Kicked-cat TV advert drew most complaints

A total of 1,313 people contacted the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) to complain about the advertisement for bookmaker Paddy Power, saying it was offensive to blind people and could encourage cruelty to animals.

The complaints were not upheld however, with the ASA noting in its annual report released today: “We felt the ad was surreal and light-hearted in tone and was unlikely to encourage or condone cruelty to animals or cause serious or widespread offence.”

The television ad opened with a shot of a kitbag marked Blind Wanderers FC and two teams of blindfolded men in the middle of a game. A cat is shown running on to the pitch before a player takes a kick, followed by the sound of a thud and a loud meow.

A man in a suit appears on the pitch and says: “Paddy Power can’t get Tiddles back, there’s nothing we can do about that, but we can get you your money back with our money-back specials.”

Paddy Power provided a letter from the manager of the England Blind Football Team, who supported the concept, to defend the advertisement against the complaints.

The ASA received 25,214 complaints in 2010, a decline of 13 per cent from the previous year. ASA rulings led to 2,226 advertisements or campaigns being changed or withdrawn.

The second most complained about advertisement last year was another television one, this time for Marie Stopes International. It was claimed it promoted abortion but this was not upheld. There were 1,088 complaints.