(25 July 2012) Paddy Power have instructed their legal representatives to seek a court order against London 2012 organisers, LOCOG. The move was prompted after LOCOG instructed outdoor advertising company JCDecaux to remove the bookmaker’s latest advertising campaign from high profile poster sites around the Capital.
The Paddy Power billboards in question promote their sponsorship of an athletics event scheduled to take place in the picturesque town of London, France on 01 August 2012 and is part of the bookmaker’s on-going “We Hear You” marketing campaign.
A spokesperson from Paddy Power said “We pride ourselves on listening to our customers and what we’ve heard loud and clear is that LOCOG have got their priorities upside-down. It’s a pity they didn’t put the same energy into the ticketing and security arrangements for the Games that they put into protecting their sponsorship revenue streams. We’re taking this fight to the High Court in the interest of our customers and of common sense”
lol.. nice to see someone making a stand against the overbearing LOCOG machine.
LOCOG BACK DOWN ON PADDY POWER POSTER CAMPAIGN
(25 July 2012) In what must be deemed a gold medal winning U-turn, London 2012 organisers, LOCOG, have reversed their position from yesterday which demanded the removal of Paddy Power’s latest advertising campaign from poster sites around the Olympic city.
Coincidentally today’s change of heart by LOCOG, which was communicated by their law firm, Freshfields, was taken just moments before Paddy Power’s law firm, Charles Russell, were set to enter the High Court in London seeking a court order against the Olympic organisers.
The legal ruling was sought by Paddy Power on the grounds that their campaign does not breach LOCOG legislation on advertising around the 2012 Games.
Over the past 24 hours, tens of thousands of Paddy Power fans turned to social media to show their support for the ad campaign and to vent their anger at LOCOG’s decision, resulting in the bookmaker trending on Twitter in the UK earlier today.
Paddy Power have confirmed that they will be seeking to recoup their legal costs from LOCOG and if successful will donate the full amount to grassroots sports initiatives across the UK.
A spokesperson from Paddy Power said “This is a victory for common sense and for each and every one of our customers and fans who supported us along the way. The athletes of London, France will be breathing a collective sigh of relief this afternoon. May the Games begin!”