A story in The Telegraph notes the growing dissatisfaction of bwin.party (Pwin) shareholders, many of whom expected the bolted-together betting behemoth to charge out of the IPO gates on April 1, which it did, only to embark on a pretty much uninterrupted downward trajectory ever since. As the Telegraph noted, instead of the expected dividends, “what shareholders get are two glossy annual reports weighing in at a hefty 2lb. 3oz.” One angry shareholder cannily observed, “our future is 30 pages long. Our past is 112 pages. What I want is our dividends.” Let’s hope this unnamed shareholder doesn’t urgently need money for an operation or something, because Pwin shares lost another 7.34% this past week, closing at 133.9p, off more than a third from the 205p close on the day the newly-merged entity’s shares were first traded. So, to sum up: Annual reports = 2lb., 3oz. Share price = 1 pound, 33 pence.
After seeing their award-winning ad men pinched by Betfair, Paddy Power will undertake a £6m ‘strategic review’ of its creative account. Big Al’s Creative Emporium, creators of the infamous blind-footballers-cat-kicking advert, had handled Paddy Power’s accounts since Feb. 2010, but now that they’ve upped sticks, Paddy’s marketing director Barni Evans and brand director Adam Perrin will be drawing up a wish list of ad agencies from whom they’ll solicit pitches.
But perhaps they’ve already found their man… Féllim Mac An Imoaire was just another unemployed Irishman when he decided to blow his last €2k on a billboard pitch for a local job (pictured at right) rather than face emigration like it was Black 47 all over again. The billboard went viral, as the kids say, and Mac An Imoaire soon had 20 job offers from which to choose. And he’s chosen… Paddy Power! The betting chain’s Ken Robertson called their new hire “a true rock star … I have no doubt his energy, creativity and never-say-die attitude will be a massive plus to the brand.” Sure, until Mac An Imoaire realizes his job description includes donning a giant cat-suit and being hoofed in the nuts by blind footballers.
