Showcase promotes new VP of content
Tara Ellis has been promoted to the role of VP of content for Showcase. Ellis was previously director, original dramatic programming for the specialty net, championing programs such as Webdreams. The promotion is effective immediately.
Janik tunes in to Standard Radio
Liz Janik has been named program manager for Standard Radio’s all-Canadian commercial-free music channel on the soon-to-be-launched SIRIUS. She will oversee music programming as well as the management and operation of the station. With more than 15 years in broadcasting, Janik was most recently president of her own consulting company.
Event
Event
Oct. 19
The 2005 Cannes Lions ‘World’s Best Commercials’ screening
Isabel Bader Theatre, Toronto
Adcam Marketing 416.203.0753 x225
The Cannes Lions ‘World’s Best Commercials’ screening is back. The event includes the screening, introductions by Cannes judges Jack Neary (BBDO) and Terry O’Reilly (Pirate Radio & Television) – and the Sony BMG After-Party at 8 p.m.
PMB Factoid
Korean car in household: by household income
CanWest supplies much-needed new mega-connected online auto inventory – pundits deem it clever move
CanWest MediaWorks has launched an automotive portal for consumers, dealers, advertisers and enthusiasts — and media pundits agree that it’s a good thing. The new site, at driving.ca, offers automotive reviews and editorial content from CanWest’s 11 national newspapers. Driving.ca combines a national portal (as part of the Canada.com site) with the marketing of Canada’s largest chain of dailies. It also allows access to the full inventory of CanWest’s dealer network across the country.
‘Good for them,’ says Sunni Boot, president of Zenith Optimedia. ‘When a car buyer gets closer to purchase, they look for cost, a good dealer and service. A lot of consumers will find a lot of utility to this site. It appears to be user-friendly and it provides a level-playing field of info.’
PHD & Thermasilk join the shampoo-as-entertainment trend at teen hangout Habbo
Thermasilk has done the impossible — give girls the ability to create her perfect guy. In a sponsorship of virtual teen community Habbo Hotel Canada, the hair care brand has created the ‘Hit on My Hot Guy’ room within the hotel to target the 52% teen female demo inhabiting the hotel. Within the Thermasilk room is a branded billboard with links leading to the www.hitonmyhotguy.ca site.
And the room even has its own brand reps. Pre-programmed bots respond to user questions with branded responses such as: ‘Have a drink and hit on a hot guy! Click on the billboard for a chance to win!’ The site created for the promo is a destination for teens to virtually build a perfect guy, choosing hair, clothes, and tattoos, among others and then emailing this piece of perfection to friends to increase chances of winning swag — including free ring tones from MuchMusic. An in-game competition links users back to the hotel encouraging teens to get other Habbos (avatars ‘living’ in the hotel) to rate their hot guy for a chance to win game credits. To further support the promo, MuchMusic is airing two 15-second spots to drive traffic to the site starting on October 21. The media agency that did the magic? PHD Canada.
Grocery Gateway hooks up with couples mag to throw a party for 2
2: The magazine for couples, has coupled with online grocer Grocery Gateway on a co-promo entitled ‘2’s Coffee Table Dinner Party.’ In the mag’s fall issue spread, food brands such as Dr. Oetker, Knorr and Pillsbury — all found on Grocery Gateway’s site — are featured within recipes. Look on the Grocery Gateway site and all the work’s done for you. A virtual 2-branded grocery aisle has been created with all the ingredients for those wanting to recreate the spread’s perfect coffee table dinner party. Last week, the coffee table dinner party was brought to life during a segment on CHUM’s Breakfast Television.
‘This promo is really driven by brands with content integrating on the back end,’ says Diane Hall, 2’s publisher and president. ‘We shopped the whole party from Grocery Gateway and we offer this feature as an added value to our advertisers. Contextual selling is what they’re buying. It’s stylish and hip.’
