The United States Olympic Committee (USOC), originally called the United States Olympic Association, was established in 1896. Committee members sought to provide assistance to American Olympic athletes in matters training and other needs. . Because the USOC is not government funded, the committee relied heavily on corporate funding and private donations (“Team USA,” 2011). However, over the years, as the lure of the Olympics persisted, the increasing cost of housing, clothing and care for American athletes as well as other professional sports competing for corporate sponsorship , made it difficult to obtain financing. Thus, the USOC had to convince corporate benefactors that investing in the Olympic Games was a lucrative and profitable business (O'Rourke, 2010). Therefore, the methods used by the USOC to persuade companies to invest as well as the motivating factors underlying corporate sponsorship are explored.Case AnalysisPersuasive MessageThe ability to communicate effectively is essential in business (O' Rourke, 2010). In order to provide information, convey a message and explain an idea, communication tools must be applied daily (N, 2005). The most important communication tool is persuasive (N, 2005). This is because anything transmitted in the workplace requires a certain degree of persuasion (N, 2005). Persuasion is therefore the ability to push an individual or a group to act. Boyer and Stoddard (2011) describe persuasion as “the act of getting a sentient being other than yourself to adopt a particular belief or pursue a particular action (p. 1). Therefore, for persuasion to be effective, a level of trust must exist between the parties (O'Rourke, 2010). Thus, the challenge...... middle of paper ...... their association with the Olympic movement and develop interventions including updated marketing and promotion strategies to correct the problem. Additionally, an exclusivity right for certain corporate sponsors has caused companies without this type of contract to feel second rate, creating the possibility of ambush marketing (Palomba, 2010). Ambush marketing is a company's attempt to directly or indirectly associate itself with an event, team, or celebrity without obtaining proper authorization or paying the necessary licensing fees. As a result, official sponsors may not receive the full benefits or commercial value of payment to be legitimate sponsors (Palomba, 2010). Therefore, the USOC must protect legitimate sponsors by enacting or enforcing protective legislation to restrict or eradicate ambush marketing tactics (Palomba, 2010).