CBC to air new hockey series
Which community best embodies the spirit of hockey? That’s the challenge posed by Kraft and CBC in a new series entitled Kraft Hockeyville. The series, which debuts March 29, aims to have communities across the country compete to win the title of ‘Hockeyville.’ Brands are getting in on the action, too. The Home Depot is kicking in 25k in upgrades to the winning community’s hockey arena as part of the grand prize package that also includes an NHL exhibition game and 10k in hockey equipment donated by Sports Maska. Communities are invited to enter in the competition via cbc.ca/hockeyville. Each episode will air highlights from entrants and community challenges interspersed with quirky hockey factoids. Media buys were handled by Starcom Mediavest (for Kraft) and Initiative Media (for The Home Depot). The show’s timeslot has yet to be disclosed.
Astral names two
Toronto-based Astral Television Networks has appointed Signy Klein consumer marketing manager, Family Channel. Klein will be responsible for developing strategic marketing plans and campaigns for Family Channel. She will also work to expand the Family Channel brand through new services and products associated with the network. Previously she was consumer marketing manager for The Movie Network.
Meanwhile Maryse Gauthier becomes consumer marketing manager at The Movie Network. Gauthier’s responsibilities will include strategic branding, off-air advertising, research and promotions for The Movie Network and Mpix brands. Before moving into this role, she was affiliate marketing manager for The Movie Network and Family Channel.
TSN scores two
TSN has added to its management team. Jim Marshall has been named executive producer, events and Shawn Redmond as senior manager, marketing. Marshall will be responsible for TSN’s mobile productions, including Blue Jays Baseball and the CFL. Most recently, Marshall directed college basketball for Fox Sports Net and Champ Car World Series races for CBS and NBC. Redmond will helm brand management, strategic marketing campaigns and managing promotional relationships with TSN partners. He joins the net from RBC Financial Group where he spent four years as manager, sponsorship marketing.
Clearchannel adds two
Sara Clarkson has joined the team at Clear Channel Outdoor as business development manager, mall media. Clarkson was previously with InStore Focus. Sheila Elvin has also been named to CCO as business development manager, electronic media. Elvin previously held the role of national account manager at Dose magazine.
The CABR announces new board members
The Toronto-based Canadian Association of Broadcast Representatives has named four new members with two-year terms to its board of directors. They are: Mark Burko – VP sales, Airtime Television; Ken Lydford – senior manager national sales, CBC; Joan Kaminski – VP sales, IMS; and Renee Verret – general sales manager, TVA. President of the board is Richard Sienko, president, Target Broadcast Sales. The CABR promotes the interests, values and professionalism of broadcast representatives in national Radio, Television and Specialty Television Sales.
Events
Jan. 24
Improving Relevance: The Art & Science of Experimental Marketing Design
Free live webinar at 2 p.m. Eastern time
http://www.chiefmarketer.com
Chief Marketer presents this webinar on a new research method that allows one to evaluate the impact of many stimuli with a small number of tests by testing multiple variables simultaneously.
PMB Factoid
Diet soft drink consumption; by gender
Savvy media executions highlight CD launch promo
The folks at Capitol/Virgin Music are unleashing a ‘typhoon’ promo using radio, print, OOH, SMS and scooters to hype up the Jan. 24 launch of rock band Yellowcard’s new CD. In a national promo called
Milk gets hip with hip-hop mobile karaoke campaign
Milk is cool again thanks in part to the launch of a new ad campaign aimed at teens. A just-released spot by Toronto-based Due North Communications has the Milk Girlz jammin’ with overall-clad farmer homies outside a club, while touting the coolness of milk. The Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC), always on the cutting edge of cool, are also bringing karaoke to phones via Mobiloke technology, a tool developed by Toronto-based mobile entertainment shop Silverbirch Studios. Log on to milkhiphop.ca and milk drinkers can download three versions of the Milk Girlz song to their mobiles. Phone screens display song lyrics while handsets play the tune providing instant karaoke. Wallpaper and ringtones can also be downloaded on the site.
Roberta Jessup-Ramsay, director of marketing for DFC says the objective here is to give milk an image that young people can make their own. ‘It’s something your Mom used to give you because it’s good for you and all that. This is our way of saying, ‘Lighten up a bit. Don’t take it so seriously.” A national in-theatre ad campaign is slated for launch in March. M2 Universal handled media buys.
CTV and The Globe and Mail deliver election results to mobile screens
In a bid to move to a different form of media, CTV and The Globe and Mail are making the leap to the small screen. Mobile screens, that is. On election day, mobile-toting Canucks can get free, real-time text message results from CTV.ca and globeandmail.com, respectively. Both sources will send updated polling info including national and provincial results to mobiles via shortcodes. The mobile application was developed by Charlottetown, P.E.I-based Magnet Mobile Media.
Top TV advertisers: Eloda ad analysis
Not much change from last week when entertainment (at 13.5%) took the top spot as the category with the largest variety of TV ads on rotation for the week of Jan. 6-12. In second place was retail (at 10.1%) and nabbing bronze was food (at 8.9%). In a year-to-year comparison of categories with the most new TV ads, the same time period in 2005 is markedly different from this year, with the entertainment category (at 43%) taking the lion’s share of the market. In 2006, however, the number one spot is shared by four categories – drug products, entertainment, public service and retail are all tied at 13%. 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
Top radio advertisers: Media Monitors ad analysis
Though Telus hangs on to number one for yet another week in the race for top 10 brands with the most ads in rotation in Toronto, you know it’s election time when number two is Elections Canada and number three is the Conservative Party. On the category side, TV & cable TV reigned supreme, followed by cellular and paging systems at number two and restaurants at number three. Check out others topping the radio charts by category and brand in the Toronto market for the week of Jan. 8-14.
http://www.mediamonitors.com
Super Bowl has brands and bands abuzz with themed promos
Global Television is celebrating the 40th Super Bowl with a chance for viewers to win an invite to the Super Bowl Passport Party in Windsor, Ontario, with musical guests INXS. Five party attendees will have the opportunity to be whisked to Ford Field in Detroit to watch the championship match-up. Running until Jan. 22, Entertainment Tonight Canada viewers can watch and win by identifying the INXS song of the night, given by way of a five-second clue. Thirty- and 15-second TV ads, plus banners on Global’s site and canada.com are promoting the contest. A Global spokesperson says the contest received 2,688 viewers four days into its Jan. 7 launch. According to the net, last year’s Super Bowl drew in just under 3.5 million viewers. Creative was handled in-house with media buys by TK.
Reebok has also sponsored the NFL Fan Zone, a branded Super Bowl environment at the Super Bowl Passport Party. Running from February 2-4, brands such as McCain, Campbell’s Chili and Snickers are sponsors of games including a field goal kicking challenge, an obstacle course and gauntlet, respectively.
Canada.com and Google enter a multi-year partnership
CanWest Interactive and Google have announced a multi year partnership that will provide Canada.com visitors with content and search-related advertising in exchange for Google’s advertisers reach across Canada.com‘s network. Canada.com receives just under 3 million hits each month, and includes driving.ca, remembering.ca and working.com in its network of sites. Google and canada.com will share revenue from the advertising.
