Some might call it a marketing stunt, but according to Danish football striker Nicklas Bendtner it was just his lucky underpants.
Earlier this month Bendtner made headlines after he celebrated a goal against Portugal by pulling his shirt up and his pants down far enough that the words “Paddy Power” were visible across the top of this underwear.
In terms of exposure for Paddy Power, the ceremonious pants-flash made the sports betting company a talking point of the UEFA tournament – not least because players are not allowed to wear sponsorship. Bendtner was fined 100,000 euros and suspended for one match and the incident sparked hundreds of articles around the world. You can read more over at our sister football title FourFourTwo here and here.
It was Paddy Power who came to the rescue, reportedly offering to pay Bendtner’s fine.
Not only that, the company has since been offering up hundreds of pairs of "Paddy Power Lucky Pants" as prizes in a competition on its blog (which ends on June 28). To enter, visitor are being asked to say "WHY you deserve these lucky pants" in the comments section of the Paddy Power blog. In addition, visitors are being asked to "Tweet us a picture of your unluckiest pants with a brief explanation as to why they’re so unlucky."
Meanwhile marketing commentators are
calling for something to be done about "ambush marketing".
