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The City Council of Huntington Beach, California, has made it official: By law, Coke is now the real thing. In February 1999, the Coca-Cola Company and the cash-strapped city completed a deal which gives Coke exclusive rights to place its logo and vending machines on all city property–parks, beaches, even police and fire stations–for the next ten years. In exchange, Coke will pay the city $300,000 cash per year in addition to spending another $300,000 annually to renovate city parks.
The deal that made Coke the "official city beverage" restricts sales of arch-rival Pepsi to privately-owned businesses such as restaurants, supermarkets, and convenience stores. Pepsi has responded to Coke's coup by scrambling for a town of its own; it's currently preparing an exclusivity contract with California's capital, Sacramento.
Huntington Beach hopes to sign more corporate sponsors to exclusivity deals. Don Schulte, a local sports marketing executive who organized the Coke sponsorship, is already dreaming of future deals. "If Calvin Klein comes out with a bathing suit line, maybe we'll talk," says Schulte. "We can put lifeguards in Klein bathing suits and sweatsuits; we can put beach parking attendants in Nike uniforms." And perhaps the Mayor in a Tommy Hilfiger clown suit?
Not satisfied with taking over towns, corporate entities are gobbling up sports stadiums and other entertainment venues by the dozens. San Francisco's Candlestick Park is now 3Com Park. Albany's Knickerbocker Arena is the Pepsi Arena.
Are we going to let companies suck the life out of our public places, all in the pursuit of your money and your "mind share"? It sure looks that way.
Norman Solomon, "Capital Game: Big Business Has Saturated the Sports Industry with Corporate Branding. Next Stop, a School or Museum Near You." Media Beat, San Francisco Bay Guardian, June 21, 2000.
Jim Caple, "Caple On Baseball: They Didn't Pay You To Call It Safeco, So Feel Free To Call It Whatever You Like."The Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 6/9/2000.
Dr. Larry M. McCarthy and Richard Irwin, "Name In Lights: Corporate Purchase Of Sport Facility Naming Rights." The Cyber-Journal Of Sports Marketing, Volume 2, 6/98.
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Slam Bad Ads! Want to stop the intrusive advertisers before they get to your churches and your homes? Here are some ideas: 1. If you live in a town that has a corporate "sponsor"–or find out that a corporation is vying for your public spaces–write a letter to the editor of your local paper. Be brief, use humor or a personal story, type the letter, and include your contact information. 2. Call in to your local radio station's talk show to inform listeners of the corporate sponsorship and to register your displeasure. 3. Write a letter to your town government officials. 4. Remember, there is no law that says that you have to call a sports venue or town what a big corporation wants you to call it. You can refuse to play their game, and urge the media to do the same. 5. Write a letter to the company that's trying to take over your town. Here's the contact information for the more well-known cases. You can find out which corporations sponsor your local sports arenas at the Commercial Alert Web site. Pepsi-Cola Company (Sponsor of
Sacramento, CA and the former Knickerbocker Arena, Albany) The Coca-Cola Company (Sponsor
of Huntington Beach, CA) Half.com (Sponsor of Halfway, OR) 6. Write a letter to the company that's trying to take over your sports stadium or other entertainment venue. Find the contact info for most corporate sponsors on Hoovers or Big Yellow. |
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