Paddy Power immigrant ad "€œinappropriate"€, says ASAI

Irish ad watchdog rules the operator’s controversial campaign breached code

Paddy Power has been reprimanded by the Advertising Standards Authority for Ireland (ASAI) for an “inappropriate” ad it ran at the start of Europe’s immigrant crisis.

The ad was distributed via social media and included pictures of sports stars Andy Murray, Raheem Sterling, Mo Farah, Manu Tualigi and Eoin Morgan printed on the side of a truck.

Text accompanying the image stated: “Immigrants jump back in! (But only if you are good at sport) Paddy Power”.

The watchdog received a number of complaints that the ad was in poor taste and was offensive, and exploited the situation some migrants in Calais found themselves in at the time.

One complainant said the ad was “making a joke out of human tragedy” while another considered it was likely to “inflame negative attitudes towards immigrants”.

In its response, Paddy Power said it promoted ads that were “edgy, humorous and engaging” and that it had “never been their intention to cause offence”.

Paddys also said the ad had been created as a “satirical joke” in respect of Britain’s leading sportsmen ahead of Andy Murray’s second round match at the Wimbledon Championship.

In its response the ASAI said it accepted Paddy Power’s social media followers were aware of its “edgy” sense of humour, but it was “inappropriate” to refer to vulnerable groups in marketing campaigns “merely to attract attention”.

The watchdog told Paddy Power the ad must not run again in its current form.