“加油2008”、“××奥运助威团”……随着北京奥运会的临近，在奥运赞助商紧锣密鼓地进行宣传的同时，一些非奥运赞助商也开始打起奥运的主意，一批打着奥运擦边球的促销活动开始出现在媒体和街头。针对隐性市场行为，昨日，北京奥组委联手中国广告协会共同发布了《防范奥运隐性市场广告行为倡议书》，该倡议书从奥运期间户外、奥运场馆内部的广告控制、奥运选手的肖像使用等方面进行了严格的规定。奥组委市场开发部副部长陈锋表示，处理隐性市场案件不排除走法律途径和通过媒体抨击。

In this cartoon published in local media, a man with a board reading "BOCOG" uses a broom to sweep away two businessmen who hold up boards advertising their products not officially associated with the Olympics. [Beijing Business Today]

Companies here will be prevented from engaging in "ambush marketing" ahead of and during the Beijing Olympics, in a bid to protect the rights of official sponsors, a spokesman for the Games' organizing committee said Tuesday.

Chen Feng, deputy director of the marketing department of the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), said at a press meeting that a range of measures will be introduced to prevent the illegal practice.

"Ambush marketing refers to the attempts by firms that are not official Olympic sponsors to associate their products with the event so they can capitalize on the connection without paying for the right to do so," Chen said.

BOCOG and the China Advertising Association jointly issued an official anti-ambush advertising proposal yesterday, calling for "lawful, professional and ethical" practices by advertising practitioners to protect the rights of Olympic sponsors and the holders of intellectual property rights relating to the Games.

"Some businesses intentionally commit ambush marketing, while many others, out of enthusiasm for the Games, unintentionally violate the rules because of a lack of knowledge of Olympic-related IPR rules," Chen said.

From July 11 to Sept 17, all prominent advertising sites in Beijing - including those at the airport, railway stations, main streets and areas around Olympic venues - will be controlled and priority will be given to official Olympic sponsors, he said.

Companies will be monitored for illegal advertising or using Olympic symbols without authorization and violators will be punished, he said.

Individuals will also be watched for possible ambush advertising practices, which are banned by the rules printed on all Games tickets.

For example, if a row of spectators is found to be wearing the same logo on their clothes at a Beijing Olympic venue, they will be asked to conceal the brand names.

Similarly, people will not be allowed to take drinks into venues and once inside will be able to buy only Coca-Cola, the global partner of the International Olympic Committee.

Yang Hongfeng, deputy secretary-general of the China Advertising Association, yesterday urged the country's 170,000 advertising agencies and their 1.1 million employees to respect the new Olympic marketing rules and guard against ambush marketing.

Under the new ruling, from Aug 1-27, all advertisements featuring participants in the Beijing Olympics - including athletes, coaches and officials - will be suspended.

Also, television stations will be prohibited from using unofficial sponsors for Olympic-related programs, he said.

（China Daily）

Vocabulary:

ambush marketing：隐性市场，隐性市场也叫隐性营销。有一些单位不是奥运合作伙伴、不是奥运赞助商，也要千方百计地和奥运扯上关系，这些企业研究了《奥林匹克标志保护条例》，按照《条例》规定，未经许可，不能把奥运标志用于商业活动，他们就假借公益宣传的名义复制使用奥运标志。最典型的是把奥运标志单独设置，孤立地看他们的宣传材料确实没有商业信息，不违反《条例》规定。但是紧挨着奥运标志宣传板的，就是自己的商业广告或企业信息，容易让公众产生误解，以为他们也是奥运合作伙伴，这就是典型的隐性市场。

（英语点津Celene编辑）