Paddy Power Spoofs 'American Beauty,' 'Dirty Dancing' on the Soccer Pitch

How does English soccer legend Peter Crouch show his undying love for the game in Paddy Power’s riotous new :60 from Droga5 London?

Let me count the ways.

Nodding to American Beauty, the retired striker lounges in a frothy tub filled with red misconduct cards (instead of roses). Later, he and former referee Mark Clattenburg replace Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in a tribute to the “lift” scene from Dirty Dancing.

As for what Peter does to the corner flag in a fit of ecstasy—well, it’s SFW, but we hope they hosed that pole down after filming, just in case.

Timed to the August start of the Premier League season, the spot, dubbed “Love Football. Intimately,” hypes Bet Builder, which lets users wager on various stages of games, not just final scores. In a broader sense, the work casts Paddy as a savvy pop-culture player. Sibling FanDuel and category rival DraftKings have employed similar strategies.

“We’re not just a football brand, we’re an entertainment brand, so a shot of nostalgic movie tropes told in a way that’s authentic and entertaining to football fans was exactly the vibe we were after,” says marketing director Michelle Spillane. “We want to see punters spit out their crisps when they see it for the first time in their local pub.”

Indeed, Stink Films directing collective Traktor delivers a subversively ride that’s generated a ton of headlines and social chatter—both pro and con—since the ad dropped last week.

“The team at Droga5 have ensured that it’s perfectly self-deprecating and although there’s a whole load of Hollywood-style production and magic, what matters is that it is storytelling at its absolute finest,” Spillane says. “It doesn’t rely on A-list celebs. Its got Crouch-Power and that’s what resonates with fans more than anything.”

Appropriately enough, a wager helped spice up the action on set.

“We plowed ahead with the shoot based on a bet that they couldn’t pull off that iconic Dirty Dancing lift in the first take,” Spillane recalls. “We lost. Who knew a footballer and a ref could trust each other enough to strike such beautiful balance?”

CREDITS

Client Credits: Paddy Power
Michelle Spillane – Brand & Marketing Director
Patrick Boyce – Brand Marketing Manager
Leah Spears – Head of Brand Strategy
James O’Reilly – Head of Sportsbook Marketing
Natasha Son – Brand Manager
Aggie Rabadia – Brand executive
Rachael Kane – PR Manager UK&I
Ready 10 – PR Agency

Agency Credits: Droga5 London
Chief Creative Officer – Shelley Smoler
Creative Director  – Martin Beswick, Ed Redgrave
Art Director – Alex Robson
Copywriter – Florence Russell
Head of Strategy – Damien Le Castrec
Strategy Director – Aaron Harridge
Senior Strategist – Rozina Bashir
Agency Producer – Ben Catford
Producer – Olly West
Group Account Director – Oli Morgan
Account Director – Dom Kocur
Senior Account Manager – Matt Brown

Production Credits
Director/ Production Co – Traktor / Stink
Producer – Paz Parasmand
DoP – Dan Bronks
Editor – Rick Russell at Final Cut
Post Production – Nineteen Twenty
Sound Design – Adam Smyth at String & Tins
Stills Photographer – Nick Dolding

Ninetween Twenty Credits
Creative Director – Bill McNamara
2D VFX Supervisor – Ryan Hadfield
2D Artists – Rod Norman, Adam McHale, James Russell, Tom Clapp, Rob Lilley, Taylor Webber, Alejandro Marzo, Matt Hutchins, Tijan Holder, Yanru Yin
3D VFX Supervisor – Chris King/Mike Farrar
3D Artists – Ben Thomas, David Renscenyi, Elena Schurkus, Joe Baker, Lucy Wright, Maria Coca Menchero, Oscar Hill, Adam Gramlick, Danai Rizou
DMP Artist – Benita Winckler
AFX Artist – Sandra Clua
Colourist – Kai Van Beers
Colour Assistant – Jennifer Kerr
VFX Producer- Ross Culligan
Production Assistant – Heather Brown