Johannesburg in bid to outlaw ambush marketing

Johannesburg is proposing a new law to stop ambush marketing ahead of the FIFA World Cup in 2010. The plans include heavy fines or a prison sentence for brands that break the rules.

The South African city is working with FIFA to put the new by-law in place and it is consulting with residents over the next month on the plans.

The new laws aim to prevent ads being launched by brands not sponsoring the event from appearing within a kilometre of World Cup venues or stadiums, and from within a hundred metres of FIFA Fan Parks.

It would also ban ads on main roads within two kilometres of the final location or in nearby airports and major train stations.

In the past, major sporting events including the World Cup and the Olympics have been plagued by brands using heavy marketing to drown out activity by official sponsors.

London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (LOCOG) has already bought all of the outdoor sites across the UK for the three month prior to the games in a bid to cut out ambush marketing.