SSC Marketing on Olympic sponsorship

Confectionery maker Cadbury has come under fire recently, after securing a £20m-plus sponsorship deal, allowing them to become the sole supplier of chocolate and ice-cream at the London 2012 Olympics. End Quote

(1888PressRelease) February 24, 2012 - Some have questioned whether, in the light of the growing obesity problem in the UK, the company should be involved in the events. London 2012 chief, Paul Deighton defended the move, saying: "Previous games have had chocolate and confectionery suppliers, and like most sporting events confectionery is available to buy at Olympic Games, that is where we started." Sophinna Asif, Managing Director of SSC Marketing, an innovative London-based company, commented on the situation, saying: "It's important to note that the UK has a long history of confectionery companies supporting sporting events. In this context the deal is certainly appropriate, and it's encouraging to have such a big involvement for a UK company."

A spokesman from Cadbury said: "It is entirely appropriate that the biggest sports event that Britain has seen is supplied with British confectionery. It would be odd … to find only chocolate from foreign companies at the venue." Cadbury has a long track record of supporting major sporting events, including the Olympics in Sydney in 2000 and the Commonwealth Games in Manchester in 2002 and Melbourne in 2006.

Cadbury have stated that they will not be having chocolate giveaways or other similar events during the Olympics, but rather will be focusing on sport for youths and community activities, and promoting messages about maintaining a healthy diet. Sophinna Asif, Managing Director of SSC Marketing commented that: "Everyone likes to have a treat, but being responsible about your diet is important. If Cadbury are promoting positive messages then that's great. It's much more useful to have such a high profile company putting money into this event, and putting out responsible messages at the same time, rather than a reactionary ban."

The addition of Cadbury to companies such as British Airways, Adidas and BP as domestic sponsors for the event has pushed the organizers even closer to their target for fundraising, leaving them at £430m of the £650m target. Globally, the games have partnered with companies including McDonald's, Coca-Cola and Samsung.

SSC Marketing is a London-based specialized marketing company, who has seen incredible growth over the past year. They work with some of the fastest growing brands across the UK, to provide innovative, forward-thinking marketing solutions.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/oct/20/olympicsandthemedia-advertising

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