Ambush Marketing: Steal the Spotlight!

Profit is the primary goal that all firms strive for when it comes to marketing strategy. However, in order to gain market share, we must first explore how to enhance brand recognition. While competition is a significant impediment to a marketing strategy, some businesses attempt to capitalize on it in order to get public attention. 

 

Ambush marketing is the practice of ambushing each other's marketing activities and promotional campaigns in order to deflect attention and increase visibility at the expense of another advertiser.

 

 

What is Ambush Marketing?

 

Ambush marketing is a brand-new approach in which marketers take advantage of another brand's marketing campaign to deflect attention. Surprisingly, ambush-style ads typically produce excellent results.

 

Specifically, while adopting ambush marketing, advertisers make an effort to hijack a competitor's campaign in order to boost awareness at the expense of another advertiser. Marketers will not have to pay sponsorship fees for the event, but they will still be noticed by attendees. 

 

As a result, it is also known as coat-tail marketing or predatory ambushing tactic. Ambush marketing techniques are frequently employed in the context of event sponsorships. Offering music products for sale outside of a concert is a common example of how ambush marketing works.

 

The bulk of ambush efforts have one goal in mind: to identify their firm with the fame of a specific event without having to sign a sponsorship contract. Ambush marketing takes an innovative way to building a marketing campaign while also allowing for complete creative freedom and flexibility.

 

To respond to marketing campaigns produced by an event's official sponsors, brands employ a variety of visual forms and wordplay. Because such ads are very entertaining, they are more likely to attract a large audience and are easier to recall.

 

The majority of ambush attempts have a single purpose in mind: to associate their company with the fame of a specific event without having to sign a sponsorship contract. Ambush marketing creates a marketing campaign in a novel approach while also giving for complete creative freedom and flexibility.

 

Brands use a range of visual shapes and puns to respond to marketing efforts created by an event's official sponsors. Because such advertisements are highly entertaining, they are more likely to draw a big audience and are simpler to remember.

 

Also Read | Types of Online Advertising

 

How does Ambush Marketing work?

 

The ambush marketing tactic is an excellent way for a company to divert attention away from competitors. It is a marketing approach in which a corporation waits in a hidden location to obtain brand awareness by snatching the focus from others.

 

Consider the following scenario: your firm wishes to promote its image through large events such as the World Cup, but the company's budget does not allow it. What would you do to take advantage of the publicity? 

 

An ambush marketing approach will occur to you, which will benefit your brand while without requiring you to pay for the rights that your competitor paid to be an official sponsor.

 

For example, Stella employed ambush marketing to take the spotlight from Heineken, despite the fact that Heineken paid and made an effort to be the official beer sponsor of the 2011 US Open. In this case, they filled the nearest train station with advertisements.

 

Almost every worldwide event has marketers and companies stealing awareness and publicity from others that have spent a significant amount of money on broadcast spots, billboards, and sponsorships.

 

Marketers may steal publicity from one of their competitors or from any other brand in the market. To be more specific, when businesses X and Y are all sponsoring an event or competition. 

 

Then, firm X discreetly capitalizes on Y's publicity and launches an advertising campaign, giving the impression that it is the primary sponsor of the event rather than both.

 

Company Y is thus regarded to have been ambushed by X. Firm X, on the other hand, is considered to be utilizing ambush marketing strategies as one of their marketing techniques when it capitalizes on the resources purchased by another company to advertise itself and increase profit without informing Y. 

 

That is how ambush marketing operates.

 

Also Read | Surrogate Advertising 

 

 

Types of Ambush Marketing

 

Ambush marketing has two major types, direct and indirect. Each type is then further subdivided into other categories. We’ll discuss them one by one. 

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Types of Ambush Marketing

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1. Direct Ambush Marketing

 

Direct ambush marketing begins when a corporation becomes aggressive in its marketing approach and begins openly attaching itself even though it lacks legal rights as an official sponsor.

