2002

20th Century 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007

The most complained about ad in the UK in 2002 depicted two old ladies crossing a zebra crossing with odds bubbles above their heads. We were clearly betting on who would get across the road first, but some people got the impression that the menacing 4x4 in background meant that we were betting on which of the grannies would be run over first. Lots of old people weren’t happy.

Nonetheless we thankfully got the chance to explain ourselves in both national press and broadcast media across the UK & Ireland. However it was to no avail. The four week campaign was banned after six weeks.

Most people wont remember 2002 for foot in mouth, but Paul Ryan certainly will!

Paul is one of our long standing horse racing gurus and he made it quite clear that he didn’t think a JP McManus owned horse called Baracouda would win at the Cheltenham Festival.

“If Baracouda wins the Stayers Hurdle at Cheltenham, I’ll run naked through Tallaght”, he said. Publicly. In front of many punters and members of the media.

Baracouda won and Paul stripped. He ran around our home town of Tallaght wearing nothing but a Paddy Power cap, a pair of runners and a horse’s head cod piece procured from Ann Summers – truly a man of his word!