Cadbury is going to arrange a series of sport events ahead of Olympic Games 2012 in London. The confectionery manufacturer will hire 2000 ambassadors to bring its mini-games Cadbury Spots V Stripes on stage in a number of village fêtes, universities and sports clubs.

The company is sponsoring the Olympics for the first time ever, and it wants to fill the country with the sportive spirit before the games officially start. Cadbury assures it will “provide a rallying cry up to 2012”.

Phil Rumbol, the brand’s outgoing marketing director, commented, “This is all about the ethos of the Olympics. These games can be anything from a five-a-side football competition to people racing to Costa Coffee at work to see who gets the fastest time.” Activists from Groundwork, which will be engaged in the activities, are working with disadvantaged people and help improve communities.

Cadbury Spots V Stripes-themed events are to engage local people in sport activities, designed to improve their health. This project will continue the program of positive changes started by the Cadbury Foundation, which donates about £750,000 every year to socially deprived communities.

Nigel Currie, director of marketing and sponsorship consultancy Brand Rapport, noted, “The danger for Cadbury is that this type of activity is difficult to measure and you never really get the results. But Cadbury does have a history of making a success of this sort of thing.”