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Rogers Sportsnet looking for ticker sponsors
Rogers Sportsnet is looking for brands to sponsor text to screen initiatives on shows Hockey Central, Primetime Sports with Bill McCown and the younger-skewing, extreme sport Fuel TV. So far signed on Hockey Central is Mississauga, Ont.-based eatery Boston Pizza.
‘Every Monday, an SMS chat ticker invites viewers to send in comments and every two minutes, the Boston Pizza logo scrolls across the screen,’ says Dave Ballingall, VP of marketing at Rogers Sportsnet. Ballingall explains that the mobile’s bounce-back message is also branded with a promo spot, while a live SMS moderator prompts the audience and posts messages related to the brand. ‘The number of participants swing dependent on the news that day,’ he adds. ‘When the NHL settled their dispute, we had 2000 text messages. We tend to average about 100-200 messages within a half-hour show.’ Hockey Central boasts average viewer numbers at 30,000 in its Ontario edition and 38,000 in its Pacific edition. The Boston Pizza deal was done direct.
Coors rolls out branded taxis
Molson Canada is doing its part this holiday season reminding consumers to use cabs after a night of drinking. Molson Canada’s Coors Light brand is wrapping 10 Co-op cabs (via OOH agency TaxiArt) in Toronto as part of a two-month brand awareness campaign. Creative was done by Toronto-based ad house FCB and Mediaedge:cia did the buy.
Nielsen moves into OOH ratings
The Nielsen Outdoor division of Nielsen Media Research in the U.S. recently previewed its new OOH measurement system and released the results of a test of the system conducted last year in Chicago, a market with approximately 12,600 OOH signs. Nielsen Outdoor plans to launch the system in some U.S. markets in April 2006, however, there is no timetable as yet for introduction of the tracking system in Canada. Mike Leahy, president of Nielsen Media Research Canada, says, ‘We are interested in talking to the OOH industry in Canada about the opportunities this new measurement would offer.’ Npod, the measurement device carried by panel participants, looks like a cell phone but is GPS-equipped to mark exposure to OOH signage, whether the participant passes it on foot or in a vehicle. The test was conducted for nine days during summer 2004 and involved 850 participants.
As result of the test, Nielsen Outdoor discovered that the average Chicago adult 18-plus has the opportunity to see 40 OOH messages each day, while urban dwellers are exposed to about 66 ads a day. The company was also able to calculate that in an average month 97% of consumers are reached by OOH and found that those most likely to be exposed to OOH were men 35 to 54 and women aged 18 to 34.
On TARGET: impact of wireless devices on TV viewing
TARGET research reveals new insights concerning the impact of technology on media habits. The decrease in hours spent watching television observed in the past few years can be explained partly by the increasing popularity of wireless devices. In fact, these devices create a negative synergy on TV viewing when combined together.
Nielsen Media Research Spend Trend: Christmas is for kids – toys, games, crafts
TV gets lots of toys from Santa
This category has grown considerably since 2001 thanks to the expanding budgets of marketers in the toys and video games and accessories segments. TV has the category all wrapped up, leaving the other media to duke it out for the remaining 10% to 14% of the dollars. Last year daily newspapers had their best year since 2001 with 4.8% of the category while spending amongst the other media has been uneven.
W Net debuts new series
The W Network will be premiering a new line-up of series this winter. You Are What You Eat, explores food and its emotional connections. Premiering on Jan 1 with three back-to-back episodes at 4:30 p.m. and at 7 p.m., doc-style You Are What You Eat will be in normal rotation Monday to Thursday at 11:30 a.m. and at 4:30 p.m. Too Posh to Wash follows hosts Aggie MacKenzie and Kim Woodburn as they teach Canadians how to clean up and smell great. The new series will premiere Sunday, Jan 8 at 10 p.m.
Ladette to Lady turns heavy drinkers and crude talkers into upscale, graceful women. The six-week documentary series will send ‘ladettes’ to an etiquette boot camp. Ladette to Lady will premiere on Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m.
The male version of that series comes via new series Groomed. The show takes scruffy men and ‘groom’ them for big events. The transformations assess style, including: hair, clothes and dance moves. Groomed will premiere Monday, Jan 23 at 10:30 p.m., with other eps debuting during W’s Wedding Week, beginning on Saturday, January 21.
In Maxed Out, financial coach Ayse Hogan will teach over-spenders the way with the dollar using unusual and visual techniques. Maxed Out premieres Tuesday, January 24 at 8 p.m., with other eps airing throughout the week.
Discovery Health launches makeover month with two new series
January is makeover month for Discovery Health and the net has been scrubbed and prepped to air new shows to kick off the new year. First out of the gate is reality series Plastic Surgery: Beverly Hills beginning Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 9 p.m. Watch as yet another plastic surgeon opens up a practice in L.A. Next up is
Dream Decoders, a series that helps participants understand what their dreams are trying to tell them. The show airs beginning Monday, Jan. 9 at 10 p.m.
CityTV premieres new series in January
Citytv will be airing the first season of the Gemini-nominated series Godiva’s in the new year. The show revolves around the lives of people working at the chic restaurant, Godiva’s, in Vancouver. Citytv will air the premiere on Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 10 p.m., with season two airing on Tuesday, February 14th at 10 p.m.
OLN to air Ewan McGregor special
The Outdoor Life Network’s Trips Money Can’t Buy puts Hollywood actor Ewan McGregor and survival expert Ray Mear on the hot spot. The two men and a team of others join a 10-day trek in search of the lost civilization — prehistoric people of the Mosquito Coast. The one-hour special premieres Tues., Jan. 10 at 8 p.m. on OLN.
Alliance Atlantis names new SVP of marketing and publicity
Sara Moore has been named SVP of marketing and publicity at Alliance Atlantis. In her new role, Moore, who was previously at Rogers Wireless, will oversee all marketing and publicity related to the broadcaster’s 13 specialty channels.
NFB appoints new director general, marketing and communications
Nathalie Courville has been appointed director general, marketing and communications for the National Film Board of Canada (NFB). Courville’s primary mandate will be to strengthen the NFB brand with a focus on the management of communications and cultural marketing.
Event
Feb. 16
License to Thrill
Kool Haus, Toronto
adinfo@magazinescanada.ca
License to Thrill is an exhibition of 150+ award-winning magazine creative from around the world. Attendance is free.
PMB Factoid
Book store loyalty cards; by city
Global deploys offbeat media to pump new show
Global’s heating up winter with a big promo push for its mid-season entry, Canadian teen drama Falcon Beach — and the net’s deploying a slew of non-traditional tactics to nab attention. The 13-episode series about life in a beach town makes its TV debut on Thursday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. – directly competing with CTV’s The O.C.
Beginning December 26 for four weeks in Toronto, Global will be rolling out the Falcon Beach Bowl – a branded flatbed truck complete with a plexiglass frame housing sand, surf and bathing suit-clad models. Models wearing Speedo (a promo partner) will be sampling branded merchandise, handing out frisbees and hand warmers tagged with the ‘it’s hot’ theme. Joining in on the fun are the PixMen who will be spooling previews of the show, with music from Falcon Beach’s upcoming CD by artists Broken Social Scene and Kathleen Edwards. Montreal-based Gearwerx experiential marketing created the Bowl, which will be seen at various events including hockey games, near nightclubs and at university campuses.
