The Unlikely Path from Vatican City to Kim Jong-un's Birthday Party

Ken Robertson, Paddy Power’s former Head of Mischief, was given one job: grab attention by any means necessary. Known for outrageous campaigns and a flair for chaos, he built a career out of toeing the line. But one particular stunt, his most ambitious yet, pushed things further than even he expected.It all began when Ken Robertson staged a marketing stunt at the Vatican. He had Paddy Power set up betting odds at St Peter's Square during the 2007 papal conclave, which earned hourly coverage on Sky News. When Pope Benedict XVI resigned in 2014, he returned to the scene with a new and provocative promotion: “Money Back if the Pope is Black.”Then came the curveball.When Dennis Rodman announced a visit to North Korea with the Harlem Globetrotters, Ken saw a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to blend spectacle with scandal. He arranged for Paddy Power to sponsor a basketball match between the United States and North Korea, set to coincide with Kim Jong-un’s 30th birthday.What followed was a diplomatic headache.• Kim Jong-un’s regime carried out a brutal government purge just weeks before the event • The stunt drew scrutiny from institutional investors and even the United Nations • Paddy Power was forced to pull out at the last minute • The match went ahead without branding, and surprisingly, may have contributed to the eventual release of American prisoners • The campaign drew inspiration from the “ping pong diplomacy” that once thawed tensions between the United States and ChinaWhat started as a cheeky Vatican stunt nearly became an international crisis. This is the story of how Ken Robertson's wildest idea flirted with disaster and might have done some unexpected good.Send us Fan MailStruggling to prove marketing's worth to your board? Grab our free one-page Board-Proof Scorecard: 👉 Download the scorecard 👈Got a marketing problem you would rather not admit to? Reply to this and we will answer it anonymously on the show.Subscribe to our newsletter The mistakes we see marketers make, every fortnight. 👉 [Subscribe here] 👈Follow Chris:X, TikTok, LinkedInFollow Will:LinkedInFollow The Show:TikTok, YouTube