Olympic sponsors' blitzkrieg squeezes out smaller firms

London: London organisers and the International Olympic Committee are policing everything from dogs to body paint in an effort to protect their 53 sponsors and Olympic partners from unauthorised advertising.

As a result, businesses that didn't pay for sponsorships ranging from £5 million to £100 million, according to consulting firm Deloitte, are having a hard time finding ways to associate themselves with the Olympics without provoking officials.

Small businesses such as Caribbean Scene, with three restaurants near the cycling, boxing and aquatics venues in east London, do not have many options. During the games, Patrick Marche won't be allowed to hand out flyers opposite one restaurant because it borders on the 200-hectare Olympic Park.

"I call it limping to the Olympics," said Marche, adding that he might put flyers in hotels, theatres and cinemas to reach visitors. "What they talked about was winning the Olympic bid based on diversity, support for the local area and support for the local businesses, but we've been shut out."

Ad agencies say the move is to enforce the strictest rules they've seen for any event. London 2012 has raised about £1.4 billion (Dh8.36 billion) from sponsors.

Merely combining the words "games" or "2012" with other words including London, summer, sponsors, medals, gold, silver or bronze would breach the rules, which carry fines of as much as £20,000. Non-sponsors also can't refer to athletic images, mottoes and logos, including the Olympic rings and mascots, said Adam Glass, a partner at UK law firm Davenport Lyons, who advises retailers on advertising around the Olympics.

"It's quite draconian", Glass said. "Someone running with the flame of the torch could fall on the wrong side of the law," because it suggests a link with the Olympics, he said.

The city also planted 19 birch trees directly in front of the restaurant amid the area's Olympic redesign, blocking a sign for the place. He says he's not allowed to put up another one across the street.

The London organisers say the rules are necessary. "Without our sponsors the games simply wouldn't happen," the group said in a statement. "They provide funding, products, services and expertise to help us stage the games. We therefore protect their investment and prevent other organisations from making unauthorised associations with the games."

About 250 enforcement officers will patrol the areas close to Olympic events to make sure groups that haven't paid for a sponsorship don't advertise. The rules cover everything from animals and body paint to ads that people carry and any display of a business's name.

No ambush, guerrilla marketing campaigns

London: The Olympics organisers are also trying to prevent so-called ambush and guerrilla marketing campaigns.

The Olympics were nearly bankrupt in the 1980s due to waning interest from sponsors, forcing governments to finance almost all costs and fighting unauthorised marketing is therefore crucial, said Michael Payne, who was the International Olympic Committee's first marketing and broadcast-rights director from 1983 to 2004.

"If you are not supporting the games or the teams, why should you be allowed to benefit commercially from associating yourself?" Payne, who oversaw the development and implementation of the marketing programmes for 15 Olympic Summer and Winter Games, said in an interview. "The rules are tough and deliberately so."