“I don’t know who the hell would want to ban it”
Rhodri Giggs has responded to the news that the Paddy Power advert in which he stars has been banned by the UK advertising watchdog.
It was reported earlier in the week by the Guardian that the Advertising Standards Authority had deemed the ad to be ‘irresponsible’ after receiving five complaints about it.
Rhodri, the brother of Wales manager and Manchester United legend, Ryan Giggs, could be seen drinking champagne in the ad and driving a sports car. This, the complainants said, glamorised gambling as a means of achieving a wealthy lifestyle.
Paddy Power pointed out that Giggs is not seen gambling at any stage of the advert and that the car he is seen driving – which features the number plate ‘Ambassador Car’ – was not obtained from betting.
The advert also featured numerous tongue-in-cheek references to allegations that Ryan Giggs had an affair with his brother’s wife.
“We considered [the advert] created the impression that Rhodri was no longer defined by the alleged affair and that he had moved past his ‘loyalty’ and was now reaping the rewards,” the ASA explained.
“The ad implied viewers should follow his example, and that their route to doing so was joining Paddy Power’s Rewards Club. We considered the ad implied gambling was a way to achieve financial security and improved self-image, and we concluded the ad was irresponsible.”
In a video posted on Thursday, Rhodri expressed his surprise at the decision to ban the advert.
“I don’t know who the hell would want to ban it,” he says.
⚠️⚠️⚠️BANNED ⚠️⚠️⚠️ @CreativeJJB @paddypower 🤷🏽♂️😢😅 pic.twitter.com/kWiCSdMPCr
— Rhodri Giggs 🏴 (@rodjamesgiggs) May 9, 2019
Asked for a comment on the decision to ban the advert, Paddy Power told JOE: “Hmm, I wonder who would complain about our Rhodri Giggs advert? Nope, no idea.”
