Ottawa Citizen, April 28, 1992, by Chris Cobb
"Instant attraction; Taster's Choice pair captivate TV 
viewers with uncontrollable desire - for coffee "
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For something designed to boost the fortunes of freeze-dried 
coffee granules, the budding relationship between Sharon and 
Anthony is causing quite a commotion. 

As The New York Times pointed out, it is fast becoming the 
television commercial equivalent of Who Shot J.R? 

For Who Shot J.R.? substitute Now He's Got His Foot in the 
Door, Will She Get Cold Feet? 

In an era of loud, hard-sell, ram-it-down-their-throat 
television commercials, Sharon and Anthony, otherwise known 
as that couple in the Taster's Choice commercial, are 
different. They might be flogging instant coffee but they do 
it with subtlety, style and class. 

For television watchers, it hardly needs mentioning that in 
Canada we are at episode four in which these 30-something 
people are drawn together by a mutual and uncontrollable 
desire . . . for instant coffee. 

Here's the story so far: 

TAKE ONE (January 1991) Scene is front door of Anthony's 
flat: Sharon, dressed to nines, knocks on door. Asks to 
borrow coffee. She's run out (of coffee) in middle of dinner 
party. No explanation why sophisticated woman, holding 
sophisticated dinner party would serve instant coffee. 
Anthony hands over jar. 

Implication: She has jar so has to come back. 

TAKE TWO (April 1991): As predicted, Sharon returns with 
replacement jar. He looks uncomfortable. Can't ask her in. 
Nod as good as wink. Got another woman in apartment. Viewers 
can detect sparks of romantic interest at Anthony's door. 

Implication: Other woman on outs. Possibility of Sharon 
and/or Anthony running out of coffee again quite high. 

TAKE THREE (September 1991): No shortage of coffee. Anthony 
coincidentally (?) meets Sharon at party. He arrives as 
guests are drinking coffee. Anthony asks her out on date. 
She flashes look of acceptance. 

Implication: They are going on date. 

TAKE FOUR (March 1992): At Sharon's place after date. 
Anthony asks to be invited in for coffee. They drink coffee. 
Anthony delays departure using more coffee as excuse. Sharon 
boots him out (NICELY) and offers him coffee jar. He doesn't 
quite leave. FADE OUT 

Implication: Anthony in for sleepless night. 

That's the story so far. Filming begins in New York in two 
weeks on episode five. Nestle, which owns Taster's Choice, 
will pay $ 400,000 for the 30 second to 45 second spot. It 
will take a week to film: every flick of an eyebrow, every 
sensuous lip movement, every sip of coffee considered and 
explored to the Nth degree. 

Details of episode five, to be shown in Canada in September, 
are shrouded in Who-Killed-J.R.-like secrecy. 

The saga of Sharon and Anthony began in the United Kingdom 
in 1987 plugging Golden Blend coffee, which is Taster's 
Choice in the U.K. The commercials, brainchild of a creative 
team at the London office of the McCann-Erickson company, 
are at episode seven and the couple is at the kissing stage. 

"People are interested in the commercial because it's 
different, says Nestle Foods Canadian brand manager Greg 
Petrie. "There's a real chemistry between the two. And we're 
pretty pleased with the results too." 

Petrie won't be specific on sales figures, but in the U.K., 
Golden Blend has apparently enjoyed a 30-per-cent increase 
in sales since the commercial's premier almost five years 
ago. In the United States, Taster's Choice is reporting a 
10-per-cent increase. 

(Petrie points out that the Canadian, U.S. and U.K. coffees 
all have "a different taste profile" -- meaning they are 
blended differently to suit national tastes). 

The company's integrated marketing campaign in Canada has 
cost almost $ 3 million so far. This includes the cost of 
television air-time and related media promotion. In an 
integrated campaign, the main advertsing image - in this 
case Sharon and Anthony - is used in all of a product's 
marketing. 

Sharon Maughn, 38, is from Liverpool, England and Anthony 
Head, 37, from Camden Town, London. Both are seasoned 
theatre, television and movie actors. Both say that signing-
on for the coffee commercials was their best career move. 
Both are married with children. 

The British commercials differ from those shown in North 
America. 

The story lines are different. In Britain, Anthony wears a 
tie, here he doesn't. In Britain, Anthony has his natural 
accent, in North America is effects a sort of neutered mid-
western voice. Sharon is English on both sides of the Atlantic. 

No other commercial works like the Taster's Choice 
commercial seen in Canada, but there are signs that other 
companies may be adopting the idea. 

Dave Thomas, founder of Wendy's, is travelling the world in 
an alleged search for international cuisine for his 
customers and is now considering a similar summertime 
series. 

Nissan has a serial ad going with a couple journeying in 
South America in a Nissan Pathfinder. 

Business being business, and television being television, 
more will likely follow. 

When one company gets a winning theme, it rarely takes 
others too long to wake up and smell the coffee. 



Photo: Caffeine capers: Sharon and Anthony are a hot TV 
couple 



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