The success of the original Band of Gold led to a second series
with prostitutes and ex-prostitutes stumbling from corpse to corpse.
Now, in Gold, Rose and Carol are trying to lead respectable lives but
are plagued by their past. Rose is a community liaison officer while
Carol is living off a fortune left to her by a former punter who owned a
chicken factory.
Despite the bleak content, the drama, set in Bradford, proved popular
with housewives and attracted a strong peaktime audience. Advertisers in
the first break included: Shell, Riverdance, Volvo, Safeway, Anchor
Cheddar, BT and McDonald’s.
Shell used the slot to advertise its forecourt Select stores.
Traditionally Shell ads tend to go in slots biased towards a strong male
audience, but Gold offered an opportunity to redress the balance and
avoid alienating women.
Volvo’s ad for the SV70 is targeted at drama, film and sports
breaks.
The tough theme of Gold fitted in with an ad showing a female GP braving
the elements.
The TV buyer for Anchor Mature Cheddar sought a high-profile drama slot
attracting a strong audience of housewives, seen as primary purchasers
of the product.
Client: Shell
Agency: The Negotiation Centre
Buyer: Erwin Hudson
Client: Volvo
Agency: New PHD
Buyer: Simon Burgess
Client: Anchor Cheddar
Agency: Zenith Media
Buyer: Gordon Domlija
Programme: Gold
TV station: ITV (Carlton)
Date: 27 October, 21.00
Break transmission time: 21.20
BARB: Housewives 16.2 TVRs (live).
