Sponsor and ambush marketing during the 2018 Commonwealth Games on Twitter and Instagram

Purpose This research explores ambush marketing on social media during the 2018 Commonwealth Games held in Australia. Two social media platforms - Twitter and Instagram - served as the dataset to uncover how official sponsors of the Canadian and Australian Commonwealth Games teams were ambushed. Design/methodology/approach Employing a content analysis of all official team sponsors and their competitors, the study's findings offer an original and multi-national look into social media ambushing. Findings Results indicated that promoting Games' links was the most common social media post type used by official event sponsors, followed by sharing results of their endorsed athletes and behind-the-scenes information. Research limitations/implications In an effort to provide connection to the event, posts by ambushers focused on promoting athletes endorsed by their brand. All ambushers were more likely to use Twitter to promote their endorsed athletes. Instagram, however, was not fully embraced in their ambush marketing. Originality/value Discussion and implications of the results provide sport marketers with information on how to leverage one's link with a major sporting event.