FACULTY AND RESEARCH

Ambush marketing is more than 30 years old, and its prevalence continues to grow. Recent cases indicate that brands perpetrating ambushes are becoming more creative, but the literature has failed to keep pace, offering scant analysis of the different forms ambushing can take, and the implications it can have and little investigation or consideration from the ambusher's perspective. This study proposes a new definition of ambushing and typology of three types of ambush marketing strategy: incursion, obtrusion, and association. Each type is defined and explored, and the significance and implications for sponsors, event owners, and ambushers are examined, providing new insight into the nature and impact of ambushing for industry stakeholders.