Rogers to launch Canadian version of Hello! celeb mag
Rogers Publishing will be launching a Canadian edition of U.K.-based weekly celebrity mag Hello! The Canuck version is slated to launch August 31, 2006. Hello! has already spawned editions in Russia, Turkey, Greece and the Middle East. In the U.K., Hello!’s circ stands at 392,481 or 1.7 million copies each month.
Volvo brings ocean race online in viral campaign
In an effort to up the excitement around the 2005-2006 Volvo Ocean Race, Toronto-based interactive agency Mindblossom recreated the race online as a viral marketing initiative. An online racing game found at http://vor.volvogeneration.com invites visitors to sign in as the skipper of a three-person virtual boat, recruiting two other crew members to begin playing. ‘It’s a knowledge-based game, with videos, images and multiple choice questions about Volvo. So the whole time people are playing the game, they’re interacting with the brand and getting entertained. We’re taking the brand’s safety image to a more exciting level,’ says Vanessa Willacy, director of strategic planning at Mindblossom. The virtual boat that wins the final leg online will be awarded a trip for six to Göteborg, Sweden to be at the finish line when the real Volvo Ocean Race concludes in early June.
Willacy says there are now 1500 boats (each with three people) participating since the site’s launch in mid-November, and numbers are showing that more than 1000 people participating in the race are within Volvo’s 35+ age target. Other partners in the initiative were MSN Sympatico (which provided live Volvo Ocean race content on its site) and Canadian Yachting magazine (which provided editorial coverage).
Top TV advertisers: Eloda ad analysis
The big holiday push is on with retail, toys & games and entertainment categories taking the top three spots respectively for the largest variety of TV ads during the week of November 18-24. Entertainment holds steady as the category with the most new TV ads last week, remaining at 27%, the same percentage at this time last year. 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
The following research is the first in a new weekly series for MIC that looks at radio ad volume by category and brand, gathered through Vancouver-based Media Monitors’ audio fingerprinting tool. This week, in the Toronto market, Telus Mobility’s ad spots had the most airplay, followed by retailer Canadian Tire. It’s a different story by category, however, with the most advertisers coming out of the car and light trucks dealer categories. Restaurants and live theatre categories followed in the number two and three positions, respectively. Check out others topping the radio charts by category and brand in the Toronto market for the week of November 20-26.
http://www.mediamonitors.com
Visa tries on m-couponing in local promo
Visa Canada has integrated a mobile OOH component in its Visa Perks ‘Win what you buy’ campaign. An SMS campaign that launched at Toronto’s Vaughan Mills mall earlier this month had eight retailers participating, including La Senza and Roots. Tent cards with a call to action invited shoppers to text in for a list of participating retailers, says Brian Chung, integration supervisor at Toronto-based Arc Worldwide, the agency behind the SMS project. Mobile users are then able to access m-coupons for use at the retailers. ‘Numbers are strong from the first week [we launched],’ says Chung of participation. Chung adds that Visa Canada will likely look at results from this pilot project as a means to decide whether to roll-out a retail mobile program nationally.
They put ads where? Machinima may entice brands
U.K.-based Lionhead Studios has created a software tool called ‘The Movies’ that lets gamers create computer-generated movies around their favourite video game characters for uploading to the Net. Marketers are tagging the movies, called machinima, as yet another medium for their message, with the most intrepid brands placing ads within them. Heavy.com boasts a machinima called Pimp my Weapon, which uses images from Sony game, God of War. Advertisers jumping on-board? Sony, of course, touting other game titles Socom 3 and Gun. Lionhead’s ‘The Movies’ allows the user to play Hollywood exec, managing all aspects of their shoot, from costume design to sets, with the wrap being uploaded to a Lionhead community site. Machinimas can also be sent to friends or posted online.
Publicis launches retail marketing division
Publicis Canada has launched Intersect, a newly-created division focusing on retail marketing, specifically on the development and implementation of OOH collateral, POP and packaging. Intersect will highlight the psychology and science of consumer buying habits to develop brand positioning. At the helm of the division is Carolyn Higgs, formerly of Maclaren McCann, where she spent more than five years on General Motors, Rogers wireless and cable business, among others.
BBM Media Snapshot: The Canadian hockey player
* There are 1.3 million Canadian adults (5%) who play hockey regularly.
* 75% of Canadian hockey players are between the ages of 18 and 44.
* 85% are men.
* 28% have an undergraduate degree or more, which is above the Canadian average education level.
* 22% have a household income of $100,000 or more per year.
* Hockey participation is slightly higher than average in the Prairie region and slightly lower in BC, Quebec, and Atlantic Canada.
* Hockey players are very active in sports in general:
o 3 times more likely to play baseball/softball and/or football compared to the average Canadian adult.
o 4 times more likely to skateboard.
o 2 times more likely to be a runner.
