London Olympics 2012 (Suppliers' Marketing Protocol)

Hugh Robertson Excerpts

Tuesday 1st May 2012 Written Statements

[The Minister for Sport and the Olympics (Hugh Robertson)]

London 2012 has already generated thousands of opportunities for businesses throughout the country. This written ministerial statement seeks to set out how businesses that have worked on the games can make the most of their extraordinary achievement and experience within the terms of their contracts.

The Government, the London Organising Committee of the Games (LOCOG) and their partners are absolutely committed to creating a lasting business legacy from the Olympic and Paralympic games. As part of that legacy, it is important that businesses who have won a contract are able to identify to potential customers and in recruiting new employees the contribution they have made towards the success of the games.

The costs of staging the games have been funded with a significant contribution from sponsors—in excess of £l billion from international sponsors, broadcast rights-holders and domestic sponsors, including 44 domestic sponsors who are major British-based businesses such as British Airways, British Telecom, British Petroleum, Lloyds TSB, Deloitte, Airwave, Atkins, GlaxoSmithKline, Next, Thames Water, Thomas Cook, Sainsbury’s, Cadbury/Trebor, and John Lewis.

Collectively, they are powerful advocates for London 2012, both in the UK and in overseas markets, and have made possible community, sporting and education programmes that will make these games stand apart, such as LOCOG’s schools based Get Set programme which now reaches children in 80% of schools across the UK. Many have gone much further, such as Sainsbury’s sponsorship of the school games. Their partnership with London 2012 will reach communities across the UK. To highlight but a few—GE’s £4.8 million funding of a new intensive care unit in Homerton hospital, Coca-Cola’s sponsorship of street games, and McDonald’s financial and training support for the London 2012 games makers. Sponsors’ contributions depend on their ability to secure exclusive association with the games within their sector for purposes of marketing and other promotional activity.

To ensure that suppliers, who have been engaged on commercial terms and have not purchased sponsorship rights, do not prejudice LOCOG’s ability to benefit from the significant value provided by its sponsors, contracts with suppliers contain the London 2012 “No Marketing Rights Clauses”. However, to enable the appropriate identification by businesses of the way in which they have contributed to the games, LOCOG has developed a detailed protocol which allows businesses that have supplied goods and services to the games to refer to that fact in different contexts. For example, such businesses may mention the work they have undertaken in relation to the games in the form of an accurate factual statement in the following materials:

client lists;

pitch documents;

annual and statutory reports;

social or informal business contexts;

internal communications.

Full guidelines, including examples of what suppliers may say about their work on the games are set out in the protocol issued by LOCOG and available on its website at:

http://www.london2012.com/mm/Document/ Publications/StategiesPolicy/01/25/45/23/L2012 SuppliersNoMarketingRightsProtocolpublishedSept10 _Neutral.pdf.

The protocol also provides that businesses that wish to refer to their work relating to the games in other contexts should talk to LOCOG about whether and how this should be done.

One of the major benefits of staging the Olympic and Paralympic games in 2012 is the significant boost the games will give to the UK economy. With the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA), Government and other key stakeholders, LOCOG has developed and implemented a pragmatic approach which allows case studies, promotional events and visits to be used to showcase what London 2012 as a whole has brought for the UK. This permits a level of publicity that is proportionate and made in the context of promoting the business benefits of the games. This includes most recently the publication of the Beyond 2012 legacy document, as well as the Springboard to Success suppliers directory.

2012 is a unique opportunity to showcase and promote wider British business. The GREAT campaign will showcase to the world all that is best about the UK as a place to visit and do business.

I am also placing copies of the protocol in the Libraries of both Houses.