Cadbury’s London 2012 Deal Provokes Criticism
Confectionery brand Cadbury’s is on the verge of announcing a £20m sponsorship deal with London 2012 – a speculated move that has already provoked some strong criticism.
The much-rumoured deal is believed to place Cadbury’s on Tier Two status as a London 2012 partner alongside Deloitte – the first brand to sign up to that level of association with the Games.
However, the deal has already provoked criticism from some health and anti-obesity groups who believe that such an association is unfitting for the Olympics given London 2012’s heavy legacy emphasis on improving the health and fitness of the UK public.
The criticism mirrors similar accusations levelled at Cadbury’s five years ago when it launched a marketing initiative entitled GetActive! which allowed consumers to win sports equipment for schools in exchange for buying bars of chocolate.
The London 2012 deal with Cadbury’s is expected to be confirmed later this week with LOCOG, the Games’ organising committee currently focusing on selling Tier Two sponsorship contracts for the Games.
LOCOG has already signed up 7 Tier One partners in the form of LloydsTSB, BT, British Airways, adidas, EDF Energy, BP, and Nortel Networks with deals rumoured to be worth between £60m-£80m for the highest level of association.
