Client: Littlewoods
Agency: BBJ Media Services
Buyer: Shaun Jordan
Client: Nike
Agency: Manning Gottlieb
Buyer: John Williams
Client: Ford Probe
Agency: The Network
Buyer: Haldun Kayai
Programme : Cutting Edge
TV station: Channel 4
Date: 7 October, 21.00
Break transmission: 21.15
Barb: 10.7 ABC1 men TVRs (live)
Most of us will remember Channel 4’s Cutting Edge expose on the hapless
Graham Taylor a couple of years ago (did we not like that?). So it’s not
surprising that agencies rushed to book their slots in the Paul
Gascoigne special last week, in anticipation of nice fat ratings.
Five advertisers tackled their way into the first break: Nike, Ford,
Guinness, BT and Littlewoods Pools. They were chasing men: youngish
upmarket ones - and, by and large, they got them. Guinness worked on the
idea that a lot of new lads aspire to be like Gazza - good at sport,
loads of money, great social life, good-looking bird - and would
therefore associate the drink with the image they hold of the player.
For Littlewoods, the programme offered the perfect link with its
‘celebration’ ad, which shows an actor mimicking the actions of famous
footballers. Here, of course, it had to be the Gazza ‘water bottle’
idea. BT could not resist the opportunity to slip in its call charges ad
featuring the former England manager, Terry Venables. Nike had booked
well in advance, claiming there isn’t usually that much football
programming on terrestrial. Ford was there for all those lovely ABC1
blokes.
