Anyone for a Pringle?

by Sarah on July 6, 2009 · 0 comments

in Marketing

pringles-these-are-not-tennis-balls

 

The Telegraph reports on some great ambush marketing from our favourite crisp brand. We also had a small ambush in the office and had the crisps put on our desks too … it resulted in a whole day of Pringles related tennis jokes! Kept me amused for hours :-)

“Companies who pay a small fortune to become an official Wimbledon product might well be wondering how Proctor and Gamble, makers of Pringles crisps, managed to do it for nothing during this year’s Wimbledon.

 In a classic piece of ambush marketing, the crisps were being give away on the streets outside the All England Club on Wednesday in their distinctive tennis tube-style packaging carrying the slogan: “These are NOT tennis balls!”

Nothing the All England Club could do about that but, surprisingly, officials decided not to confiscate the product from fans as they entered the club – a common practice with unofficial ‘ambush’ products. The reason given by officials was that Wimbledon does not have a deal with a comparable snack food, so there was no question of the Pringles tubes harming sales of a licensed product. But they clearly under-estimated the British public’s love of a free lunch. The ubiquitous Pringles tins were quite clearly the most visible brand on show all day.”

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