Paddy Power has ‘no regrets’ for ‘good at sport’ immigrant stowaway ad
Paddy Power has stood by its decision to run a controversial ad on a lorry calling for immigrants who are talented at sport to hop aboard and sneak into the UK.
Making light of illegal immigrants boarding lorries in order to enter the country, the firm decked out the vehicle with an ad offering passage to potential stowaways who could bolster our national sports teams.
Further irking some people was the fact Andy Murray was included on the truck, playing on the well-known witticism that Murray is Scottish when he loses and British when he triumphs.
Spotted at Dover this morning... pic.twitter.com/3RCTQp7mdl
— Paddy Power (@paddypower) July 2, 2015
Rory Scott, head of PR at Paddy Power UK, told PRWeek that despite the stunt sparking a sizeable backlash – something the brand is accustomed with doing – it had “no regrets” over the ad.
Scott said: “Humour is subjective and I’m sure many people feel offended at the jokes on ‘Have I Got News for You’, for example. What’s going on in Calais is topical, but this wasn’t an observation of that crisis. This was more of a gag about some of our leading British sport stars.
"We were playing on the joke that Andy Murray is Scottish when he loses and British when he wins."
The bookmaker often courts controversy, most notably portraying Irish militants as newly-wed homosexuals, a ‘Money if he walks’ Oscar Pistorius jibe and mocking out-going MPs with a Westminster goodbye lorry.