Summer is almost here, and in Chicago that means an endless series of excessively loud concerts and festivals. These events are so loud, in fact, that you can hear them thirty or forty floors off the ground. And who funds these wonderful events? Judging by the signage and advertising, it seems like corporate sponsors make it all happen.

When companies plunk down the money to associate their names with concerts and other noisy affairs, they’re probably thinking mainly about the branding value it has for the people who attend the events. But perhaps they should also consider the highly detrimental effect that these same events have on people living or working nearby. If those people see your corporate name associated with something that really pisses them off, you might end up losing more customers from that relatively small group than you gain from the rest of the campaign.