* Their top three media choices by yesterday exposure are: radio (92% reach), TV (89%) and Internet (63%).
* Their favourite radio formats by weekly reach are: classic rock (45%), news/talk (32%), and adult contemporary (29%).
* This group’s top three types of TV shows by weekly reach are: hockey (when in season) (84%), movies (75%), and news/current affairs (57%).
Source: BBM RTS Canada Fall ’04 / Spring ’04, individuals 18+
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.
Discovery brings myth-busting, dirty jobs and mummy autopsy to small screen
Discovery Channel will air a new series that combines myth-busting, science and technology. Beyond Tomorrow will air beginning Thursday, Jan. 5 at 8 p.m. The series looks at everything from a brain implant to stop Parkinson’s disease to a rocket-powered surfboard. For those seeking dirtier TV, there’s Dirty Jobs, a show that looks at the people behind such job titles as ‘road kill collector’ or ‘sewer inspector.’ Jolly fun. Dirty Jobs premieres Thursday, Jan. 5 at 10 p.m.
Not to be outdone, sister net Discovery Civilization will air eight-part series Mummy Autopsy beginning Wednesday, Jan. 4 at 8 p.m. The show looks at the cause of deaths of mummies for insight into their lives and worlds.
OLN takes viewers for a ride with three new series
The Outdoor Life Network (OLN) is unveiling three new series for early 2006. First up is Park Raving Mad, an eight-parter that follows a pair of buddies through some of America’s national parks. The series airs beginning Tuesday, Jan 3 at 8 and 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan 4 at 7 p.m., sees the premiere of Ultimate Playground, another weekly eight-part series that goes on a search for outdoor adventures in international locales. Finally, the six-part Rodeo Wrecks 2006 airs beginning Thursday, Jan. 5 at 8:30 p.m. The show follows cowboys and some of the meanest bucking bulls and horses in the ring.
Carat Canada names Excell as broadcast manager
Amy Excell has been appointed broadcast manager at Toronto-based media agency Carat Canada. Excell previously managed the MGM account’s theatrical and home entertainment divisions at Carat.
***NEWS FLASH*** Cassies spread the wealth among seven
There was a spread of wealth at the Cassies today with 10 golds distributed among seven agencies. And while TV has long been the award-hogging medium, some campaigns awarded today proved you can do a lot with innovative use of the ‘other’ media, such as radio (used by Target for Irving Oil) or OOH (used by Cossette for the butter campaign).
Target Marketing and Communications scored some hardware today, winning a gold apiece for its McCain Foods and Irving Oil accounts. Most notable in the Irving Oil work is the take-off of a 60-second reality radio show, hyping up small prize wins such as a bag of chips. Arnold Worldwide picked up two golds for its United Way ‘The hand’ campaign, one each in the not-for-profit and sustained success categories. John St. scooped two golds this afternoon, both in the retail category, for its Moores and Harvey’s accounts. The agency also nabbed a certificate of excellence award for its work on K&G Fashion Stores.
KIA and Subway sit rink-side for season two of The Tournament
Automaker KIA Canada has hooked up with CBC hockey mockumentary series The Tournament for its second season as fully-integrated marketing partners. And new this year, sandwich chain Subway has been added as secondary sponsor. Steven Pitkanen, customer marketing manager at the CBC says the partners are all working together to make an even bigger splash this year.
In January, the lead characters, ‘hockey dads’ Barry and Doug, (played by Alain Goulem and Christian Potenza) will be making appearances at various dealerships in the GTA. The two are also on tap to be at the KIA booth for the Toronto Auto Show in February. On the show, the characters are KIA dealership employees.
CHUM tags mobile VOD for growth – new content launching Q1 ’06
Madonna Live at the KOKO was an extravaganza seen around the world last Tuesday night. Here in Canada, many viewers watched MuchMusic’s live streaming of the concert via their cell phones. The pay-per-view event ran about one hour and, for fans that missed it, is now available for on-demand viewing until April to those with MobiTV compatible cell phones (muchmusic.com/connect/madonna_live).
Maria Hale, VP content business development for CHUM Television, says CHUM applied for the Canadian mobile rights to the concert because it’s one of the real growth areas in the company’s three-pronged VOD strategy. There were no advertisers involved in the Madonna broadcast, but Hale says now that CHUM has this one under its belt, it will be easier to give marketers a clear idea of what to expect audience-wise once results are compiled. ‘Advertisers are interested (in MobiTV),’ says Hale, ‘but they still want to know how many people it’s reaching. (The Madonna broadcast) gives us experience and a benchmark so we can start talking realistically about what it all means. Some advertisers are interested in the buzz and being in the forefront, but a lot are just interested in the brass tacks – the reach, the number of impressions we’re going to get from it.’
