Paddy Power Ad Skewers Billionaire Takeovers Amid Football Season Kickoff Frenzy

The campaign from BBH heroises the hottest talking point in football this season – club takeovers by billionaires

By Creative Salon

14 August 2023

Following a summer that’s seen more takeover bids than an entire series of Succession, Paddy Power is honing in on the absurdity of the billionaire takeover trend in its latest campaign from BBH.

Heralding the start of the 2023/2024 football season, the film shows how, whether you are a fairweather fan or a hardened fanatic, most supporters unashamedly get on board when it's their club receiving the cash. The spot is the second ad from Paddy Power’s partnership with BBH, and was created by creative director duo Lawrence Bushell and Luke Till who earlier this year succeeded in creating Paddy Power’s best performing racing ad to date, with Cheltenham - let’s settle this.

Featuring a skilful assist from former Liverpool striker and England International Peter Crouch, the ad opens with the reaction of supporters from the fictitious Hardlypool FC to the latest club takeover bid reported (by Crouchy) on TV in their local pub. The camera pans to a fan vowing that their club has ‘something that money can’t buy’ - history, legacy, community.

His impassioned speech is suddenly interrupted when a fellow fan bursts through the doors to announce: “We’ve been bought by an oil baron! We’re rich!!!”

Without missing a beat, the disgusted fan’s frown is turned upside down as he suddenly bursts into a (heavily revised) version of Ginger Rogers’, ‘We’re in the Money’. Leading a troop of fellow fans in song and dance, they emerge from the renamed ‘Golden Goose’ Pub as the celebrations spill onto the street.

The group go into full-scale footie chant mode, singing “gone are my ethics and gone are my fears, we’ve been mid-table for too many years.” But there’s a sting in the tail when the ringleader of the Hardlypool FC fans arrives at their newly minted grounds and attempts to buy a season ticket for his club.

“There’s a 12 year waiting list, mate.”

Associate Creative Directors Luke Till and Lawrence Bushell said: “In true Paddy Power fashion, this spot aims to tackle what everyone really thinks about sportswashing, but don’t necessarily have the guts to say. We reckon creatives Dom and Kier took on the challenge like prime Maldinis, and hope the nation does too.’

Tow Muldowney, Head of Marketing - Sportsbook at Paddy Power added: “Football has put the oil in loyal of late, with fans changing their tune faster than Jordan Henderson when a Saudi-backed billionaire rolls up in their gold-plated sports car. We couldn’t resist a sheik-y dig at the utter absurdity of it all. And don’t even get me started on Jay-Z! But at the heart of this advert is the excitement of the start of season that fans of all clubs feel up and down the country. Football, you gotta love it.”