Mischievous bookmaker Paddy Power is taking LOCOG on in the courts after the so-called Olympic "brand police" forced them to remove a billboard which supposedly infringed Olympic branding and advertising guidelines.

As reported by The Drum:


The tongue in cheek posters, as part of the ‘We hear you’ campaign, read: ‘Official sponsor of the largest athletics event in London this year! There you go, we said it. (Ahem, London France that is)’
It turned out the event being sponsored is in fact an egg-and-spoon race in a small town.

According to Marketing Week:

The bookmaker claims organisers instructed outdoor media owner JCDecaux to take down billboards promoting the Paddy Power Egg-and-Spoon Race in London yesterday (24 July).
Paddy Power is deemed to have breached sponsors exclusivity rights to the London 2012 Games for using the words “Official Sponsor”, “Athletics” and “London” together in an ad. 






A spokesperson from Paddy Power said:

“We pride ourselves on listening to our customers and what we’ve heard loud and clear is that LOCOG have got their priorities upside-down. It’s a pity they didn’t put the same energy into the ticketing and security arrangements for the Games that they put into protecting their sponsorship revenue streams. We’re taking this fight to the High Court in the interest of our customers and of common sense”

Paddy Power are no strangers to controversy - this entire ad campaign, started at Euro 2012, has been loud, brash and noticeable - whether erecting a giant Roy Hodgson on the White Cliffs of Dover, attacking Swedish "landmarks" with a giant vuvuzela, or sponsoring a very expensive pair of Danish underwear - Paddy Power will have picked up on the apathy directed at LOCOG's branding exercises ahead of the Olympic Games and have spotted a chance for their typically irreverent humour and a chance to rally public opinion.