Paddy Power looks for trouble with new ad agency
Beattie McGuinness Bungay replaces Crispin Porter & Bogusky after winning £20m contract to take Irish firm's brand to the "next stage"
Paddy Power has placed mischief-making at the top of its agenda after appointing Beattie McGuinness Bungay (BMB) to head-up its £20m advertising account.
London-based BMB fought-off competition from M&C Saatchi, Grey London, Enter and Fold7 to secure the lucrative contract following a near five-month tender process run by intermediary Oystercatchers.
BMB replaces incumbent agency Crispin Porter & Bogusky, who had worked with Paddy Power since 2011 and recently led the Irish operator’s cheeky campaign to have former football David Ginola elected as FIFA president.
But Paddy Power head of brand Paul Sweeney said there would be no major change in advertising tack with the operator continuing to market itself on the back of mischief-making opportunities.
“We can’t wait to see how much trouble we can get into with our new friends at BMB,” Sweeney said.
On launching the tender last year, Sweeney said the firm was looking for an agency that could take the Paddy Power brand to “the next stage of development in the market”.=
The appointment does not affect Paddy Power’s relationship with London-based agency Lucky Generals, which works with the bookie’s ‘mischief department’ on its controversial PR stunts.
Last year Paddy Power head of mischief Ken Robertson was seconded to Australia to work with Aus-facing brand Sportsbet but is expected to return at some point this autumn.