Media strategists advise CRTC not to alter 12-minute rule
As the federal regulator of Canadian broadcasting wound up its first major television hearings in seven years this week, controversy swirled in the mediaverse. Should the rule limiting TV commercials to 12 minutes per hour be loosened or even scrapped? Some networks say yes. But the ACA and several leading media strategists say either course would be a disaster.
CBC goes all out to push the ‘fun in fundamentalism’
Promotion for CBC’s unveiling of its new sitcom, Little Mosque on the Prairie, is heating up with a teaser campaign and lots of national and international press. Producers are stressing the comedic spin and taking care to note that it’s not political satire. Judging by the buzz thus far, and the strategy, the series has potential to draw in some eyeballs.
MiC’s K.I.S.S. Pick: PETA creates sleuth campaign
Once again, People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals has lived up to its reputation for concocting effective guerilla campaigns on a shoestring. This time out, they’re placing looking-for-love ads in the personals column of a free website. Sample: ‘Attractive, fun-loving brunette seeks long-term relationship’ – with the brunette actually being a pit bull.
YTV puts thumbs in ring, courts older crowd
In a bid to get laughs out of young kids and bring in an older crowd, Corus has imported a live-action, fictional thumb wrestling league for its Friday nights in YTV’s New Year schedule. Already, Spin Master is working with YTV on a tie-in, and the net is pursuing other promo opps for marketers.
Which market sectors did TV advertisers favour
in which city: BBM Analytics
Now that the first quarter of the 2006-7 broadcast season is behind us, which categories were the most active in the first quarter on conventional stations in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal Franco?
M2 Universal wins CBC account
Nine media agencies responded to CBC’s August RFP with bids to handle media strategy and buying for the net’s English-language services. Toronto’s M2 Universal got the nod and will succeed incumbent MBS in early 2007.
Striding Man walks from board to board
One video board wasn’t enough for Diageo’s Toronto appearance for the Johnnie Walker ‘Keep Walking’ campaign. The Toronto Yonge-Dundas Square execution uses four screens, giving the Striding Man figure a chance to, well, move around and get some attention.
J&J’s new interactive mystery designed to appeal to female gamers
Even when women are their key demo, few consumer packaged goods companies aim advergames at the distaff side. But Ottawa’s Fuel Industries – jumping on a recent Neilsen study identifying fully 64% of gamers as female – has created an interactive animated mystery to specifically appeal to women while touting Johnson & Johnson’s Reach toothbrushes.
Road hockey rivalry and poker-faced players
Canada loves hockey. That much we know. We also love our NHL stars. Now CTV’s specialty nets are adding some notable off-the-ice and online twists to our national sport.
Christmas is for kids – and TV:
Nielsen Media Research
Forget about all that knee-sitting stuff. Santa just has to sit back in his easy chair, TV remote in hand, to see what kids want for Christmas. A whopping 93.1% of total media spending in the toy, games and craft category goes into TV. And total spending has skyrocketed over the past four years, thanks to the big spenders – companies selling digital and video games and all the necessary hardware to go with them.
ZenithOptimedia US ops splitting;
Canadian office might follow suit
Whatever changes may be made by ZO’s Canadian counterpart ‘won’t be quite as radical’ as yesterday’s announcement of the impending divorce between Zenith and Optimedia down south, Sunni Boot tells MiC. But, she adds, ‘best practice’ nowadays for media biggies, such as the one she heads up, is to form two distinct brands.
Wanted: Sex, drugs and espionage in 60 seconds or less
CBC is reaching out to the techy crowd and enlisting their aid to draw even more cyber eyeballs to its Intelligence series, via a promo that encourages wannabe directors to re-mix scenes and music into online trailers for the show. The lure for contestants? A chance to win pro video-editing gear.
Can a YouTube contest get you pumped for Fashion Cares?
It’s a classic idea: run a contest, sign on a few celebrities, all in the name of a good cause. But can the largest HIV/AIDS fundraiser in Canada get people interested in sharing their stories on YouTube? With months before the media campaign begins, this PR component aims to create a catalogue of user-generated content in time for the gala.
Discovery rings in New Year with magic and cringe factors
The net’s new offerings will include a popular magician filling late night Saturdays and a couple of nearly-newlyweds pushing the limits of pain – a great bet for the most unpopular day of the week, Mondays.
Department stores hit accelerator: Media Monitors Spot 10
Sears was #1 among the top 10 radio advertisers last week, while The Bay climbed from #13 to #5. But that was nothing compared with Omni JewelCrafters, which zoomed from #236 to #8. Meanwhile, Rogers Personal TV also hit the gas, rising from #39 to #10.
