Beijing Olympics Pose Moral Question for Advertising Sponsors

Political activist intheir attempts to terminate Sudan's attack in Darfur, are making progress with their efforts to pressure companies and markets to pull back their sponsorship of the Olympic Games in Beijing (http://en.beijing2008.cn/), because of China's ties to the Sudan government. In agreement with their contentions, Steven Spielberg recently withdrew from the Games, with many marketers wondering if such a prominant pull-back compel more to follow.
Speilberg's removal from the Games places sizeable pressure on other corporate sponsors, calling for some form of response indicating their political stance. Branding specialists expects that if enough athletes and activists join together and convince the advertisers and sponsors of their views, marketers may have to change their duty to the Beijing Olympics.
General Motors has reported that they intend to supervise the Darfur situation and react if things reach a pivotal point. However, forecasts about the Darfur issue do not appear to be calming and marketers will have to react one way or another. Beijing Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games(Bocog) http://enbeijing2008.com 0denounces combining poiltics with the Olympics, poses an important question to advertisers: Is advertising during the Olympic Games, creating the opportunity of reaching the Chinese market, more valuable than abiding by moral convictions, which condemn China's relations to Sudan's government?
In the months leading up to the Olympics, companies will be forced to decide whether they can place their moral principles before business, and if they can afford to withdrawal from such a profitable event. Companies are being ascked, even pressured, by political activists to determine whether they are capable of separating politics from their business in order to uphold crucial values. Time will certainly tell.

[Fowler, Geoffrey A., and Suzanne Vranica. "Darfur Issue May Entangle Beijing Olympic Sponsors." The Wall Street Journal 14 Feb. 2008, sec. B: B1. 15 Feb. 2008. Dow Jones & Company. 15 Feb. 2008 .]