Those wanting schmaltz, sentimentality and Victoriana are
guaranteed all three in a Catherine Cookson drama. The Rag Nymph
revolves around a girl, orphaned when her mother is killed by a local
pimp, who is then sent to convent school to learn about life the hard
way.
The three-parter kicked off on Friday at peaktime and was certain to
attract a strong female audience. It also offered a clear alternative to
the slots on Channel 4 and BBC 2 while competing with the US film
thriller, the Fatal Image, on Channel 5.
Advertisers in the first break were Tesco, Cellnet, Cheltenham &
Gloucester, Abbey National and Ovaltine Options.
Cheltenham & Gloucester was in a spot that it hoped would produce an
ABC1 upmarket female audience where ratings would be high.
Tesco’s campaign emphasising value broke in this slot, achieving high
audiences among housewives in one of the strongest audience ratings for
the week.
Ovaltine Options is an obvious fit with a Catherine Cookson pot-boiler,
and found a captive target audience.
Programme: The Rag Nymph TV station: ITV (Yorkshire Tyne Tees)
Date: 3 October, 21.00
Break transmission time: 21.20 BARB: Housewives 27.3 TVRs (live)
Client: Cheltenham & Gloucester
Agency: Zenith Media
Buyer: Chris Nolan
Client: Tesco
Agency: Western International
Buyer: Scott Green
Client: Ovaltine Options
Agency: CIA Medianetwork
Buyer: Carl Hillary