 

Nike built a massive billboard immediately outside the stadium in Atlanta during the 1996 Olympic Games. The fans and spectators at the stadium assumed that Nike was the Olympic Games' sponsor, but this was not the case. The following are the several sorts of direct ambush marketing:

 

• Predatory Ambushing

 

When a firm directly and openly assaults its competitor's company, athletes, brands, and sponsors, yet supporters and the general public are left in the dark about which company has legitimate sponsorship the entire time.

 

During the 1994 Winter Olympics, two financial credit card giants, Visa and American Express, squared off. The legal and official sponsorship rights are held by the Visa card. 

 

"If you're heading to Spain, Italy, or Norway, you'll need a passport," American Express began its marketing campaign, which enraged Visa Card. "However, you do not require a Visa."

 

• Coattail Ambushing

 

When a person or company obtains greater publicity than the legal sponsorship holding person or company, that individual is usually sponsored.

 

Reebok was the official sponsor of the Atlanta Olympic Games. However, its competitors made the news the following day. Lindford Christie, an athlete, was wearing spectacles with the PUMA emblem and monogram during a press conference; this news received more attention than the legal and official sponsor itself.

 

• Property Infringement

 

When a trademark firm or a property actively exploits and misappropriated content in order to crash the market and confuse fans and audiences.

 

During the London Olympic Games, the management prohibited and began finding local businesses in the city of London that used phrases like gold, summer, and bronze in their marketing campaigns. It was because management was concerned that such content would cause people to lose attention.

 

• Self-Ambushing

 

A sponsor typically enters into many sponsorship agreements with various organizations to execute specific objectives. When one corporation violates a sponsorship agreement by doing things that other firms and parties were intended to do, this is referred to as self ambushing.

 

Carlsberg was the official sponsor of the European Championships UEFA 2008, as were the other corporations. However, it began providing headbands and t-shirts with the Carlsberg emblem to fans. 

 

However, that was not part of the Carlsberg sponsorship agreement. It was the responsibility of another corporation, and this is how Carlsberg breached the sponsorship deal.

 

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2. Indirect Ambush Marketing

 

When a corporation ties itself indirectly to another parent advertising effort, this is referred to as indirect ambush marketing. The goal of such indirect attachment is to increase brand exposure; it may employ visuals, symbols, or photos to mislead people.

 

The difference between these two tactics is that indirect marketing is not as aggressive as direct ambush marketing, and it also does not seek to be the center of attention. It simply wishes to work in a non-intrusive manner in order to obtain greater exposure for its brand.

 

The following are some examples of indirect ambush marketing:

 

• Associative Ambushing

 

When a company begins indirectly connecting and attaching itself to the major parent advertiser campaign, it leads consumers to believe that they are a part of it. They gain more exposure by remaining disguised.

 

• Distractive Ambushing

 

When a firm causes public attention and confusion regarding the origins of a campaign. They operate openly and indirectly, yet they deceive others into thinking they are the primary sponsor.

 

• Ambushing Values

 

Such companies exploit the sponsored holding company's core theme and principles to fool people into thinking they're the same organization, but they're not.

 

• Ambushing by Insurgents

 

When companies and individuals surprise the audience with unusual advertising strategies, their indirect presence does not harm the main brand's reputation. In exchange, they receive a lot of attention for their brand.

 

• Property Ambushing in Parallel

 

When a company launches and plans the date of its event concurrently with the date of a larger event, this is referred to as parallel property ambushing. Because of the primary brand's coverage, the parallel scheduling of events gives a lower brand a lot of press.

 

Also Read | Types of Advertising Techniques

 

Advantages and Disadvantages of Ambush Marketing

 

Do you still have questions about why we should utilize ambush marketing and its benefits and drawbacks now that you have a better knowledge of it? Let's take a closer look!

