Women drivers are looking at ads: Visiontrack eye-tracking study
A recent study conducted by Toronto-based Visiontrack, an eye-tracking tech research firm, has found that OOH signs with three rotating ads were looked at more often than the average poster. The study, commissioned by OMAC members Astral Media Outdoor, Pattison and Viacom, was conducted in the fall of last year and builds on European and U.S. studies conducted in the same vein. The difference? The Canuck study outfitted respondents with eye-tracking devices during an actual 1.5-hour commute (other studies had participants in a simulated environment), recording everything within their field of vision, and tracking objects that they fixated on. ‘We tracked people with different routes at different times during the day in the test markets of Ottawa and Montreal,’ said Rosanne Caron, president of OMAC. Caron adds that respondents were not informed about the ad-tracking component of the study and were simply told that they were tracking the drive to see what they were looking at. The study found the following:
* 55% of OOH ads were noticed on their first drive-by
* OOH ads were looked at 2.04 times on average
* TRIOs (with three rotating ads) were looked at more often than static ads (2.46 times versus 1.91 times for the standard poster)
* 57% of women versus 53% of the men saw the ads
* Passengers were more likely to see ads than drivers (73% versus 52%)
Caron says more studies are planned for the near future.
Mega-entertainment push begins in English Canada – Eloda analysis for April 21-27, 2006
Entertainment category advertisers have flipped the on switch in English Canada where entertainment ate 55% of the top category pie for the week of April 21-27. In French Canada, however, top category went to retail at 33%, with entertainment trailing at 22%. Check out others topping the charts, and which brands had the most new spots. This info was gathered through Montreal-based ELODA’s online TV ad tracking, auditing and viewing services. All data supplied is based on the ELODA recording grid.
http://www.eloda.com
Paramount dethrones RBC: Top radio ads – Media Monitors for April 24-30, 2006
Paramount Canada’s Wonderland was paramount last week in the charts monitoring the brand with the most radio spots on rotation in Toronto. Paramount, non-existent in the charts last week, topped the list, pushing banking juggernaut RBC to second place. Also making its debut to the top 10 last week was QSR brand, Quizno’s. In the categories race, restaurants, nightclubs and casinos plied their siren song, topping the charts for the week. Check out others topping the radio charts by category and brand in the Toronto market for the week of April 24-30, 2006.
YTV ups interactivity, while McDonald’s ups activity in co-branded promo
In a bid to increase interactivity online and physical activity off-line, the YTV- and McDonald’s Canada-helmed Go Active! Film Festival launched yesterday. The program is a five-week integrated online and on-air promo where kids can create a film of their own for upload and voting on ytv.com. Winners will receive the Golden Cheeseburger award consisting of a trip for four to L.A., passes to a theme park and an iPod.
This year marks the second year for the co-promotion, and according to Tim Cormick, VP, client marketing at the net, the festival netted ‘very compelling responses last year in terms of film participation and [online] critics.’ He adds that the focus this year is in making the film festival site even easier for the younger end of the 6-11 set. As such, YTV built in an online tutorial complete with background sets, sound effects and characters. Promotional elements include TV spots and a dedicated microsite on YTV, as well as POS materials at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide. Ron Christianson, national corporate communications manager for the QSR, says OMD Canada was instrumental in putting the deal together.
Notes from the media landscape: Yahoo gets tech-y, MI3 promo is a bomb and Minority Report screens debut in Chicago airport
Yahoo! has launched a new site entitled Yahoo! Tech, a channel for non-techies who struggle with new gadgets. The community site has shopping, search and online forums in addition to content culled from Consumer Reports and the like. Four Tech gurus will each helm blogs catering to the different demos including the Mom, the Boomer, the Working Guy and the Techie Diva. Signed so far are advertisers HP and Panasonic. More heavily involved is Verizon Wireless. The brand will sponsor a weekly, online show on Yahoo! Tech entitled Hook Me Up, slated to launch on May 15. The reality-style show features regular folks undergoing a technical makeover. Verizon Wireless’ products will also be making a cameo appearance within the show.
A new Mission: Impossible III promo bombed last week in L.A. A coin vending machine housing the Los Angeles Times was blown up by the L.A. County’s bomb squad after reports by paper buyers claiming they saw a red plastic box with wires inside. The red box is actually a digital music gadget that would play the Mission: Impossible III theme when the rack door was opened. The promo is slated to last through May 7. And in yet another Tom Cruise-related innovation, the large, touch-screen interfaces used in the futuristic world of Minority Report is coming to Chicago’s O’Hare airport. L.A.-based agency Schematic will be creating the screens as a branded promo for consulting firm Accenture. The wall-sized interactive screens will allow travelers to access info such as stocks, news, sports updates and the like. The screens are visible to the user as well as to viewers farther away. New York’s JFK will also be getting the screens.
Spotlight on Specialty: Alliance Atlantis works to strengthen connection with consumers
Yesterday at its Third Annual Spotlight on Specialty Television, Alliance Atlantis Communications unveiled a new ongoing research project conducted via the Internet involving four consumer advisory panels.
