The Toronto Raptors and Wal-Mart have teamed up to help raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network this summer by traveling to 40 Wal-Mart stores across Canada through the NBA Cares Tour. The tour encourages Wal-Mart customers and local communities to support the CMN through sports. Raptors Head Coach Sam Mitchell and San Antonio Spurs Forward (and former Raptor) Matt ‘The Red Rocket’ Bonner will be making appearances in select cities. Juicy Fruit, Spalding, NBA Elevation, Speed Stick and Gatorade are on board as official tour supporters and for a limited time, a donation will be made to the CMN when select products of official tour supporters are purchased at Wal-Mart stores.

* 2.8 million Canadians (10%) have a cottage in the family.
* Family cottage owners are more likely to be aged 55 years or older.
* Atlantic region Canadians are 1.5 times more likely to have a family cottage, compared to the national average.
* When comparing to national averages, cottage owners are 2 times more likely to have purchase any power boat and 1.7 times more likely to have purchased a sail boat during the last 2 years or more.
* When organizing their investments, cottage owners are 1.6 times more likely to use full service investment brokers and 1.4 times more likely to use a financial planner, when compared to the national averages.
* Family cottage owners’ top media by yesterday exposure are: TV (88%), radio (84%), Internet (60%), and daily papers (55%).
* Cottage owners preferred radio formats are: news talk (23%), adult contemporary (14%), and country (9%)

Source: BBM RTS Canada Spring ’06, individuals 12+

The preceding information is from BBM RTS, a syndicated consumer-media survey of over 60,000 Canadians, conducted twice a year by BBM Canada. For more information contact Craig Dorning of BBM Canada: cdorning@bbm.ca.

Bowling: Indexed By Region

Best Buy has signed on to become the official consumer electronics and entertainment retailer of the Montreal International Jazz Festival taking place June 29 to July 9. The retail chain will be the festival’s only on-site CD and DVD store and will also sponsor the outdoor performance series ‘Les Brunantes,’ which will include eight free concerts on the CBC/Best Buy stage. Additionally Best Buy will also hold autograph signings outside their on-site store and will offer the ‘Friends of the Festival’ music compilation, which features Jazz Fest artists and raises money for the annual event.

While Taxi ‘s New York office won a Bronze Lion for client Amp’d Mobile , technically Canada failed to bring home any hardware from the Film section of the 53rd Annual Advertising Festival in Cannes this year. ‘Unfortunately the work just asn’t there,’ said film juror and Leo Burnett Canada m anaging p artner /cco Judy John. ‘We just have to do more great work. Countries , like agencies , go through cycles,’ she added. ‘There is life in Canada – it just wasn’t a good TV year,’ noting that the country did well in other categories, notably Cyber.