
MIJO takes on pre-clearance for natural health product ads
Now that Health Canada will no longer endorse consumer advertising pre-clearance agencies for natural health products, Toronto-based MIJO has added that service.

Who’s spending what on winter fitness and diet: Nielsen Media Research Spend Trend
Canadians seem to put the emphasis on weight loss as they get themselves in shape for holiday indulgences and the gastronomical pleasures of the season. Daily newspapers and TV pretty much share the wealth in this category, and get the bulk of the dollars spent by marketers of weight loss, fitness and winter sports products and services.

Alliance Atlantis taking its enviable assets to market
Alliance Atlantis’ statement this morning that it is ‘exploring strategic initiatives’ added up to a terse 144 words. But it was enough to lob a bombshell into the Canadian media and business landscapes.

Yahoo! Music Canada lures traffic with judging power
Are the days of tuning in for live performances and celebrity carpet walks coming to an end in the history of music video awards? Maybe, or maybe not. Yahoo! Music Canada’s putting the power in the hands of the people for doling out the honours, though, and putting the red carpet, so to speak, online.

Programming Profile: The Score bets on b-ball growth
Score Media is heading into the New Year with plans for its first fully multiplatform sponsorship deal, following its pick-up of NCAA basketball championship exclusive rights. It’s been a good year for the net in terms of program acquisitions, and the future looks bright too.

Beginning to taste a lot like Christmas: Eloda Top 15
Visions of sugar plums, or at least equivalent modern holiday treats, danced through the airwaves on behalf of three food biggies – General Mills, Effem Foods and Kraft – during the week of Dec. 8-14, according to Eloda.

Little volatility in radio advertising: Media Monitors Spot 10
Musical chairs was definitely not the name of the game this time around. In fact, the only surprises were the disappearance of both McDonald’s and Omni JewelCrafters from the top 15 list of radio advertisers.

Mega Brands jet-propels kid creativity and activism with new website and viral campaign
Mega Brands taps into the hot-button issue of couch potato kids by aligning the brand with independent thought, creativity and kid power – tapping the social and viral media scene to establish a use-your-mind social strategy for the Lego contender.

Corus launches YTV on-demand
Corus Entertainment’s latest strategy for the YTV brand aims to give kids what they want, when they want it.

Op-ed: CRTC surprises by not shaking up radio rules
What does the CRTC’s just-released rules regarding radio in Canada mean to the marketing community? Most advertisers will likely greet the decision with a collective shrug of the shoulders, since no fundamental changes to the regulated programming structure have been decreed, says op-ed writer David Bray. What he believes will be intriguing is how new media continue their onslaught and how conventional radio defends its traditional base.

Ads get past fitting room doors
Fashion Frame has been selling poster space inside fitting rooms across Quebec for the likes of P&G and Unilever. Now, the company’s set for expansion into English Canada.

Clear Channel Outdoor gets nod for all advertising at Vancouver International Airport
Toronto-HQ’d Clear Channel Outdoor has been awarded an eight-year contract to handle all marketing, sales and operation of advertising at Vancouver International Airport, effective next March.

Actors poised to strike
Canada’s actors have handed a hefty bargaining chip – in the form of an overwhelming vote to strike – to their reps in the continuing face-off against the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists, the Canadian Film & Television Production Association and its Quebec counterpart, APFTQ.

CanWest newspapers now downloadable in 12 more languages, audible in seven
Responding to Canada’s multicultural reality big time, Canwest has launched electronic versions of all 11 of its chain’s newspapers in a dozen languages as well as English. And not only can subscribers read stories in their preferred language – plus see the day’s ads – some can also hear the news read aloud in their native tongue.

Global gets two top fivers
BBM/Nielsen Top 30 – Dec. 4-10, 2006
CTV’s C.S.I. is back at the top, while the net’s Criminal Minds fell from #1 to #8 in BBM/Nielsen’s peak AMA rankings for Dec. 4-10. Global’s House dropped from #2 to #7, but the rival net kept second place with Survivor: Cook Island. While Global’s hold on second place still lags far behind CTV’s numbers for C.S.I., it finally has two shows in the top five.