Should fast-food brands be sponsoring athletes?

With the Winter Olympics now over, the issue of sports marketing is once again in the limelight.With a global outcry quickly rising over unhealthy food marketing, the age-old practice of unhealthy food brands sponsoring athletes is increasingly being called into question.Last week, Sara Deon, value (the) meal campaign director from watchdog body Corporate Accountability International, wrote an open letter to Olympic medallists pleading with them “not to accept sponsorships from McDonald’s, a corporation that drives the worldwide epidemic of diet-related disease”.The letter went on to state that for more than four decades, McDonald’s has sponsored the Olympics to “forge an undeserved association between health and its unhealthy brand”.“Sponsoring the Olympics and high-profile athletes enables McDonald’s to mislead people worldwide into thinking that its brand is healthy,” Deon said.“While on the surface, these relationships might seem innocuous, they are powerful marketing tactics designed to associate the fast-food corporation with symbols of health and build brand affinity and trust among children. But you can stand up to this misleading marketing. You can be a voice for children’s health […]”Athletes aside, entertainers are also under fire for promoting unhealthy foods, which their critics claim, clash with their actual image.For example, a Pepsi campaign endorsed by Katy Perry was criticised by the health group, The Centre for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), which accused the singer of putting her young fans at greater risk of obesity and other illnesses by promoting the brand.Singer Beyoncé also felt the heat when CSPI executive director Michael F. Jacobson said in a letter to her: “Your image is one of success, health, talent, fitness and glamour. But by lending your name and image to PepsiCo, you are associating those positive attributes with a product that is quite literally sickening Americans.”Unhealthy food brands and athletes: unlikely bedfellows?However, it has been an age-old practice that brands sponsor famous athletes.For example, fast-food chain McDonald’s, a sponsor of the Olympics since 1976 and the FIFA World Cup since 1994, signed up Olympic swimmer and US multiple medallist Dara Torres to front its campaign during the run-up to the 2012 Olympics.According to PwC, this was done in an attempt to change the perception of the brand and “promote exercise and balanced eating”.In another example, Dunkin’ Brands Group, the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, signed a multi-year marketing partnership with the Liverpool Football Club (FC).The F&B giant now has marketing partnerships with Liverpool FC that will see both brands engage with fans through joint promotions, digital and print advertising, and appearances during pre-season tours.PepsiCo has also bought the title sponsorship to the Indian Premier League cricket for five years starting in 2013 for US$71.77 million. This was nearly twice the deal signed in 2008.Sports sponsorships are no small business. In a study by PwC in 2012, the global sports market was worth US$130 billion. Sponsorship contributed 30% of the amount. PwC also predicted that by 2015, global revenues from sports sponsorships are expected to be US$145 billion, with Asia Pacific contributing 19% of the revenues.Getting involved with the brandMarketing spoke to National Sport Climbing Team athlete Hazlee Muhammad. He is currently sponsored by Allsports Equipment, PETZL and Five Ten.As an athlete, Muhammad conceded he would not want to consume unhealthy food on a regular basis as part of his fitness regime.“According to my principles, as an athlete I should project a responsible image as it reflects on the sport that I’m doing. Taking up an unhealthy sponsor may project a negative image and influence the public especially the youth,” he said.However, he added that conditions vary among sponsors, depending on what the company and the athlete agree on.Andrew Jeffrey, marketing director of Coca-Cola in Singapore and Malaysia, said when sponsoring athletes, the company does expect the individual to consume the products.“We need to ensure that the fit is genuine between our brand and the athlete as our consumers are always savvy to the truth. You must have an affinity with the brand to be a true spokesperson,” Jeffrey said.Jeffrey also added that typically Coca-Cola sponsored sporting events rather than individual athletes.Like McDonald’s, he adds that Coca-Cola hopes “to encourage and inspire people to lead healthy active lifestyles”.Ultimately, the decision lies with the athlete, said Muhammad. “The consumption or use of products would definitely depend on whether the terms proposed by the company is in agreement with my principles and purpose as an athlete.”