Sex Pistols allow Pretty Vacant to be used in William Hill ad
The Sex Pistols, once the scourge of the corporate establishment during the 70s heyday of punk, have allowed one of their best known songs to be used in a new William Hill ad breaking tonight.
'Pretty Vacant' will be the soundtrack of the commercial, which breaks tonight during Sky's Champions League coverage and promotes the bookmaker's in-play betting services.
The TV ad will be supported by radio and will run across ITV channels, Sky, ESPN and Five. The media was planned and bought by media agency 7Stars.
Ian Cassie, executive creative director of The Bank, the agency behind the campaign, said: “It’s testament to the team at William Hill that they took, what could be considered for many, as an unconventional approach to feature the Sex Pistols against graceful football action.
"What we wanted to achieve was a direct response ad that stood out by mixing a blend of the classic and the contemporary - featuring an iconic band like the Sex Pistols demonstrates what an iconic brand William Hill has always been”.
William Hill says it has given each member of the Sex Pistols - Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glenn Matlock - a £500 free bet where any winnings will go to a charity of their choice.
Rotten, aka John Lydon, is no stranger to commercials having starred in a 2008 TV ad for Country Life butter.
And Lydon is not the only musician to go from band to brand. Iggy Pop is still appearing in Swiftcover ads while Roxy Music frontman Bryan Ferry was the face of M&S before being dropped in 2007.