Paddy Power are being assholes for a cause now

C'mon England! #BrazilNuts pic.twitter.com/8O1Ayyd8TR
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) June 7, 2014

The Tweet above showed up on Saturday, and people went nuts on the online gambling brand.

Is the picture real? If it is then theyre disgusting “@paddypower: Get behind Roy's Boys! #BrazilNuts pic.twitter.com/2lKLxPt6hR” cc @PicPedant
— 4tis (@4tis) June 8, 2014

That could be the cure for cancer gone right there. Oh well, it is the world cup. "@paddypower: #BrazilNuts pic.twitter.com/vs3FeeeUj4"
— Ben Prater (@benpratershow) June 7, 2014

Hoped it wasn't real. Wow. Away to close my account. RT “@paddypower: Run, forest, run! #BrazilNuts pic.twitter.com/Yk0vn77BrU”
— Kenny Stewart (@Kenny__Stewart) June 7, 2014

But then yesterday, they revealed the whole thing as a "corporate social responsibility" campaign:

Wood you believe it? http://t.co/DxupnvU2Lf #SaveTheRainforest pic.twitter.com/UT3DA4igl4
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) June 8, 2014

Of course it was faked. How could anyone doubt that? But it's interesting to note that Paddy Power, who are not exactly know for social sensitivity in advertising, used predictable outrage as a way to get rainforest issues in front of soccer fans.

No, deforestation is not a laughing matter. But they played Twitter like a piano. And like it or hate it, that's one for the record books.

Paddy Power provokes with "Oscar" ad, succeeds

It's not easy to be a more insensitive and offensive advertiser that PETA, but online betting outfit Paddy Power does it on a regular basis.

This time, it's an "Oscars" ad that features accused murderer and elite athlete Oscar Pistorius. And oh, did they get what they wanted:

Paddy Power's controversial ad campaign featuring Oscar Pistorius, which offers "money back if he walks", is to be investigated by the UK's advertising watchdog after receiving nearly 50 complaints. 

The adverts, which offer refunds for losing bets if the South African Paralympian is found not guilty of the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, has been criticised for being in bad taste. 

The ASA (Advertising Standards Authority) received 46 complaints in two days and has now decided to launch a formal investigation.

Now there's a Change.org petition to "please remove your offensive betting on the outcome of the Oscar Pistorius trial and donate any profits so far to a women's charity fighting violence against women." It has, of this writing, 122,610 digital signatures.

Not that any of the offended are in Paddy Power's target market. In fact, I wonder if they actually get more business from stunts like this (and this, and this) than they ever had the potential to lose.

It's a cynical adworld out there.

This is why the world needs FEMEN

With their headline-grabbing tactic of demonstrating topless, the women of Ukraine's FEMEN movement can seem like a novelty act. But believe me, they are deadly serious.

And one of the main reasons they came into existence, a few years ago, was to fight against the way Ukrainian women are perceived and treated — not just in their own country, but around the world.

This year, the focus of their anger has been the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2012), which will be co-hosted by Ukraine and Poland. Like many other major sporting events, Euro 2012 is expected to arouse a boom in prostitution as local women offer to "service" foreign soccer fans.

The potential for widespread exploitation and abuse of women is even worse in Ukraine, which is a well-known European destination for sex tourism.

How well-known? Check out these two ads:





In both cases, the idea that Ukrainian women are Europe's sex toys is simply taken for granted.

FEMEN's founder, Anna Hutsol, told New Europe:

“I don't know what type of people will come or how they see our country, but if they think it is a 'brothel country', how will they behave with young women on the streets? You know, our girls dress quite liberally, which is usually not accepted in a European country, and to some could seem as a sexual call . This will also influence the behaviour of the sport fans. Thus, we need drive home the message: 'Yes, Ukrainian girls usually dress like this, but they are not prostitutes.'”

Women re-appropriating their own sexuality. It's a thing now, with worldwide movements like Slutwalk and Rock The Slut Vote. But before them were these half-dressed Ukrainian women, shivering and screeching against a system that tries to keep them down. Let's all hope in never does.

Paddy Power declares open season on Chavs #FdAdFriday

"Vajazzlers"

For those of us on this side of the Atlantic, "Chav" is a classist term for obnoxious and vain people of lower socioeconomic status, equivalent to "Guido" in America.

Online gambling operation Paddy Power, who have figured out the best media plan is to get your ads banned, came up with this one that they say is unbroadcastable in Great Britain.



It is pretty amusing, though. Someone should send that sniper to New Jersey.

First seen on Ads of The World

How to get a great ad placement in mainstream media for free

Just get it "banned".

As The Media Blog points out, by getting the ad above rejected by several media outlets, Paddy Power managed to have it reproduced in full as editorial content in The Guardian and elsewhere.

It's the oldest trick in the book, and as you can see it doesn't even take any creativity to do it.

Diversity progresses awkwardly in the strangest places

Just watch this ad, then we'll talk:



Now, first let's put aside that it's an ad for an online betting service. Then let's decide to temporarily overlook the stereotyped South Asian waiter.

Okay, done? Now let's talk about how disabled people are portrayed in this spot.

According to utalkmarketing.com, this ad has been pre-emptively banned from airplay by Clearcast, the UK TV regulator.

"A Clearcast spokesperson said that they were concerned about the 'juvenile behaviour' portrayed in an advert for a betting company and that the advert could be seen as 'offensive' in the way that the men with disabilities were portrayed.

'It could be considered that they were being laughed at and at the butt of the joke rather than being in control of their situation,. she added. 'We would never ban a disabled person from an advert, but they need to be portrayed in positive and feisty way, in control of their situation.'"

The client, Paddy Power (whose name also makes me go "hmmmm..."), counters: "As a brand, Paddy Power looks to display a fun and irreverent look on life and those ‘ground open up and swallow me’ moments we’ve all experienced are certainly such occasions.”

So we're supposed to be focussed on the waiter, and the fact that he has been "run" out on, rather than the blokes in the wheelchairs. Paddy Power is then able to explain how, by comparison, they are a safe bet because they guarantee payout.



But back to the guys in the wheelchairs. utalkmarketing.com points out that one of them is wearing a Hearts & Balls rugby shirt. It's a UK charity that helps out people disabled by rugby-related injuries, and their families. Why is it in there?

I suspect, and this is just me being optimistic, that there is a tiny seed of desire in this spot that wants to grow into the idea that people in wheelchairs are "just ordinary blokes" who do the things able-bodies rugby yobs might do. It's unfortunately stunted by the comical getaway scene at the doorway. But just imagine if the guys had slipped away in a more subtle manner, then rolled down the street at top speed when they were caught. That would have been progress towards my dream world where people with physical disabilities are seen as people first — even flawed people — and their disabilities are just an afterthought.

Personally, I'm more offended by the portrayal of the waiter. "That's the second time today they've done that!" He might as well have been played by Rowan Atkinson or the late Peter Sellers.

There are two other ads in the series. One is pretty funny, the other one painfully awkward:





What do you think? Do I give these bookies too much credit?