LONDON (Brand Republic) - BBC executives have fallen out with Sainsbury’s over The Naked Chef’s Jamie Oliver and the controversial scheduling of the supermarket’s ads.
Ads for the supermarket giant’s Blue Parrot Café range of children’s meals were booked to clash with repeats of Oliver’s cookery series screened on BBC2, causing many viewers to become confused according to the BBC.
It said the clash undermined the integrity of the show as Oliver was shown promoting Sainsbury’s products on one channel and then as a celebrity chef on another.
A secret deal was put in place when Oliver first signed his £1m two-year contract with Sainsbury’s, when it was agreed that no campaigns would run while his show was being transmitted, according to BBC sources.
Sainsbury’s was forced to pull some of the ads but managed to shuffle some around and so avoid losing money, a spokesman said. He blamed the BBC for the blunder, saying it had not met its agreement to deliver schedules 10 weeks in advance of their broadcasting.
The Sainsbury’s Jamie Oliver campaign was created by M&C Saatchi with media planning and buying through New PHD.