(Weather update: No snow in sight or on site! But I got rain-soaked this morning with no umbrella, then had to squint by the afternoon because the sun was so bright...)
The Olympics couldn't go on without the major sponsors who pay very big bucks to be exclusive. The IOC is quick to take legal action against any others. In Vancouver some minor offenses are happening, like knock-off mittens or T-shirts that oppose the Games --- but catch your eye by including the extremely trademarked Olympic rings. The only high-profile "ambush marketing" so far has been by a major Canadian bank that is not RBC, the official bank.
In order to protect their $pon$or$, the IOC has required VANOC, the Vancouver Organizing Committee, to buy up ALL advertising space on the area transit system. VANOC can then resell the space, but only to non-competitive advertisers.The result is that trains, buses, bus shelters, and some billboards on major roads all have the same ads wherever you go.
It's like those TV shows where they seem to have only 2 commercials but they show them over and over and over!
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