MARKETING MIX: That was the week that was

15 years ago: BARB postpones a decision on the feasibility of

releasing overnight TV ratings until it has sounded out industry opinion

on the desirability of introducing the data and how it should be

supplied; The Daily Star emerges as winner of the first round of the

tabloids’ million-pound bingo battle, according to unofficial estimates

of ABC quarterly sales figures; ITV licks BBC1 in the autumn ratings

war, registering 52.4% of total viewing, against BBC1’s 32.2%. Channel 4

takes 6.8%.

10 years ago: Allied Breweries is revealed to be ditching Hagar the

Horrible in its advertising for Skol lager after the sometimes violent

character is revealed to be not in tune with the current climate of

’responsible drinking’; The newly launched Sunday Correspondent claims

that The Observer will be the main casualty in the Sunday newspaper

wars; Ideal Earth, an exhibition for ’green’ consumers, is scrapped

after the UK’s biggest advertisers are revealed to be not yet green

enough.

5 years ago: Iceland reviews listing of Coke and Pepsi after signing an

exclusive deal with Virgin Cola; Scott puts pounds 15m behind the

relaunch of Andrex tissue in a bid to boost market share, which has

slumped by 3% in the last two years; Stones Bitter relaunches, dropping

the old slogan, ’Nothing sinks like a stone’, in favour of a new

approach: ’Sheffield Gold - you know when you’ve earned it’.

This article was first published on Marketing