The London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games (Locog) reversed its ban just as Paddy Power’s lawyers – London firm Charles Russell – was set to enter the High Court to seek a court order.

Official sponsor

Locog had instructed outdoor advertising company JCDecaux to tear down Paddy Power’s posters, despite the bookmaker’s argument that the campaign – part of its on-going ‘We Hear You’ marketing promotion -- did not breach legislation on advertising around the 2012 Games.
The advertisement proclaims that Paddy Power is the ‘official sponsor of the largest athletics event in London this year’, before revealing that the event referred to is an egg-and-spoon race in the Burgundy town of London, which is half way between Dijon and Lyon.
However, Locog’s decision spectacularly backfired, with fans showing support for Paddy Power across social media web sites, resulting in the bookmaker trending on Twitter.
A spokesperson from Paddy Power said: ‘This is a victory for common sense and for each and every one of our customers and fans who supported us along the way.  The athletes of London, France, will be breathing a collective sigh of relief this afternoon. May the Games begin!’
Locog – which instructed Anglo-German magic circle firm Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer – released a statement reported in The Lawyer newspaper, saying that it had ‘raised its concerns with Paddy Power and decided not to pursue the matter any further at this stage. However, we will continue to monitor the situation’.

Never mind the anabolics

Meanwhile, web site PR Examples highlighted two other campaigns taking a similar swipe at the Locog–enforced restrictions on advertising. Wine merchant Oddbins is giving discounts to customers who wear or display a total of eight items from non-sponsor brands and advertising its wine by stating: ‘We can’t mention the event. We can’t mention the city. We can’t even mention the year. At least they can’t stop us telling you about this: Rococco Rose £17.′
Scottish craft brewery BrewDog has launched a limited edition beer containing banned substances under Olympic rules owing to their performance-enhancing effects. The beer, named ‘Never Mind the Anabolics’, includes creatine, guarana, lycii berries, kola nut, Gingko, matcha tea, maca powder and anabolic steroids.