A period nicknamed “the blackout” started today in which athletes competing in the games may not appear in any advertising by companies that are not official Olympic sponsors.
To understand what this means, consider Michael Phelps: Subway has long sponsored the Olympic swimmer, but it’s not an Olympic sponsor. That means no Subway ads featuring Phelps can air between July 18 and Aug. 15. But this Head & Shoulders commercial of Phelps washing his hair is fine — Head & Shoulders is owned by Procter & Gamble, which is an Olympic sponsor.
So here is the P&G commercial
Read for instance The Washington Post and NPR, via SCAQ Blog
