The launch of Minder, a new series starring Shane Richie, was a vital investment Five as they needed to attract a more valuable, younger, upmarket viewer. Although it had been a massive hit series in the 80's, many of the target audience were too young to remember it, and therefore they lacked any affinity to the minder brand. Five also needed to educate those that could remember the original series that it was not a remake but a programme in its own right. Radio fitted at the basic planning level - the right young audience, cost effective reach and long listening hours.

Promote awarness of a new shows release

"Minder- the Real Hustle" involved listeners engaging in Minder-style challenges with their mates over 6 weeks for a chance to win the "£10k wad". Key elements of the promotion were: 10 second blipverts used in advance as teasers, a variety of 60 second advertorials, the main promotion on air and online footage from the challenges featuring a Minder competition. Christian O'Connell on Absolute Radio is a devotee of the series, provided a valuable endorsement to the series, his enthusiasm providing credibility to the campaign in a relevant tone and manor.

Minder proved to be one of the best ever original commissions for Five, with 2.8million viewers tuning in for the first episode. In addition nearly 2500 people entered the competition, with nearly 2000 of these opting-in to hear more from Five.

RAB commentary: A perfect example of the way branded content on radio can operate like word of mouth, but on a broadcast scale. "The Minder campaign was executed by Absolute Radio perfectly. The integration of the promotional activity with Christian's enthusiasm for the show amplified the core campaign idea, an understanding of what the show was about, and, therefore our campaign objective". Sarah Finnie, Marketing Controller, Five