Warsaw 2012 ad spot panned

9th December 2011

A new advert aimed at promoting Warsaw in the lead up to the Euro 2012 tournament has become the subject of much controversy.

The full-length 3 minute clip shows a man chasing an athletic young blonde through the capital after he spies her jogging past him and, according to daily Fakt, cost PLN 700,000 to produce.

The paper also suggests that just prior to the lady running past, the man looks down at his crotch at what appears to be an erection in his trousers.

The couple then pass many of the city’s most famous sites before being re-introduced to each other at the end.

The ad has already become an internet hit - but for the wrong reasons. On YouTube, it has amassed only 3,60 ‘likes’ compared to 6,412 ‘dislikes’, with viewer comments complaining about aspects such as the price, the seediness of the scenario and how the advert has nothing to do with actually promoting the city.

One YouTube user has even posted up a spoof version of the video, suggesting the man is only chasing the woman in order to sexually attack her.

However city officials have defended the clip, saying that it has an interesting plot line and shows off Warsaw in a positive light.

“The film was accepted which indicates that it meets all the requirements,” says Katarzyna Ratajczyk, head of Warsaw’s Promotion Department. “We liked the script because it focuses on a good mixture; jogging, famous landmarks and there’s a bit of a love interest there too.”

“We see the total cost as a reasonable amount. For the price, we have three different adverts; a 30 second version, a 60 second version and a 180 second version.”