Teenage sex, drugs, menage a trois, murder and adultery. It’s all
on tap at 7pm if you tune into Emmerdale, a far cry from its launch 25
years ago. This hour-long episode marked the silver anniversary of a
soap whose ratings have risen from 7.1 million in June 1994, to 11.6
million this episode.
Emmerdale’s spice, and its large audiences, have transformed it from a
backwater of early peaktime TV into a must for advertisers seeking a
broad audience.
Ads in the first break of this anniversary episode were Burger King, Oil
of Ulay Colour Moist Lipsticks, Blue Fairy, Pedigree Chum, Nintendo 64,
Safeway and One-2-One.
Burger King chose the slot because the extended show guaranteed a good
audience, and appearing in the first ad break avoided competing with
EastEnders.
Oil of Ulay used the slot as part of a launch campaign for its lipstick
range. Emmerdale attracts a strong female audience across all age
groups.
One-2-One’s pre-paid voucher scheme ads are aimed at soaps, drama and
light entertainment with a wide audience base and strong ratings.
Emmerdale fitted the bill.
Client: Burger King
Agency: Zenith Media
Buyer: Duncan Coker
Client: Oil of Ulay
Agency: Saatchi & Saatchi
Buyer: Marcus Jones
Client: One-2-One
Agency: Motive
Buyer: Sarah Nicholls
Programme: Emmerdale
TV station: ITV Carlton
Date: 16 October, 19.00
Break transmission time: 19.11
BARB: Housewives 17 TVRs (live)
