productplacement

Why did sales of the best-selling soft drink, Sunny Delight, suddenly bomb in the 1990s?

While Sliced Bread takes a break we serve up… Toast. A study of the spectacular failures of brands which had promised so much to consumers.

In each episode, the presenter and BBC business journalist, Sean Farrington, examines one big idea. What did it promise? Why did it fail? What can we learn from it today?

In this episode, Sean learns why sales of Sunny Delight faltered in the UK after an extraordinarily successful launch.

Sean speaks to some of the people who worked on the brand, hearing how it became a hit before a series of unfortunate coincidences undermined its popularity.

The self-made millionaire and serial entrepreneur, Sam White, is alongside him, analysing the missteps that changed Sunny Delight's fortunes.

'Sunny D', as it is known today, is still sold in some UK supermarkets. It has different owners and ingredients but it has never matched the incredible sales figures which it achieved in its early days.

You can email the programme at toast@bbc.co.uk

Feel free to suggest topics which we could cover in future episodes

Sliced Bread returns for a new batch of investigations in February. In the new series, Greg Foot will investigate more of the latest so-called wonder products to find out whether they really are the best thing since sliced bread. In the meantime, Toast is available in the Sliced Bread feed on BBC Sounds.

Toast is produced by Jon Douglas and Viant Siddique and is a BBC Audio North production for Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

This week we’re breaking down “The Cover-Up.” The office convinces Michael that Donna is cheating so Michael hires the best private detective he knows to find out! (It’s Dwight.) Rainn Wilson sends in clips sharing what it was like to both act and direct this episode. Jenna does a deep dive on signs someone may be cheating, Angela shares a deleted runner that adds another layer to Ryan and Kelly’s relationship and the ladies come to terms with the fact that their friendship entails many things, but not exercising together. So trust us, enjoy this episode and do not take Dwight’s spin class. 

In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, Josh and Chuck take a look at the advertising practice of product placement, from its origins to different types to classic examples in film and television.

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