ambush marketing

American  

[am-boosh mahr-ki-ting] / ˈæm bʊʃ ˈmɑr kɪ tɪŋ /

noun

1. a marketing strategy for associating a brand with a major event without paying sponsorship fees, often by exploiting the publicity generated by an official sponsor and rival brand.

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Etymology

Origin of ambush marketing

First recorded in 1985–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

ambush marketing

It is known as ambush marketing - and Fifa has been battling it since 1994.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

Fifa officials investigating Neymar over alleged deliberate ambush marketing after he appeared in “unsanctioned underpants”.

From The Guardian ● Jun. 28, 2014

A stream of branded Starbucks cups has seeped around the Olympic grounds in what some initially surmised was a cunning ambush marketing campaign—a suggestion that Starbucks and NBC deny.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 15, 2014

Other athletes will be happy to know the I.O.C. will not be checking their underwear for potential ambush marketing.

From New York Times ● Jul. 27, 2012

Sponsors channel billions of dollars into events like this month's Olympics in London, but rival companies come up with all manner of wheezes to try to publicize their brand for free in so-called ambush marketing.

From Reuters ● Jul. 4, 2012