 

Advantages of Ambush Marketing :

 

1. Marketing methods that are ambush-styled are clever

 

Every ambush-styled marketing strategy has one thing in common: it's really cheeky. Ambush marketing began as a ruse to attack others by responding to or using their existing initiatives in order to promote the brand itself. 

 

As a result, their efforts within ambush marketing campaigns must be inventive and, at times, "impudent." Every weapon, from visual trickery to smart wordplay, can improve the overall approach. 

 

As a result, ambush marketing initiatives are more engaging and conspicuous than traditional marketing campaigns. They frequently elicit laughter and open conversation on social media platforms, making ambush-styled marketing methods particularly memorable.

 

2. Ambush marketing initiatives might deviate from the script

 

Marketers must always be worried about whether all components of an advertisement are coordinated while marketing and advertising. Whether it be online or "in person" advertising, consistency in display is critical. 

 

And, regardless of how serious the marketing campaign, brands must ensure that they look and feel the same across all associated platforms. Brands, on the other hand, can be more creative and go off-script when it comes to ambush marketing tactics. 

 

Going off-script allows marketers to experiment with other styles, tones, and wording than they would normally use in their advertising. 

 

Brands are free to employ methods or techniques that are outside the realm of a company's standard advertising guidelines. Ambusher becomes more inventive and adaptable as a result.

 

3. Ambush Marketing Strategies have the potential to alter Consumer Attitudes

 

Last but not least, well-executed ambush marketing tactics can alter consumer attitudes and boost brand credibility. Even if the brand was previously unknown to customers, a successful ambush marketing campaign can still assist firms in generating and exhibiting new brand values.

 

To demonstrate this benefit and its significance to a brand, consider the South African airline Kulula. In conjunction with the World Cup, Kulula launched a campaign branding itself as the "Unofficial National Carrier of the You-Know-What" in 2010. 

 

However, the World Cup's regulating body, FIFA, promptly ordered Kulula to suspend the campaign because it purposely gains promotional benefits by forging an unlawful relationship with the 2010 FIFA World Cup.

 

Also Read | Customer Marketing Strategies

 

 

Disadvantages of Ambush Marketing :

 

1. Ambush Marketing is Expensive

 

The biggest disadvantage of ambush marketing is its high cost, which makes many firms hesitant to use an ambush-style advertising approach. It is evident that ambush methods can create opportunities to expand a brand's market share as well as total profit. It does, however, request a certain amount of investment. 

 

Complete ambush marketing strategies are sometimes out of reach for smaller, newer, less well-known firms. As a result, well-funded companies choose ambush marketing to display their advertisements at important international events such as the World Cup, the Olympics, or the Super Bowl.

 

2. The ROI estimate for ambush marketing is quite Challenging

 

Determining the ROI is difficult, but not impossible. When calculating the ROI of ambush marketing initiatives, you can't use the same methodology as you would for traditional ads, which entails allocating various numbers to intangible things like brand recognition or favorable consumer sentiment. 

 

It is quite difficult to accurately calculate the ROI. Monitoring mainstream and social media for links, mentions, or other engagement metrics, on the other hand, might help you measure the overall reception of an ambush campaign. It will be easier, but getting down to business and proving the financial ROI will still be difficult.

 

3. Ambush marketing necessitates the use of both Time and Space

 

Finally, ambush marketing entails not only initiating a cheeky marketing effort, but also selecting an appropriate time and venue. Aside from the possible expenditures, ambush-style advertising methods necessitate relatively quick reaction coordinated planning. 

 

Time and space are the only elements businesses need to consider after cost and content if they want to operate effectively and successfully with the existing campaign to achieve their goal. 

 

They are so crucial that a single blunder in determining advertising time and space can derail an ambush marketing campaign before it even begins.

 

Also Read | Covert Advertising

 

To summarize, employing this marketing method allows you to contemplate promoting your brand in an unexpected manner. Ambush marketing is a strategy that encourages firms to develop potentially offensive yet memorable advertising campaigns.