Molson Canada unleashes angels on tap
Molson Canada’s doing their part to keep drunken revelers off the streets. From December 21 until Christmas Eve, the company has enlisted help from above in a responsible use campaign branded the Molson Angels on Tap. Promo teams dressed in white, Pixmen in tow, are touring select bars in Halifax, Moncton, Montreal and Calgary handing out taxi vouchers and swag while reminding people to be responsible this holiday season. ‘Our promo teams will be asking people if they have planned a way to get home,’ explains Marie-Hélène Legacé, PR Manager at Molson Canada. ‘This is our way of driving home the message of planning ahead and being responsible.’ The campaign (and accompanying creative) was developed by Montreal-based promo agency @Complices Communication. Zoom Media ads in Quebec-area resto-bars will also bear the Molson Angels on Tap creative. Media buys were done by St-Jacques Vallée, Young & Rubicam.
Epson to sponsor Cirque du Soleil in 2006 and 2007
Toronto-based imaging company Epson Canada has signed on as the official sponsor of Cirque du Soleil’s 2006-2007 Canadian show dates. The sponsorship deal includes shows Quidam and Varekai, as well as a new production premiering on January 26 in Montreal entitled Delirium: Turning Music into Motion. A new production is also slated for spring 2007.
Bell ExpressVu expands its international programming roster
Bell ExpressVu has launched New Delhi Television (NDTV), ARY Digital (Urdu), Sony TV (Hindi) and Commonwealth Broadcasting Network (CBN) as part of its international programming lineup. NDTV (on channel 727) is a South Asian news channel in English. ARY Digital, on channel 728, is available in the Urdu language, broadcasting drama series, game shows, sports, news and entertainment from Pakistan. Channel 729’s Sony Entertainment Television (SET Asia) provides family-based programs in the Hindi language. Finally, CBN serves the Caribbean community, airing news, entertainment, drama and sports in English. Bell ExpressVu customers will receive the channels free for two months until mid-February.
New tool measures online marketing ROI
Yahoo! and MMA (Marketing Management Analytics) have brought accountability to online marketing campaigns with a new measurement tool to help U.S. marketers assess the offline sales impact of online programs. The tool marries Yahoo! user data on exposure to online graphical and search advertising with MMA’s existing ROI assessment model. This allows comparison of the online components of a campaign to the offline marketing spend. There are no plans to roll the application out in Canada as yet but with a 20% increase in online spending expected in 2006 (according to ZenithOptimedia forecasts), assessment and comparison of online ROI will be an industry imperative. Yahoo! Inc. is based in Sunnyvale, California and MMA is out of Wilton, Connecticut.
Cell phones to measure electronic, online, and OOH media audience in U.S.
Media and marketing research firm Ipsos Media and The Media Audit, a U.S. supplier of syndicated qualitative-audience ratings, will begin testing a new passive U.S. audience measurement system in mid-2006 that uses software in Smart Cell Phones to gather electronic media audience data. Ipsos software in the phones will monitor exposure to radio, electronic media, the Internet, and OOH media and is also capable of tracking retail shopping patterns via a GPS system. The system monitors on two levels: it reads encoded broadcaster signals as well as un-coded broadcast signals using audio-matching technology. Because of the omnipresence of cell phones today, Ipsos and The Media Audit expect high survey participant cooperation and compliance. The system also has the potential of including very large sample since anyone with a Smart Phone will be able to participate once the software has been downloaded.
BBM Media Snapshot: 4.9 million Canadians chat online
The BBM Media Snapshot feature has moved to the Thursday edition of Media in Canada. Watch for it on alternating weeks.
* 4.9 million Canadians (18%) chat online.
* Teens dominate online chat and are the largest age group actively chatting (26%) followed closely by young people aged 18 to 24 (24%). Half (51%) of all Canadian teens chat online.
* Teen girls are slightly more likely (55%) than are teen boys (45%) to chat online.
* Canadians in all regions show more or less equal levels of online chatting.
* They are very active online in general:
o 2.5 times more likely than the average Canadian to download MP3 files.
o Twice more likely to listen to a radio station via steaming audio.
o Twice more likely to read online magazines.
o 2.5 times more likely to watch a TV broadcast via streaming video.
* Their top media choices by yesterday exposure are: TV (84%), Internet (83%), radio (80%), with daily papers next but quite far behind at 41% read yesterday.
* Their favourite radio formats by weekly reach are: Top 40/Contemporary Hit Radio (30%), Adult Contemporary (29%), Classic Rock (27%), and News/Talk with 23% listening in a week.
* Favourite TV shows by weekly viewing are: movies (71%), news/current affairs (47%), reality shows (42%), and hockey (in season) with 42% watching.
Source: BBM RTS Canada Fall ’04 / Spring ’04, 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.
