Perhaps the edgiest, most combative and controversial of the Ashes 2015 rivalry-led activations was an ad by eternal ‘bad-boy’ bookie Paddy Power called ‘The Only Aussie We Don’t Want To Get Out Is Rolf Harris’.
In addition to the strapline and the brand logo, the execution itself featured an image of the convicted sex offender and former kids TV presenter Rolf Harris.
The deliberately rebellious bookmaker has a long track record of controversial campaigns, but the official line on this outdoor execution leveraging the England vs Australia tests was that the billboard was too controversial to run.
Despite its insubordinate position, the rebel/challenger brand archetype betting outfit officially noted that the ad ‘had the potential to cause offence’ and after creating it decided to ‘destroy’ it before the campaign began.
‘We decided that, on balance, although potentially amusing for the cricket fan, the sentiment of the advert crossed the line and had the potential to cause offence,’ said a spokesman for Paddy Power.
Nevertheless, images of the mobile billboard on the back of a lorry appeared online via social media and it was then covered by many media organisations – as so many of Paddy Power campaigns are ()and are intended to be).
Paddy Power to 'destroy' Rolf Harris Ashes ad after 'Twitter leak' http://t.co/Dugfh5cFM2 via @samburnejames @prweek pic.twitter.com/lFAtzpDEjM
— BrandRepublic (@BrandRepublic) July 21, 2015
The spokesman said he was not aware how the ad had leaked.
‘It’s not often Paddy Power make this kind of decision but in this instance we believe we made the right call not to run it. We can confirm that we will be destroying the advert and it will never be released in public.’
Comment
In some circles the Irish-based business is better known for its controversial advertising than it is for its bookie business.
The Ashes debacle came just a few weeks after it had run a lorry-based campaign at channel ports exploiting the current immigration crisis by inviting immigrants to ‘Jump In the Back’ with images featuring successful sportsmen such as Mo Farah and Raheem Sterling.
Good at sport? Then climb aboard… pic.twitter.com/YFWjB2wJhU
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) July 2, 2015
Other controversial Paddy Power campaigns have ranged from its Nigel Farage fronted Ryder Cup ambush (see previous case study),
to a Nicklas Bendtner underwear guerilla stunt at Euro 2012 (see previous case study).
Links
Paddy Power Website:
