Paddy Power responsible for two of 2016’s most controversial ads
ASA received almost 700 complaints about the operator’s allegedly “racist” and “offensive” TV adverts
Paddy Power was responsible for two of 2016’s most complained-about ads, according to a list compiled by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA).
The famously brash bookmaker received 670 complaints relating to the ads, although none of the complaints were upheld by the ASA.
The Irish operator claimed the fifth spot on the list with an ad of two football teams playing blindfolded, which received 450 complaints.
The ad, which was a re-run of a previous campaign, hinted at one of the players booting a cat that had run on to the pitch after mistaking it for the ball due to the bell it had around its neck.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ispFw6THxtg
Some complaints suggested the ad encouraged cruelty to animals and was offensive to blind people, but the ASA concluded the majority of viewers would see the ad as humorous.
Paddys also took seventh spot for a TV ad showing a group of Scottish people singing that they didn’t mind they hadn’t qualified for Euro 2016 because they could still bet on England to lose in it.
In total, 220 viewers complained about the “racist and anti-English” tone, but the ASA said the ad was a “light-hearted and humorous reflection of the friendly sporting rivalry between England and Scotland”.
However, Paddys was not the most complained-about firm, with Moneysupermarket taking the first, second and fourth spots on the list, with a total of nearly 2,500 complaints.
A spokesperson for Paddys told EGR Intel: “Unfortunately no member of the Paddy Power marketing team is available to comment. After being beaten by three Moneysupermarket.com ads, every single one of them has been made redundant and will probably struggle to ever find work again.”
In total, none of the ten most controversial ads were banned, with the ASA saying its focus was on misleading ads more than anything else.
Controversial ads and PR stunts are a core part of Paddy Powers marketing strategy, with the firm operating a team of ‘Mischief Champions’ whose job it is to keep the bookmaker in the headlines.