CTV unveils for winter
CTV has picked up a new series for winter, unveiling its January schedule this week. Drama series In Justice will make its debut on Sunday, Jan. 1 at 10 p.m., moving into its regular slot on Fridays at 10 p.m. on Jan. 6. The show stars Kyle MacLaughlin (Sex & the City) as the head of a high-profile, non-profit organization. Sure to net eyeballs yet again, the net also announced the return of American Idol to its programming grid beginning Tuesday, Jan. 17. The show will air twice weekly on Tuesday and Thursday nights at 8 p.m.
CTV also boasts a behind-the-scenes special called Wisteria Lane in Desperate Housewives: All the Juicy Details on Sunday, Jan. 1 at 9 p.m.
Comedy debuts new trivia show; roasts Pam and pumps Gas
The Comedy net is set to debut a new trivia game show called You Bet Your Ass. The show challenges self-proclaimed pop culture pundits to put their knowledge to the test. The half-hour game show airs Fridays at 7:30 p.m. beginning Jan. 13. The net also boasts specials for February. Most notable is The Comedy Central Roast of Pamela Anderson, a 90-minute show that puts Anderson in the hot seat, taking pot shots from Courtney Love and even her ex, Tommy Lee. The special airs on Saturday, Feb. 4 at 10 p.m. Comic Genius is the live broadcast of the Corner Gas contest. The contest searched for comics across the country for a chance to win $10,000. Comic Genius will air live from the Corner Gas diner on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 10 p.m.
Dead tell tales in new Discovery Civilization show
The dead tell tales in new Discovery Civilization series Frozen in Time: Mummies Forever. The hour-long show examines mummies to learn more about the past. Frozen in Time: Mummies Forever begins airing on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 9 p.m.
Canadian chef to compete in Iron Chef America: The Series
Toronto’s own Susur Lee has been invited to compete in an episode of Iron Chef America: The Series. The renowned chef will cross knives against Bobby Flay in a 60-minute cook-off. Iron Chef America: Lee vs. Flay will air on the Food Net in the spring. No airdate has yet been announced.
CHUM’s youth channel picks up for winter
Razer has picked up new shows to warm up the winter. The first is Scare Tactics with hosts Shannen Doherty and Stephen Baldwin. The half-hour prank series made its debut earlier this week and airs weekly on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21 saw the premiere of two new series. First, Freshmen on Campus debuted at 6 p.m., following a group of five Brit students through 10 weeks of culture shock as they attend university in Texas.
The half-hour Clone High, at 6:30 p.m., is an animated teen comedy about the clones of Cleopatra, JFK and Joan of Arc. The show features the voice talents of Marilyn Manson and Jack Black among others. Finally, Saturday, Dec. 24 at 9:30 p.m. is the debut of Cops, Cars & Superstars: Bullrun II. The half-hour show follows celebrity thrill-seekers as they take on the world’s most glam road rally.
PMB Factoid
Wine consumption; by city
Podpoint.ca: newly launched podcast resource for Canadian marketers
Those confused about podcasting in Canada and how it can be harnessed for marketing purposes need look no further than podpoint.ca. The site launched yesterday to educate agencies and advertisers about podcasting, to facilitate ad buys, and also to create branded podcast content.
On the site, visitors can access Podpoint, the podcast about Canadian podcasts. Each show is between 20 to 30 minutes long and features promos, interviews and reviews of other Canadian podcasts. They can also gain access to a network of the top five or 10 Canadian podcasts for ad placement. Much like a media buy for TV or OOH, Podpoint will take care of the insertions, transactions, and specialized content for the advertiser or agency if needed. For those looking for branded content, Podpoint can create and host the podcast and send it to iTunes and all of the other popular search sites for podcasts.
Sandwich media goes beyond the boards
Seems sandwich chain Subway is really going after hockey lovers. Earlier this month, they announced a sponsorship of CBC mockumentary The Tournament, a series about hockey dads. And beginning Dec. 25, they’re going after the mobile-toting, sandwich-eating set with a national text-in-to-win promo called ‘SUBtxt Hockey Trivia’. Every sub sold at Subway will be stickered with a unique PIN, prompting a hockey trivia question. ‘Every correct answer gets two points and every wrong answer nets one point – much like hockey’s score assist model,’ says Gary Schwartz, president of Toronto-based Impact Mobile, the mobile aggregator behind the campaign. Subway noshers are then entered into a draw to attend the Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Memorial Cup game in February. Hockey arenas hosting CHL games will also have branded rink boards inviting attendees to text in to play, drawing traffic to a Subway restaurant and ultimately to a specially-created microsite found at hockeysubway.com. ‘People will be invited to opt-in to receive ongoing hockey news as part of a larger, online CRM strategy for the brand,’ adds Schwartz. ‘The goal here is to drive sales and equate hockey with Subway and the CHL.’ TV spots, POS materials and bag stuffers round out the campaign. Media buys were done by MBS.
