Another marketing campaign has attracted criticism from the Vancouver Organizing Committe for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games (VANOC).  A story today reports that Scotiabank’s new “Show Your Colours” campaign, launched yesterday in Vancouver, has drawn VANOC’s ire.  The bank’s campaign, appealing to Canadians’ sense of patriotism, asks Canadians to upload photos “that show Canada’s unique spirit”.  The launch included an appearance by former womens’ hockey Olympian Cassie Campbell, who signed autographs and shared photos.

According to the story, VANOC “has serious concerns of the public being misled into believing there is an association between the 2010 Winter Games and [Scotiabank’s] campaign”, though it is unclear as to the specific issues upon which VANOC’s concerns are based.

As evidenced by VANOC’s previous complaints about Lululemon’s winter marketing campaign, VANOC clearly remains concerned about ambush marketing, and is focused on protecting its sponsors.  The Royal Bank of Canada, one of Scotiabank’s competitors,  is an official sponsor of the 2010 Games.

The story indicates that Scotiabank officials and VANOC are in communication “to arrive at a mutually agreeable solution”.