Discovery Health adds four for the new year
Specialty net Discovery Health gets your new year off to a not-so-clean start with back-to-back episodes of hour-long doc series The Life of Grime. Witness the unclean side of the Big Apple beginning Sunday, Jan. 1 at 2 p.m. Love on the Rocks begins airing Monday, Jan. 2 at 9 p.m. and follows couples as their personal lives are analyzed by relationship experts. For those who really take the self-improvement bit seriously, there’s Bodywork, a six-parter on extreme transformations from penile enlargements to transgender surgery. The series airs beginning Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 9 p.m. Finally, Body Challenge: Ultimate Slimdown makes its Canadian debut weekly beginning Thursday, Jan. 5 at 9 p.m.
TSN to air NFL’s Monday night football
TSN has announced it has struck a deal with the NFL to have exclusive Canadian coverage of Monday night football, and will be extending their coverage of Sunday night games until 2008. The Sports Network will be broadcasting 17 games of the 2006 season on Mondays, starting Thursday, Sept. 7 next year.
Bonnick joins Carat Toronto
Sandra Bonnick has been named account director for Toronto’s Carat Canada. She will be responsible for communication planning for Procter & Gamble’s Care and Baby Care brands. Bonnick previously managed planning for Johnson & Johnson at M2 Universal.
Gendron joins Eloda
Nathalie Gendron has taken the role of marketing manager at Montreal-based ad analysis firm Eloda. Gendron was formerly content manager at software company My Virtual Model.
Filiatrault joins ICA as director of professional development
Suzanne Filiatrault has been named to a newly-created position as director of professional development for ICA (Institute of Communications and Advertising). In her new role, Filiatrault will be responsible for creating a professional curriculum.
Rabble.ca searches for sponsors for new podcast network
Four-year-old online alt-news site rabble.ca has announced today that it is launching the rabble podcast network (rpn), a hub for independently produced, fully-Canadian audio programs covering subjects from books to technology to politics, among others. And they’re looking for brand sponsors.
‘[The podcasting network] gives advertisers the opportunity to reach rabble.ca visitors,’ says executive producer Wayne MacPhail. ‘It provides a multimedia buy because there’s also the opportunity to put video on the podcasts. And because it’s a subscription model, it targets a pre-qualified audience.’ MacPhail reports that the site attracts 300,000 unique visits per month with actual page views at approximately 3 million monthly. According to an online survey conducted in 2004, Rabble.ca attracts two demos: 25-38s and 41-50, skewing male.
ABC Report: Newspaper circulations on the decline
Despite numbers released yesterday by the Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) revealing that North American newspaper paid circulations are on the decline, some Canadian titles are enjoying increases. The Globe & Mail increased 4% to 330,706 for its weekday paid run for the six-month period ending September 30. Meanwhile, The Calgary Herald‘s Monday to Thursday run increased by 2 percent to 116,671. In Montreal, La Presse increased 3 percentage points from 188,216 to 194,183. Le Devoir saw a gain of 3 percent, as well.
At the other end of the spectrum, Canada’s largest newspaper, The Toronto Star slipped 3% from last year’s numbers to its present 451,972 in weekday paid circulation. The National Post also saw a decrease of 4% in average Monday to Friday circulation to 232,508. Other drops include The Vancouver Sun which also dipped 4% for weekdays from 172,956 last year to 165,437 this year.
Research says: young Canucks get plugged in early + Quebec youth declare: ‘I’m not Canadian’
New research by the non-profit media education organization Media Awareness Network (Mnet) released yesterday reveals that 94% of kids as young as Grade 4 access the Internet from home. The report, entitled Young Canadians in a Wired World (YCWW), also found:
* 20% of grade 4s access the Net through their own PC
* 43% of grade 5s and 86% of grade 11s use instant messaging daily
* 28% download TV shows and movies from the Web
YCWW found that more youth are creating personal Web pages and blogs. They also participate in social networking sites. The study looked at the opinions of 5,200 young Canadians from grades 4 to 11, and noted that this group is among the most connected in the world.
http://www.media-awareness.ca/english/research/YCWW/phaseII/
Vancouver-based youth marketing and research agency Synovate YC has released a study on Quebec youth. As reported in the latest edition of Edge, the company’s quarterly study, it was found that 61% of youth (ages 15-24) in la belle provence watch TV most often in French. Other findings include:
* 7% who claim they don’t read any magazines
* less than 1% of Quebec youth claim they don’t use the Internet
* video game penetration in Quebec was lower than the national average, coming in at 22% versus 38% nationally
The report also found that 53% of youth in the province believe in the statement: ‘I am not Canadian. I am Quebecois.’ The report looks at the influences and historic context that have created their cultural climate today and how this has translated to the brands they choose. Quebecers account for 24% of youth in Canada and spend nearly $400 million annually.