Hall says the glossy is close to signing an alcohol brand as a food partner. The branded content feature, with Grocery Gateway in tow, is again on tap for 2’s holiday edition with a spread entitled ‘2’s Open House Holiday Party.’ Package prices range from $5,000 to $16,000 depending on a brand’s level of involvement. 2 Magazine targets urban couples in the 25-34 age range.
CFL checks in to Holiday Inn for 2005 season
The Canadian Football League (CFL) and Holiday Inn hotels have partnered for the 2005 season. The hotel chain is using the first time brand hook-up as a way to intro its new campaign around the availability of high speed Internet in hotel rooms. The campaign elements, which use the message ‘Stay Connected with Free High Speed Internet,’ include national TV and print ads and third quarter sponsorship in all TSN and RDS broadcasts from September to November. Other elements include ads on www.cfl.ca; a 4′ x 64′ end-zone sign and in-game promos during the playoffs and the 93rd Grey Cup. Holiday Inn is the first hotel partner in the league’s history. Creative was handled by Toronto-based agency John St. (a first for the CFL), with media executions managed by The Media Experts.
BBM Commercial Tracking
Please open the attached link to view BBM’s Commercial Television Tracking Service GRPS by week and month for Montreal Franco covering the broadcast months of October 2004 to September 2005 inclusive and for both Toronto & Vancouver covering September 2004 to September 2005 inclusive. GRPS are based on commercial minute ratings for Adults 25-54.
BBC preems Afterlife
Just in time for Halloween, BBC Canada is airing Afterlife, a six-part hour-long dramatic series that looks at the relationship between the living and the dead. The series begins its North American premiere run on Friday, Oct. 21 at 10 p.m.
Treehouse TV adds three
The Sesame Street brand is branching out. Beginning Monday, Nov. 7, Treehouse TV will be airing three new-to-Canada series featuring Sesame Street characters. Play with Me Sesame is a half-hour series that gets pre-schoolers to get up and get active using games and activities. It airs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Elmo’s World is another half-hour series promoting imagination. The series airs on Tuesday and Thursdays at 7:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. Finally, Global Grover, a five-minute live-action series celebrating global diversity, airs Monday to Friday at 7:25 a.m. and 4:25 p.m.
Event
Oct. 26
CARF Breakfast Series: Product Placement – Is it worth all the hype?
Four Seasons Hotel, Toronto
http://www.carf.ca or mrodway@tvb.ca
The Canadian Advertising Research Foundation (CARF) presents a panel of five Canadian and U.S. experts to explore research measurement of performance, effectiveness, and the value of product placement and integration as a form of advertising communications. Breakfast and networking begins at 8:30 a.m.
CHUM and Global add interactive gaming sponsor opps to shows
First there were game shows. Now there are shows with games built in, and unique marketing opportunities are part of the plot. New interactive CHUM and Global audience engagement initiatives mean new ad opps are coming soon to TV-related property near you.
CHUM has added live, SMS text-to-screen gaming to select programs airing on youth-channel Razer. RazerTXT allows viewers to watch shows while playing games, which appear as graphic overlays onscreen. Titles such as a love advice game called ‘Perfect Match,’ ‘RazerChat’ which features real-time, onscreen text dialogues and ‘Splitzville,’ a type of on-screen Eight Ball that predicts the death of a relationship, were created specifically for the Razer audience. Plans are in place to add games entitled ‘CruiseControl’ (on celeb auto trivia) and ‘Fabloid’ (tabloid-style headlines created by fans) beginning November 1.
Canada leads U.S in broadband pickup
Canada is well ahead of the U.S. in adoption of high-speed broadband Internet connection according to Toronto-based Solutions Research Group (SRG). The company’s latest study found that while Canada lags slightly behind the U.S. in pickup of wireless and HDTV technologies, this country is two years ahead of the curve when it comes to broadband.
Kaan Yigit, SRGstudy director, explains this could be attributed to geographic and socio-economic factors as well as the heritage and priority differences of cable and telephone companies in Canada compared to the U.S.
