Paddy Power’s love affair with provocative humour continues not to disappoint. This time, new agency, Droga5 London, has unleashed an American Beauty of a TV ad, bringing a never before told love story to our screens to excite fans ahead of the Premier League start of season. 

Sexy former English striker, Peter Crouch, gets frisky with a corner flag pole, and World Cup heartthrob ref, Mark Clattenburg, embodies Baby from Dirty Dancing in a spot that invites audiences to Love Football. Intimately.

Paddy Power is celebrating the little moments that bring football fans to their knees or cry out in ecstasy, reminding fans of the unheralded incidents that prompt fans’ most passionate reactions.

Warning: The following ad may contain minor nudity, casual sexual references & some dirty dancing. 

Directors, Traktor, and post production house, nineteentwenty, crafted the perfect blend of in-camera and digital SFX to create a film that’s cinematic and dreamy.

“It’s a nostalgic romcom-tastic tale of romance, fantasy and our unwavering true love for all parts of football – if Harry Met Sally at a Spurs match,” stated Paddy Power brand & marketing director, Michelle Spillane.

After 40 seconds rammed with all of the sharp-witted Easter eggs the world has come to expect from Paddy Power, the pair are finally united as the ad reaches its crescendo, as they recreate the iconic lift from Dirty Dancing, and Clattenburg soars effortlessly above the head of Crouch…all 6ft 7” of him.

The campaign excitement was teased during the Crystal Palace v Arsenal game. The main UK campaign will be running from August 20 across social and digital formats, all the way through to December.

It is the first project conducted by Droga5 London, part of Accenture Song, on behalf of Paddy Power since winning the business earlier this year. The campaign aims to promote Paddy Power’s Bet Builder offering, which allows fans to bet on multiple markets such as cards, shots and corners.

“If you watch one commercial with a naked Peter Crouch in the bath this season, make it this one. And if you combine multiple markets in a single match this season, then place it with Paddy Power’s Bet Builder,” stated Shelley Smoler, chief creative officer, Droga5 London.

Spillane added, “We’re not just a football brand, we’re an entertainment brand so a shot of nostalgic movie tropes told in a way that’s authentic and entertaining to football fans was exactly the vibe we were after. We want to see punters spit out their crisps when they see it for the first time in their local. The team at Droga5 has ensured that it’s perfectly self-deprecating and although there’s a whole load of Hollywood style production and magic, what matters is that it is storytelling at its absolute finest. It doesn’t rely on A list celebs, its got Crouch-Power and that’s what resonates with fans more than anything.

“For their first project post-pitch, we asked Droga5 to create an ad encapsulating the thrills, spills and excitement of the start of season in a fresh and unexpected way. Witnessing Peter Crouch humping a corner flag, take a bubble bath midfield, or seeing Clattenburg soar like a Strictly contestant ticked that box. We ploughed ahead with the shoot based on a bet that they couldn’t pull off that iconic Dirty Dancing lift in the first take…along with some other really high-level, super important and thoroughly researched business reasons of course.

“In case you’re wondering, we lost the bet. Who knew a footballer and a ref could trust each other enough to strike such beautiful balance? We expected someone to get nutted and a red card to feature.”

Paddy punters can get a free £5 bet builder to place on Manchester United vs Liverpool this Monday August 22.

Credits: 

Client: Paddy Power
Brand & Marketing Director: Michelle Spillane 
Brand Marketing Manager: Patrick Boyce 
Head of Brand Strategy: Leah Spears 
Head of Sportsbook Marketing: James O’Reilly
Brand Manager: Natasha Son
Brand Executive: Aggie Rabadia
PR Manager UK&I: Rachael Kane 
PR Agency: Ready 10

Agency: Droga5 London 
Chief Creative Officer: Shelley Smoler
Creative Directors:  Martin Beswick, Ed Redgrave
Art Director: Alex Robson
Copywriter: Florence Russell
Head of Strategy: Damien Le Castrec
Strategy Director: Aaron Harridge
Senior Strategist: Rozina Bashir
Agency Producer: Ben Catford
Producer: Olly West
Group Account Director: Oli Morgan
Account Director: Dom Kocur
Senior Account Manager: Matt Brown

Production Company: Stink
Director: Traktor 
Producer: Paz Parasmand
DoP: Dan Bronks
Editor: Rick Russell @ Final Cut
Sound Design: Adam Smyth @ String & Tins
Stills Photographer: Nick Dolding

Post Production: Nineteen Twenty 
Creative Director: Bill McNamara
2D VFX Supervisor: Ryan Hadfield
2D Artists: Rod Norman, Adam McHale, James Russell, Tom Clapp, Rob Lilley, Taylor Webber, Alejandro Marzo, Matt Hutchins, Tijan Holder, Yanru Yin
3D VFX Supervisor: Chris King/Mike Farrar
3D Artists: Ben Thomas, David Renscenyi, Elena Schurkus, Joe Baker, Lucy Wright, Maria Coca Menchero, Oscar Hill, Adam Gramlick, Danai Rizou
DMP Artist: Benita Winckler
AFX Artist: Sandra Clua
Colourist: Kai Van Beers
Colour Assist: Jennifer Kerr
VFX Producer: Ross Culligan
Production Assistant: Heather Brown