May 21, 2025 | Advertising and media, Social history, Stories
It’s not often that a TV sitcom changes the habits of millions. But ‘The Good Life’ was unusual in having a very positive effect. Most sitcoms reflect the period in which they’re made. As times and attitudes move on, many of them don’t age well. Some 1970s shows are...
Feb 24, 2025 | Politics and government policy, Stories
Recent US presidential elections have been extensively covered in the British press. What is interesting, though, is that in the past, British pollsters appear to have been more interested in attitudes to the election process and individual issues than in the...
Nov 27, 2024 | Advertising and media, Brands, Stories
Sometimes a TV campaign can have a positive effect on an entire category as well as the brand in question. That’s what happened with the vermouth brand Cinzano in the 1970s and 1980s. Vermouth was considered a Christmas drink by many, and one of Cinzano’s strategy...
Oct 18, 2024 | Politics and government policy, Stories
The leading polling organisations have not so far published any poll covering what the public expect to be in the budget to be delivered on 30th October 2024. Perhaps they haven’t needed to, as plenty of commentators have prepared us for the worst. Indeed, the Prime...
Sep 22, 2024 | Politics and government policy, Stories
The 1980s in Britain was the decade of big privatisations. The Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, wanted to create a class of share-owning members of the public – her 1985 Conservative party conference speech imagined a society “where owning shares is as common as...