http://www.synovate.com/edge/
Top TV advertisers: Eloda ad analysis
Public service and lottery drop off the charts to be replaced by food (11.7%) and automotive (7.5%) – new entrants to the race among categories with the largest variety of TV ads last week. Meanwhile, retailer The Brick falls off the top 5 with the most variety of ads (number 3 in 2004) to be replaced by Wyeth-Ayerst this year. Check out others topping the charts, and which brands had the most new spots and new advertisers. 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
Fashion Frame takes off
Ever find yourself wanting to read something while you’re in the fitting room? Montreal-based Fashion Frame wants to provide the eye candy. The company has a network of 1000 fitting room ad faces across 250 men’s, women’s and teens boutiques all over Quebec. ‘We’re planning to expand and double the ad faces [province-wide] in 2006,’ says Martyne Rioux, VP of marketing. She says the company also has plans to expand to the rest of Canada by fall of next year. Fashion Frame is now in business expansion mode, with the principals shopping their service to agencies. So far signed are: Alliance Atlantis, TV station Canal Vie and radio station Radio Energie. Rates run between $90-160 for a four-week cycle.
http://www.fashion-frame.com
DigiNet puts TVs in bars
For clubsters too cool to make eye contact, Toronto-based BarNet Digital, a division of AiM Media Group, has installed digital video screens above bar service areas – and they’re looking for brands. Fifty screens, ranging from 19- to 42-inches, can now be found in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver, with screens expected to double by early next year. Content partnerships currently in place for the video network include Klublife Magazine and the Fashion Design Council of Canada.
The BarNet Captive Audience Network has five custom content categories such as entertainment, interactive messaging, info, bar promos and ads. The company is also in search for sponsorship of SMS-based interactive content — trivia, flirt, gaming and website/portal opt-ins. Advertisers participating in its roll-out to date include: Alliance Atlantis, Universal Music, Fashion Cares, Motorola and Unilever’s Axe brand. The network targets 18-34s with a reach of more than 10,000 patrons per month, according to director of business development Scott Chako.
10 awards go to Canucks at London International Awards
Canucks were a proud bunch at the 20th Annual London International Awards held yesterday, scoring ten awards, some of which were notable for media innovation. Nike’s ‘Bernard wall, Perdita jumping, Bernard crashing’ (done by Taxi Toronto) broke through the clutter – and even through the glass. In one transit shelter execution, the athlete looks as if he’s crashing through a glass wall. That campaign garnered nods in the poster and outdoor category. The Contemporary Art Gallery’s Button Wall, created by Rethink Vancouver, also gained a nod in the ‘spectacular’ OOH subcategory.
Other winners include: Science World’s ‘questions’ (radio) and ‘boardroom’ (TV) by Rethink; Epson Photo Printers’ ‘Jed’ (radio) by DDB; Volkswagen’s ‘clipper’ (print) by Arnold Worldwide; Halls ‘doctor’s office’ (TV) out of JWT, Toronto; Wrigley Canada’s Freedent DM by Leo Burnett, Toronto (the agency also scored a print trade nod for its self-promo). CMT took the media promo award for ‘dueling sitars’ (TV) by Zig Toronto.
BBM Media Snapshot: Canadians who participate in Internet discussion or chat groups
* 2.9 million Canadians (11%) participate in Internet discussion or chat groups occasionally/frequently.
* 61% are under 24 years old (3 times the national average).
* 64% are single (2.3 times the national average).
* 44% spent more than 6 hours on the Internet on an average week (1.8 times more than the national average).
* Other activities on the Internet:
o Download music/MP3 files (3 times the national average).
o Access radio station Web sites (2.4 times more often).
o View TV via streaming video (2.6 times more often).
o Listen to radio via streaming audio (2.4 times more often).
o Read online magazines (2.3 times more often).
o 2.6 times more likely to visit online dating sites.
* In terms of yesterday’s exposure, the top 3 media for Canadians who participate in Internet discussions/chats occasionally/frequently are: TV (89%), Internet (77%, 1.5 times the national average), and radio (76%).
* News/talk (20%), adult contemporary (15%) and mainstream top 40/CHR (9%) are their favourite radio programming formats.
Source: BBM RTS Canada Fall ’04 / Spring ’04, individuals 12+
Comedy picks up a Con
Comedy has picked up a new reality series called Con. The half-hour series follows Skyler Stone and his cohorts as they con their way to free meals, haircuts and house cleaning. Con airs beginning Friday, Nov. 25 at 10:30 p.m.
