Paddy Power’s “Europe’s Favourites”

Welcome to the AdMiration newsletter! Each week we analyze new and noteworthy ads from brands around the world to give you our 3-2-1 snapshot of the ad (3 facts, 2 learnings and 1 reflection).

This week’s ad: “Europe’s Favourites”???

The ad opens to Danny Dyer walking through a beer garden, announcing that the Euros are here and “England are everyone’s favourites.” The scene then shifts to a German man in an airplane, putting his luggage away in the top compartment, who turns to the camera and sarcastically states, “Oh yeah, England are my ‘favorites’ because they’re so humble about past accomplishments…” as a group of English men clad in England soccer uniforms start chanting around him.?

Another scene opens on a beach to a Spanish woman working at the beachside restaurant holding a beer who says, “England are my favorites because of how they blend in to new cultures.” Which is followed by an English man in a robe and swim trunks shouting for an order of chips, “por favor please.”?

Several more scenes of people from different cultures follow, each making their own sarcastic comments about why England is their favorite, including their style, wit, their exits (with a nod to Brexit).?

The final scene goes back to Danny Dyer at the beer garden saying “Jog on, we’re not that bad are we?” Which is followed by a group of England fans shouting and cheering “It’s coming home!” and an Irish man sighing “I really hope it doesn’t.”?

The ad closes with a pan out to all the fans gathered around with the words “Paddy Power” and the line “This Euros, Europe’s favourites are favourites.”?

3 facts

• The ad scores in the top 15% of all UK ads in potential to drive short-term sales and in the top 30% in potential to drive brand equity and long-term sales.?

• Tapping into pop culture references drives relatability and sets the ad and the brand apart from others in the category.?

• People found it lighthearted, lovable and highly humorous, with 31% reacting to it with a laughter emoji and a further 24% with a love emoji, driving a more positive feeling towards the brand.

2 learnings

• Stories and characters that the audience can relate to can elevate your ad — capturing their attention and driving further emotional engagement to ultimately enhance overall effectiveness.?
• The use of celebrities, personalities, or characters works best when they have a direct link to your brand or embody the message or feeling your ad is trying to convey.?

1 reflection

Are you capitalizing on all the moments, events or seasons that are important for performance in the category your brand plays??

Activating during these times has great potential to set your brand apart from others and drive brand awareness and consideration in the moments that matter most.?

For more data & analysis

How do you best consume information??

• Reading: Go to the Zappi blog for a more detailed look at this ad’s performance — including the audience’s reactions to celebrity Danny Dyer.?

• Watching/listening: Check out our video below where I walk through the data within the Zappi platform with Isabella Franzini Monteiro , Zappi’s insights manager.

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Until next week,

Kim Malcolm