Anti-sponsorship

A though re the Olympics 2012. Its website tells us this:

 

Worldwide partners: Coca Cola, Acer, Atos Origin, GE, McDonald’s, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung, Visa

 

London 2012 Official Partners: adidas, BP, British Airways, BT, EDF Energy, Lloyds TSB, Nortel

 

London 2012 Official Supporters: Deloitte, Cadbury

 

So one way of objecting to the entire hoo-hah would be to support and patronise firms that are rivals to those: e.g. Pepsi-Cola [not Coca-Cola], Mastercard [not Visa], Shell [not BP], etc. Yes?

Why would you do that? Surely there are bigger issues in the world than the Olympics. You don't even live in London do you? You can just turn the TV off if you want to ignore it.

True; but, just like you, I'm a taxpayer. It's much less possible to opt-out of that!

It's possible to opt out of a pointless boycott that only you will join & is only going to cost you more money, or leave you without.

Example: Visa has demanded (and LOCOG has cravenly agreed) that all Mastercard payments be rejected a the Games and that all Mastercard ATMs be disabled.

It'll cost the UK taxpayer about the same as the extra revenue it brings into the UK economy. Less than 10% of the most recent bank bailout. Are you boycotting banks too?

Money spent by UK citizens is NOT extra revenue [brought] into the UK economy.

Money that people spend is another persons revenue, that's how the economy works. If they wouldn't have spent that money otherwise then it is indeed extra revenue.

Yet one cannot spend what what does not have. It's excess borrowing that caused many of the UK's problems!

I listened to a R4 programme recently which almost temps me to join this pointless boycott. The International Olympic Committee are so protective of their brand, that they were taking legal action against many schools and local groups from using the word "Olympic" in their events.

 

So, for example, schools renaming their sports days as "Olympic Sports Day" to encourage a feeling of participation were being prevented.

Example: Visa has demanded (and LOCOG has cravenly agreed) that all Mastercard payments be rejected a the Games and that all Mastercard ATMs be disabled.

I would extremely surprised if LOCOG has indeed agreed and implemented this (or will), as Card Scheme rules (jointly agreed and enacted by Visa, Mastercard, AMEX and a few other "plastic heavyweights") prohibit this practice.

 

I very much doubt it is in LOCOG's capacity/remit to do/agree so, as well (they might have agreed to Visa, only to to find out later that they are not empowered to do so in the least - or, well, as their counsel and their liability insurer will soon find out )

 

Never mind considering the major banks (card issuers, members of Card Schemes as well) which own and operate the ATMs (and are increasingly busy outing Solos/Maestros for 'debit' Mastercards).

 

Do you have a verifiable source?

Edited June 18, 2012 by L00b

Example: Visa has demanded (and LOCOG has cravenly agreed) that all Mastercard payments be rejected a the Games and that all Mastercard ATMs be disabled.

 

Has VISA demanded this, or have LOCOG tendered for payment providers to install and supply the hundreds of cash points / payment systems which are required for the games?

 

The thing with the main sponsors is they're not there just because they bunged some cash at the IOC / LOCOG and have been left to run riot over the marketing department. For example:

 

Coca Cola provides all the soft drinks to staff / volunteers / participants for free

Acer provides all the computers and servers used by the organisers and staff at venues

Atos Origin provides all the IT services without which there'd be no games

GE power distribution, backup power

McDonald’s on site catering

Omega official timing and statistics

Panasonic thousands of monitors, tvs and displays

Samsung - no idea

Visa ATMs, payment processing

 

adidas volunteer uniforms

BP - no idea

British Airways - no idea

BT intrasite communications and broadcast links

 

By negotiating such sponsorships, the actual costs of those services can be drastically lowered, especially when you can organise deals, like Panasonic loaning all their equipment and reclaiming it at the end of the games. Without these sponsorships, LOCOG would have to buy all these things at commercial rates, probably adding a few £bn onto the overall bill.