The Wall Street Journal reported this weekend that there is a large group of Chinese people that have been employed by the International Olympic Committee to walk around the Olympic venues and Village and PUT TAPE OVER ANY LOGO that isn’t an Olympic Sponsor.

Seriously.

That means tape over signs on elevators. Fire alarms. Air
conditioners. Faucets. And even toilets. They’ve made people walking
into the venues turn their t-shirts inside out if they have a logo that
isn’t an Olympic sponsor.

Their reasoning? “…such “brand protection” is essential for the
Games to raise the corporate money that keeps them going and growing.
The Games get 40% of their revenue from sponsors, with the rest coming
from broadcast rights, ticketing and licensing. Sponsors of China’s
Games, believed to be the most lucrative ever, have contributed some
$1.5 billion in cash, goods and services, estimates sports-marketing
group Octagon.”

I’m not buyin’ it. Because that’s not reality. What kind of a world
would it be if Coca-Cola, McDonald’s, Visa, Samsung Electronics, Bank
of China and Volkswagen were the only brands that existed? That’s not
the world we live in.

It kind of reminds me of companies that police their logo with a
pack of lawyers and a vengeance. If one of their customers makes their
own t-shirt with Brand X on it and the company finds out, it’s lawsuit
threatening time. I’m not talking about using the company logo to SELL
things. I’m talking about using the company logo to support and show
admiration and evangelism for the company. But then here comes the
marketing department and the lawyers, “That’s not our PMS colors! You
can’t put the logo on a black background!”

Look, I’m in total agreement that from the inside, marketing
departments and their partners should be extremely consistent in how
the brand is portrayed and presented. Hell, one of the deliverables we
give our clients is an Online Identity Manager that is basically their
“Brand Bible.” But from the outside, I truly believe that companies
need to completely change how they view customers using their brand and
logo. Sure, it’s probably not the corporate standard, but it’s a sign
of a fan. And it’s free exposure. It starts conversations with other
fans. Above all, it’s authentic.

Control is overrated. And in all reality, a company’s control over a
brand is a complete illusion. Sure, they invented the brand. But they
don’t own it. So my advice to the logo and branding police: get a new
job. This is a battle you shouldn’t even be fighting.