Betfair announced on Friday they were hoping to create the world's first commercial goal celebration, offering Premiership footballers £10,000 to the first one to "do the TaiKai". Doing the TaiKai involves breaking into a martial arts inspired dance that is going to be central to to Betfairs upcoming advertising. This is a groundbreaking tactic that was met with scorn by the FA, advising referees to caution any player that took part in the celebration, but could this lead to the opening of a new domain of sports marketing?
In the middle of a Test match last summer, England cricketer Alistair Cook was caught on the stump mic mentioning the series sponsor NPower. He returned to his dressing room to find a bottle of champagne waiting for him. The England wicketkeeper Matty Prior then famously tested how effective this stealth marketing was by repeatedley saying "Porsche Carrera" with tongue planted firmly in cheek.
Will this tactic take off and what are the potential implications for PR's working in sport and the fans of the sports themselves? Plugging products is an accepted part of much of popular culture, from product placement in Bond films to the eventual return of A-Listers on Jonathan Ross' sofa. But how will we react to being ambushed with marketing communication when we aren't expecting it? Is this going to make us more susceptible to the message we are being hit round the head with, or will we reject it on mass as not playing by the rules?
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