Coca-Cola deal hikes Patrick's finances for gov campaign
By Ann E. Donlan | Boston Herald | April 8, 2005
Deval Patrick has inked a consulting deal with his ex-employer Coca-Cola that puts $2.1 million into his pocket as he inches closer to a decision to run for governor in 2006.
The 12-month consulting deal, while not a political contribution, could help Patrick close the fundraising gap with Attorney General Tom Reilly, who is planning to seek the Democratic nomination.
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Protests 'will cut value' of Olympic ties
By Ed Kemp | CampaignLive.com | 04/29/08
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LONDON — Sponsors of the Olympic Games in Beijing will see the value of their association with the event 'cut in half' because of the activity of 'free Tibet' protestors and Darfur pressure groups, according to marketing researcher Sport+Markt.
Persistent disruption to the Olympic torch relay has been followed by an open letter in which 150 activist groups claimed that sponsor, Coca-Cola, will be 'complicit in a humanitarian disaster in Tibet' if it fails to force the International Olympics Committee to direct the relay away from the territory.
Last week, pressure group Dream for Darfur published a sponsors"report card' in which it awarded 'low grades' to 16 sponsors it argued have failed to help bring security to the Sudanese region.
Hartmut Zastrow, executive director of Sport+Markt, warned that sponsors could not properly activate Olympics-related work in the current climate. 'No sponsor could possibly exploit the Olympic spirit in their campaigns right now, except in China,' he said.
Earlier this month, Coca-Cola scaled back its promotional activity surrounding the Japan leg of the torch relay. A spokesman said that heightened security had made it unrealistic.
Bob Heussner, senior vice-president of Games marketing at Octagon, said: 'This is a critical time for the torch relay and the Games. It is a time for cool heads and reasonable judgement. 'The next four to five months have the potential to be extraordinary, and marketers need to be in tune. I would advise sponsors to curtail their [activity around the torch relay].'
However, Zastrow said that the Olympic Games have always been a platform for discontent and did not believe the negative publicity would have an impact on the associated brands' long-term reputation.
'At the moment China is still the villain in the eye of the public,' he added. 'Olympics sponsors have never suffered [damage to their] image. Consumers can distinguish between the political situations of host countries and the engagement of a sponsor in a great international sporting event.'
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"One contribution from Coca Cola makes you even with Tom Reilly in the fund-raising department," said political consultant Scott Ferson. "That's the real thing."
Patrick, who was unavailable yesterday for comment, served as Coca Cola's general counsel and executive vice president until his abrupt resignation a year ago.
Under the deal revealed yesterday, Patrick cannot sue the company for any reason and has promised not to work for another company or reveal any company secrets through Jan. 1, 2007.
Patrick's spokesman, Kahlil Byrd, said the contract, which runs through Dec. 31, would "assure a smooth transition of the company's legal function."
Democratic media consultant Mike Shea said, "He's going to have more money to fund his campaign and it means that he's highly valued in the business world, and those are all pluses."
Byrd noted Patrick already has sunk $100,000 into his campaign committee, adding, "He will put in some money, but it's important the people participate in his effort to change the leadership of Massachusetts, and part of that participation is fund raising."
FAIR USE NOTICE. This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. The Campaign to Stop Killer Coke is making this article available in our efforts to advance the understanding of corporate accountability, human rights, labor rights, social and environmental justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Law. If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use,' you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.