Video ad: Argentinian Olympic athlete trains on Falkland’s war memorial

Sir Martin Sorrell "appalled" by ad made by subsidiary of his own company.

The advert’s tagline means little out of context – coupled with its video location, far more.

To compete on British soil, we train on Argentinian soil.

Broadcast yesterday on TV in Argentina, the ad shows the country’s hockey captain Fernando Zylberberg running in Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, as part of his preparation for the Olympics. His training site includes a Falkland’s war memorial.

Earlier today the foreign secretary William Hague called the video a “stunt”. Sir Martin Sorrell joined in the criticism, saying he was “appalled and embarrassed” by it; unsurprising, given the ad was created by a Buenos Aires-based subsidiary of his agency, WPP – and that he worked for Saatchi & Saatchi during the years they aided Margaret Thatcher. Sir Martin said:

The ad is totally, and I mean totally, unacceptable. The agency has formally apologised for any offence or pain caused. We are appalled and embarrassed by it.