Johnson & Johnson signs global Olympic sponsorship deal

by Joe Lepper, brandrepublic.com, Friday, 24 February 2006, 8:30am,

LONDON - Cosmetics and pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson has signed a global sponsorship deal to become a partner of the Olympic Games.

The deal starts at the end of the current Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games and carries on until the end of the next major event, the Beijing 2008 Olympics.

According to the International Olympic Committee, the deal will include global marketing rights involving a raft of Johnson & Johnson products, including over the counter drugs, consumer goods, medical devices and diagnostics.

It also builds on an existing domestic-only sponsorship deal between Johnson & Johnson and the IOC covering the Torino and Beijing events.

Brian Perkins, Johnson & Johnson vice-president of corporate affairs, said: "This partnership reflects a shared philosophy in caring for people. This global opportunity will enable Johnson & Johnson to provide enhanced health education, services and care to people around the world while expanding our reach in emerging markets and strengthening our business in developed areas."

This latest deal brings the number of global sponsorship partners for the Olympics to 12, with Coca-Cola, Atos Origin, GE, Kodak, Lenovo, Manulife, McDonald's, Omega, Panasonic, Samsung and Visa already signed up.

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This article was first published on brandrepublic.com