms Solve All Our Problems … and Create More, both published by Penguin/Random House. His tech writing has also appeared in Wired, Fast Company, Techmeme and other publications.
5 responses to “Apple’s Rio Watch bands dodge official Olympics sponsorship”
“Apple’s Rio Watch bands dodge official Olympics sponsorship”
Looks like the only thing that should be “banned” is that horrible tattoo. Someone was celebrating a bit too much during that tat.
Many olympians have an Olympics Logo tattoo, so… that’s not very out of place. That someone is Trayvon Bromell, Sprinter for U.S. Track and Field team.
Sorry. I certainly don’t object to tats or any body art! They clearly (no pun intended) display a person’s passion. It’s just that that particular tattoo looks kinda nasty. :)
Does it? Oh well, each to their own accord. Good Day.
Just what is it that Apple is “dodging”? They’ve come out with Watch straps with representations of the flags of various countries. The store they’re selling them at is 6 miles from the Olympic Village. Nothing about the Olympics is being mentioned by Apple, and no logos related to the Olympics are being used. If some of the athletes and/or spectators take the 6 mile journey to the Apple Store and decide they want to patriotically show off their country’s flag on their Watch, why not? There’s absolutely zero controversy or situation here.