Vancouver 2010 is launching a national advertising campaign starting June 17 to raise consumer awareness on the importance of buying authentic Games merchandise and tickets.
VANOC is also launching a targeted marketing industry awareness campaign on the associated marketing rights of the 2010 Winter Games Official sponsors – companies that are making the 2010 Games possible through their support.
The campaign focuses on two consumer issues said Vancouver 2010 – the integrity of official Olympic and Paralympic goods, and, as the launch of VANOC’s ticketing program approaches, authorized 2010 Winter Games ticket sales.
Vancouver 2010 is assuring the public that official Vancouver 2010 merchandise is produced according to strict safety and quality assurance standards and to a high level of ethical sourcing and social responsibility.
Caley Denton, VANOC vice president, ticketing and consumer marketing said, “by purchasing official Vancouver 2010 merchandise consumers can feel confident that the product is safe, ethically sources and supports both the staging of the 2010 Winter Games as well as Canadian athletes. The REAL 2010 campaign will help consumers make informed decisions about the 2010 Winter Games products and merchandise they purchase”.
VANOC is encouraging consumers to always check for the unique hologram affixed to each item, which is designed to assist in identifying the product’s authenticity.
VANOC has also established an internal anti-counterfeit team that is working closely with law enforcement authorities and the Canada Border Services Agency to address this issue.
Vancouver 2010 is also addressing the issue of secondary ticket sales. With the support of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the measures include using “secret shoppers” to purchase tickets from unauthorized deals, tracing the origin of these tickets and disabling all tickets from unauthorized sources.
VANOC is considering establishing an authorized, centralized ticket resale and distribution resource where members of the public can safely exchange and purchase tickets.
Denton advises consumers to buy directly from vancouver2010.com or Jet Set Sports/CoSport, “our official hospitality services provide to ensure the authenticity of their ticket purchases”.
Denton added, “our message to consumers is simple: for your own protection you should question the authenticity of tickets bought from any other source but our website or our authorized ticket agents. They may not be valid and may no be accepted for entry to 2010 Winter Games venues”.
