Microsoft gets between the sheets with Chatelaine
Chatelaine has teamed up with online content provider Microsoft Home Magazine (found at www.microsoft.ca/home) to produce a 32-page branded content feature called Holiday Helpbook. The Holiday Helpbook, a collection of tips, articles and advice from the editors of Microsoft Home, will be distributed via Chatelaine‘s December issue, slated to hit newsstands and mailboxes across the country by next week. Other partners on board include brands Intel, Hewlett-Packard, Xbox and Bell. A national online contest launching today and lasting until January 1, 2006 will also be promoted on the chatelaine.com, microsoft.ca and microsoft.ca/home sites with a prize pack consisting of swag from all partners.
‘Every year, our relationship with Rogers gets deeper and deeper,’ says Sue Borden, publisher of Microsoft Home Magazine. ‘This is for ‘broadband moms’ with kids at home. We’re really recognizing women as the CEOs of the home.’ Borden explains that the two brands decided to come together as their audiences were similar. ‘That synergy is important to us. We’re very excited to be working with like-minded properties.’ Holiday Helpbook has been produced yearly by Microsoft Home for three years. The deal was done direct.
RMB touts effectiveness of radio
The Radio Marketing Bureau (RMB) has unveiled a $2 million national advertising campaign to reinforce the effectiveness of radio and its ability to deliver ROI. It launched today with half-page ads in the Globe and Mail and National Post and is sustained with an eight-month presence in trade publications.
The ads focus on the strength of radio, its role in integrated campaigns, and features testimonials from national advertisers Grolsch, Goodyear, and Nestle. The print ads carry headlines like, ‘When Grolsch Turned to Radio, They Got Resultsch,’ and allude to case studies and supporting research that can be accessed at rmb.ca. That theme continues in the radio portion of the campaign. While $300,000 has been allotted for print, the bulk of the advertising will air on radio. Two spots have been created by Bright Red Communications with production by Pirate Radio and Television, both Toronto companies, and can be customized by the local radio stations.
Compose: new channel planning tool launched in the U.S.
Compose, a new measurement tool previously only available in the U.K., recently made its North American debut in the U.S. The software combines research into communications channels with modeling capabilities and channel planning software to help media planners evaluate the true potential of multi-media campaigns. U.S. media agencies Carat (Aegis), Initiative (Interpublic), Mediaedge:cia (WPP), MindShare (WPP), and PHD (Omnicom) have signed on to Compose while Starcom MediaVest Group (Publicis) use rival software system, Media Contact Audits.
Compose spokesperson Hugh White of KMR (Kantar Media Research) in New York says there are no immediate plans to launch Compose in Canada but will consider it if there is enough interest. He says if and when the channel-planning tool makes it to Canada, it will use base data from PMB (Print Measurement Bureau). The idea behind Compose is to ensure that communications campaigns connect with the right people, rather than simply provide opportunities to see the advertising. In addition to traditional media channels – TV, radio, magazines, and newspapers – Compose includes data from online, email, and search; in-store and OOH; direct mail and even word-of-mouth, personal recommendations, price promotions and sampling.
Top TV advertisers: Eloda ad analysis
A heightened social awareness? Perhaps. PSAs topped the charts two years in a row in the Top 3 categories with the most new TV ads for the third week of October. This year sees an increase of 6% over 2004’s figures of 40%. Check out others topping the chart, and which categories 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
BBM Media Snapshot: Canadians with wills or estate planning
* 2.5 million Canadians (9%) have a will or have used estate-planning services.
* One third of those with wills or estate planning are under 45 years old. When compared to the national averages, seniors 65+ years old are 1.6 times more likely to have will or estate planning.
* 55% of those with wills or estate planning are females.
* The average personal yearly income of Canadians with wills or estate planning is $48,700 (1.6 times more than the national average).
* 27% of those with wills or estate planning are retired (1.6 times more than the national average); 19% have upper management or professional occupations (1.5 times over the national average).
* 93% of Canadians with wills or estate planning are homeowners (1.4 times greater than the national average).
* The average value of their home is $250,000
* They are 3 times more likely than average to have $500,000 or more in savings/investments.
* Their investment portfolio includes 2 times more mutual funds, 2.4 times more stocks, 2.1 more term deposits, 2.5 times more RRIF, and 3.4 times more investment real estate, when compared to the national averages.
* 13% of Canadians with wills or estate planning changed their most often used investment institution during the past two years (1.8 times more than the national average).
* The top three media by yesterday exposures are: radio (88%), TV (87%) and daily newspapers (62%).
* Looking at radio weekly reach, their three favourite formats are: news/talk (25%), adult contemporary (19%), and country (9%).
* The top three television program types watched in an average week by those with wills or estate planning are: news/current affairs (76%), movies 66%, and documentaries (46%).
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.
Global switches its programming lineup
Global has moved one-hour drama The Closer to Mondays at 10 p.m., bumping Canuck sci-fi series ReGenesis to Wednesdays at 10 p.m. The move takes effect this week. The reasons behind the move? According to net spokesperson, Jackie Feig: ‘We wanted to take advantage of the growth of The Closer and air it in a better timeslot where it will benefit from the huge numbers of Prison Break.’
The net’s sales and research department had placed ReGenesis in its original Mondays at 10 p.m. slot based on preceding show, Prison Break’s target of 25-54 with a slight male skew, says Feig. However, Global has found (through BBM Canada stats) that Prison Break is skewing slightly younger and more female than anticipated. To help that flow, the net’s programming department made the switch. Feig says moving ReGenesis to Wednesdays puts it in a less competitive time period, giving the show a chance to find more viewers with The Apprentice as its lead-in.
