Cheltenham Festival TV ad offends thousands
Paddy Power have stirred up a controversy with the release of a new advert that some transsexual groups say offends transgenders.
The Irish bookmaker is well known for their edgy Television campaigns and a 'blind football' advert in 2010, which saw sight-impaired footballers accidentally kicking a cat into a tree, generated hundreds of complaints, leading to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) launching an investigation.
Ahead of the upcoming 2012 Cheltenham Festival, Paddy Power have launched a new advert which focuses on Ladies' Day at Cheltenham, and it is thought that the initial reaction to the ad will lead to another ASA referral.
Crunchsports.com understands that the ASA will be discussing the advert in the coming days as a result of some of the complaints.
In the advert, the commentator references a Facebook post made by a fan, saying they "can't wait to see some beauties at Ladies' Day". The Irish firm claim to agree, but make things interesting by sending in some trans-gender 'ladies'. They then ask the viewers to "spot the Stallions from the Mares".
The video then shows a number of different people, some of whom are 'real' women and some of whom are men in drag. The tongue in cheek advert already looks set to be a hit with the racing community, but has also come in for heavy criticism.
The firm advertised the advert on Cheltenham racing site
CheltenhamFestival.net, with a number of readers who had watched the video expressing their opinions and stating that they had already contacted the ASA.