Sara Moore, SVP of marketing and publicity, says the panels were established in February of this year as part of a determined effort to engage Alliance Atlantis network viewers in a more meaningful way, and she expects they will provide valuable insights on important industry and company issues.
CBC summer strategy, first schedule from new programming director
CBC Television’s summer programming schedule will be the first one orchestrated for new executive director of network programming, Kirstine Layfield, and it is shaping up to be quite a departure from its typical fare.
Layfield, who has been in the post since February, says the goal is to be innovative and for the public broadcaster to stand for something different – as well as recognizing that programming today must be year round and not strictly centred on a big fall season.
Specialty, pay, PPV continue to rise: CRTC report
The CRTC released its annual report yesterday on the state of Canadian specialty, pay and PPV services. There has been an on-year average of 10% since 2001. EBIT (earnings before interest and taxes) show a 19.4% annual increase. Last year was especially high for EBIT at 31.5%, climbing from $418.2 million in 2004 to $549.9 million in 2005, while revenues approached $2.2 billion in 2005, an increase of 6.3% over 2004.
This year the report also details spending by type of program. For Canadian fare, our specialty services shelled out $162.5 million on drama, $128.4 million on news, $206 million on other info programming, $116.9 million on sports and a mere $38.3 million on musical and variety shows and $45 million on general interest programs.
The CRTC produced the report using the services’ financial statements.
Fuel taps notorious game to launch Fox series DVD
Fox Home Entertainment and Ottawa-based Fuel Industries have spawned a new online mash-up to grab and engage tweens/teens and non-boomer men. To tout the release of American Dad Season One DVD Collection, they’ve created a game that pits the animated characters of American Dad and The Family Guy series against each other in no-holds-barred combat, and in a crossover move, the winner faces console game hero Ryu from the original Capcom ‘Streetfighter’ series. It went live April 20 and is already viralling out of control with 175,000 unique hits in less than a week at press time. It was initially seeded by staff sending it to family and friends, and the team at Fox’s L.A. office planted it in chat rooms and blogs. Users are also pushed to the game by online ads.
It was a Canadian idea which grew from American office interest in the successful Canuck-born Stewie Live project(eight million hits), and a desire to do something similarly sticky. Fuel came up with the original idea of a kung fu game between the two TV families, wherein each character has weapons distinctive to their personality, like Stewie Griffin’s Diaper Bomb or American zealot Stan Smith’s Heart of Justice in which he stabs opponents with a U.S. flag. The target demo skews male 18-49; also 12-17s skewing male. www.americandadvsfamilyguy.com.
RBC and Sears trade places: Top radio ads – Media Monitors for April 17-23, 2006
RBC and Sears Canada played musical chairs last week in the race for brand with the most ad spots on rotation in Toronto. The Princess Margaret Hospital is doing its part to tout their annual sweepstakes, leaping up the charts from number 12 to number three. Check out others topping the radio charts by category and brand in the Toronto market for the week of April 17-23, 2006.
Rank by Brand
Rank by Category
Notes from the media landscape: Yaris break into Prison Break
Toyota and Fox have penned a deal that will have the automaker’s Yaris brand tied to the popular Fox property, Prison Break. Toyota will sponsor 26 mobisodes entitled Prison Break: Proof of Innocence, which will be distributed four times weekly in the U.S. via wireless carrier Sprint. Yaris ads will run prior to each mobisode and the vehicle will even make a cameo appearance within. The deal also includes a Yaris-branded microsite on Fox.com and category exclusivity during the show’s airing. Fox also bought print ads to drive viewers to the microsite and to pump the mobisodes. Toyota’s ad shop, Saatchi & Saatchi, will produce the mobisodes. Media buys for this deal were done by ZO in the U.S.
Nielsen Media Research Spend Trend: Home renovations
DIYers turn to TV and dailies for decor and deals
TV has been the main choice for the home reno category over the past several years with dailies getting its fair share in second spot. Magazines and radio have been consistent in third and fourth positions while OOH is the least used medium in the category led by big spenders Home Depot and Canadian Tire.
OLN does extreme survival series
OLN finds an Indiana Jones-type in Ray Mears, a Brit survival expert who travels the globe for the world’s greatest survival stories. The six-part, hour-long show debuts on Wednesday, May 31 at 8 p.m. and takes viewers to locales such as Belarus, Namibia and Thailand.
More fun on Teletoon
Animation net Teletoon is rolling out a couple of new series targeting kids of all ages. In Hey Joel! the eponymous character works at a music station and gets to interview the rich and famous, openly mocking them as he goes. The voice talent is led by Jon Cryer (Two and A Half Men.) The series preems Monday, June 26 at 9 p.m. It airs Monday to Friday at 9 p.m. and weekends at 11 p.m. Taking it to the country, Camp Lazlo follows three friends who find themselves up against serious rules and regulations at camp when they only want to enjoy the outdoors. Lazlo and his bunkmates come to air Monday, June 26 at 8:30 a.m. and keep the fun going Monday to Friday at that time.