Comedy net goes for raw laughs and shares The Colbert Report with CTV
Looks like CTV’s dalliance with MTV is bringing some laughs. The net has announced that it has picked up Daily Show spin off The Colbert(‘Coal-bear’) Report, creating a full-hour of mock news Mondays to Thursdays beginning Nov. 7. The Colbert Report will air at 12:35 a.m. on CTV immediately after Daily Show with Jon Stewart. The show originally debuted Oct. 17 to American audiences. The Comedy Network will air it at 11:30 p.m.
For viewers who like their comedy raw, Saturday, Nov. 12 at 11 p.m. is the premiere of Comedy Network’s new series entitled Sushi TV. The 10-part, half-hour Brit series looks at funny clips of Japanese game shows. The first series sees a clip of a man and a woman in a race to finish six metres of raw fish. Brit comedian Craig Charles hosts.
Showcase rolls out new comedy for 2006
Cameras have started rolling on new Showcase comedy Billable Hours. The half-hour prime time program is slated for broadcast beginning spring 2006. Billable Hours follows bored, over-educated twenty-somethings at a law firm looking to liven up their lives with over-the-top antics.
History takes on Mission X
History TV is airing a new, hour-long doc series called Mission X beginning Tuesday, Dec. 6 at 8 p.m. The weekly series investigates revolutionary inventions through the use of materials testing, crime investigation and lab simulation.
PMB Factoid
Department store loyalty cards: by household income
Fall TV season analysis: So far, so good
Although there are no runaway hits like last year’s returning hits Desperate Housewives and Lost, the general consensus of broadcast buyers is that so far it’s an okay TV season. As for this season’s winners, everyone seems to agree that Prison Break(Global) is on that list but that was pretty much expected prior to its launch. A couple of surprise hits for the buyers are Invasion (CTV) and Ghost Whisperer (CTV), which is pulling bigger numbers than expected on Friday night. Prior to launch, neither one of these shows were predicted to be sure-fire winners. Some thought that the space invasion/government cover-up story line of Invasion (CTV) might only have an attraction for a niche audience of sci-fi nerds while Ghost Whisperer could either ride on the coattails of the popular Medium or be avoided for being simply a copycat.
On the cancellation front, it’s not expected to be the same kind of bloodbath of the past few years that had buyers scrambling to reschedule all the ‘make-goods’ caused by so many shows getting the axe.
Cars leap off the screen in Pontiac promo
Talk about engaging your audience. It’s a big night on Sunday, Oct. 30 for French-speaking Quebec. Not only is it the night of the Pontiac-sponsored ADISQ gala (a music gala a la the Grammys airing on Radio-Canada), but it’s also the climax point for the automaker’s ‘crève l’écran’ promo. Twenty-five cars will be given away during the broadcast as part of a multi-level awareness program. How to tell if you’re a winner? By placing a Quebecor-supplied, colour-coded decoder on your TV screen to read an instant win message. Pontiac distributed 1.5 million promo bags with decoders throughout the province beginning yesterday in what they claim is the first promo of its kind there. The street teams were strategically dispatched to areas where the company’s research has found to have a high concentration of non-Pontiac owners.
‘Pontiac is a sponsor of the ADISQ and they wanted to generate awareness around the 2006 models,’ explains Isabelle Adam, account executive at Blitz Direct, Data & Promotion, the agency behind the gig. ‘The gala usually generates 900,000 viewers on average in Quebec.’
As part of the promo, TV spots were produced by Radio-Canada inviting folks to tune in to the show and hang on to their decoder. Radio teasers are also currently in circulation, drawing traffic to a microsite at www.25pontiacs.com. Visitors can also sign up online for a chance to win gift certificates from entertainment ticketing company, Admission.
‘We’re also planning to do a phone survey after the promotion closes [on Sunday] to gauge effectiveness,’ says Adam. Media buys were handled by Cossette Media with Blitz at the creative helm. The promo targets adults 18-44.
Best Buy invades desktops with branded games
It looks like Best Buy has figured out a way to remain top-of-mind. Thanks to Ottawa-based agency Fuel Industries, the Minnesota-based electronics retail giant has been able to land its logo right on its targets’ desktops with branded games that become the computer’s wallpaper when downloaded. Golf launched in September, while Invasion debuted this month. The branding is subtle, consisting of just a small Best Buy logo in the top corner. The emphasis is on the free content: a golf game to appeal to older, executive types, and Invasion, an arcade-style game aimed at younger males.
‘Our intent was not to have Best Buy shoved down everybody’s throat,’ explains Todd Dexter, Best Buy’s assistant creative director of hub image advertising. ‘It’s about speaking to different segments differently.’
Fuel came up with the idea after consistently hearing clients wonder how to reach their targets in unique ways. ‘Typically, if you’re not online, marketers can’t reach you,’ says Fuel’s creative marketing strategist Sean MacPhedran. ‘So we thought: how can we create content that’s outside the browser? [Clients] are trying to provide smart entertainment.’ Best Buy is promoting the desktop games with online and print efforts, including ads in magazines Maxim, Blender, Forbesand Men’s Health. Fuel is currently shopping the feature to Canadian brands though nothing has been inked yet.
Discovery HD preps for higher def
Discovery HD, launching next month, is slated to be Canada’s first round-the-clock HD specialty net. The new Discovery HD will replace the current incarnation of Discovery HD originally launched by CTV in 2003. The new channel will be independently scheduled and content will be specifically created for the channel to maximize the use of HD.
Holmes to helm National Geographic specials
National Geographic Channel has enticed Mike Holmes (of Holmes on Homes fame) to join the net. Holmes is set to star in a series of themed specials called Top 10 Countdown with Mike Holmes. The first episode in the series, airing on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 3 p.m., counts down phobias from spiders to snakes to closed spaces. The second episode – on megastructures – airs on Saturday, Nov. 12, with other specials scheduled to air in early 2006.
