A Paddy Power marketing campaign making light of the Calais migrant crisis will be criticised by the advertising watchdog for causing offence, it has been reported.
The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland said it was investigating a number of complaints over a recent campaign from the bookmaker.
At the height of the migrant crisis in Calais, Paddy Power sent a lorry to the French port with the slogan: “Immigrants, jump in the back! (but only if you’re good at sport).”
The truck’s trailer featured images of Jamaican-born English footballer Raheem Sterling; athlete Mo Farah (Somalia); rugby player Manu Tuilagi (Samoa); cricket player Eoin Morgan (Ireland) and Scottish tennis player Andy Murray.
According to the Guardian, the ASAI, in a draft ruling, said the lorry slogan was in breach of three sections of the advertising code: one about not causing general offence; one about not being offensive on grounds including race and one about seeking to be sensitive about diversity.
The ASAI told the Irish Times that it could not comment on the case while the report was at the draft stage. A spokeswoman said no formal decision will be taken until the draft is referred to the authority’s complaints committee.
Apparently Paddy Power defended the campaign, saying it frequently runs edgy and humorous campaigns for a mostly social media-based audience.
The ASAI reportedly concluded that “it was nevertheless inappropriate for advertisers to refer to vulnerable groups, in a manner that highlighted their current high profile difficulties, in marketing communications merely to attract attention”.
Paddy Power has courted controversy with previous advertising campaigns, including one which offered customers their money back if South African paralympian Oscar Pistorius was acquitted of the killing of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp.
In July it emerged Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane was suing the bookmaker over an advertisement depicting his image mocked up as William Wallace with the slogan “You may take our points, but at least we have our freedom”. The billboard was unveiled before an Ireland vs Scotland international and referred to Scotland’s decision to vote No in a 2014 independence referendum.
