Irish bookmaker Paddy Power has made its bet on the Christmas ad race, with a humorous and heartfelt tribute to football fans.
The campaign, A Shirt’s Not Just For Christmas, It’s For Life, features actor Danny Dyer (complete with mullet) and boxing promoter Eddie Hearn in a nostalgic journey through the highs and lows of football fandom.
The ad has been made in response to Paddy Power research suggesting that 73% of viewers find Christmas ads too serious. Created by BBH London, it takes a playful look at a moment familiar to many fans – unwrapping their first football shirt on Christmas morning.
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In the ad, Dyer plays a dad who initiates a lifetime of loyalty to a fictional team, Hardlypool United. Eddie Hearn appears as a larger-than-life club owner. Dyer’s character ages by 30 years through the advert, achieved via four hours of prosthetic work.
Additional research finds that 56% of fans received their first football shirt as a gift from a family member and 40% were gifted their first shirt by their father.
Paddy Power marketing MD Michelle Spillane, described the campaign as “a love letter to football”.
