Sabrina B.
s/o to @KarenCivil for the story
American rapper Dr Dre has succeeded with an ambush marketing operation at London 2012 aimed at Great Britain athletes without the knowledge of the British Olympic Association.
Dr Dre’s popular brand of Beats headphones customised with Union flag colours have been delivered to members of Team GB, despite strict IOC rules regarding any non-rights holder advertising around the Olympics.
The distinctive headphones have been worn by a number of British swimmers as they have been introduced to the crowd at the Aquatics Centre, gaining maximum exposure on the BBC. Diver Tom Daley was on screen wearing his Beats ahead of competition on Monday.
Tennis player Laura Robson and footballer Jack Butland have also sent out tweets about receiving their headphones, with goalkeeper Butland even promoting the name of the brand in his posting: ‘Love my GB Beats by Dre.’Â
Butland also revealed in a message to Great Britain footballer Karen Carney that a Beats representative had been in the team hotel and was ‘sure to bump into you guys soon’.
This targeting of Team GB comes on the same day the IOC confirmed Rule 40 in the Olympic charter that forbids athletes from promoting their personal sponsors on social media during the Games.
It follows a Twitter campaign started by American athletes who want the rule changed. Remarkably, neither British Swimming chiefs nor the BOA knew about Team GB receiving or wearing the headphones. These were also favoured by England footballers at Euro 2012 when they wanted to avoid speaking to the media.
WRITTEN BYÂ CHARLES SALEÂ & FULL STORY HERE
Photos via Daily Mail
