Kaboose and Heinz to partner for Silly Squirts
Toronto-based kids and families’ online media spot Kaboose.com has partnered with food giant H.J. Heinz to launch the latter’s U.S. only Silly Squirts product. The partnership marks the largest offline exposure for Kaboose with Heinz providing the company with label real estate on many of its brands, including the Silly Squirts bottles. As part of the deal, Kaboose has developed target demo-appropriate and interactive Heinz microsites within Kaboose.com. The microsites will feature family activities and content including recipes, crafts for kids and a Mom’s Forum, all while driving traffic to the official Silly Squirts website. The deal was brokered by interactive media agency Starcom IP. According to a spokesperson, this is the first time that Heinz has used an online vehicle for a product launch. The U.S.-only promo targets moms.
PokerRoom hits the ice with Maple Leaf Sports
Swedish company PokerRoom.tv, a free, online poker site, has announced a sponsorship of Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment (MLSE) – its first Canadian partner. In-arena promos, such as Leafs Texas Hold ‘Em, are in the works. The PokerRoom.tv brand will be shown on rinkboards and courtside signage at the Air Canada Centre. The deal was done direct.
Law firm partners with Ottawa Senators and Corel Centre
Law firm Ogilvy Renault LLP has announced a three-year corporate sponsorship with Capital Sports and Entertainment, owner of the Ottawa Senators and the Corel Centre in Ottawa. The sponsorship entails the legal firm’s brand presence on rink boards, concourse signage and power ring display. This is the first time Ogilvy Renault has sponsored the Corel Centre. The law firm isn’t new to hockey sponsorship, however. This is the third year its name has been tied to Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, owner of the Toronto Maple Leafs and the Toronto Raptors at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. The deal was done direct.
U.S. firms create web buzz tracking tool
New York-based analysis firms iPerceptions, a company specializing in attitudinal research and metrics, and Repindex, a software data company have joined forces to create a new tool to track website buzz. Continuous Listening studies, an analysis of customer insights gathered from website visitor feedback, are currently in place for brands Land Rover and Reebok – the first to use this tool. The study allows these brands to identify continuously and in real-time, issues and concerns as well as key changes in site visitor attitudes and perceptions.
Says VP marketing, Howard Firestone: ‘Cost is in the $50,000 (all figures U.S.) range amortized over a 12 month period or approximately $4,000 a month. Clients can test out Continuous Listening with a three-month pilot at $15,000. If they continue, the $15,000 is applied against the overall yearly cost.’
http://www.iperceptions.com
BBM Media Snapshot: Canadians who ‘invest’ in lottery tickets
* 1.2 million Canadians (5%) spend $50+ on average each month on lottery tickets.
* 31% of those who spend $50+ on lottery tickets every month are between the ages of 45 to 54 years old (1.7 times more than the national average); 39% are 55+ years old.
* 68% of those who spend $50+ on lottery tickets are males.
* The average personal yearly income of Canadians who spend $50+ on lottery tickets per month is $43,000 (1.4 times more than the national average).
* The top lotteries/draws played at least once a month by these Canadians are: 89% Lotto 6/49, 82% Super 7 and 42% Extra/Tag/Plus/Mini.
* Canadians who spend $50+ on lottery tickets every month play 2 times more online/Internet casino games, bet money 2.4 times more often on horse races, and play 1.9 times more bingo games, when compared to the national averages.
* Canadians who spend $50+ on lottery tickets every month enjoy attending sporting events: 43% attended hockey games, 33% attended baseball games (1.4 times the national average), 26% attended football games (1.7 times the national average), and 20% attended horse races (2.3 times the national average).
* TV (86%), radio (83%), and Internet (54%) seem to be the best media to communicate with them based on yesterday’s exposure.
* Based on weekly reach, news/talk (25%), adult contemporary (15%), and classic/mainstream rock (12%) are their favourite radio formats.
* News/current affairs (73%), movies (70%) and hockey when in season (55%) are this group’s most popular television programs by weekly viewing.
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.
Comedy to release girlie reality show
According to the Comedy Network, Girls Will Be Girls. Friday nights at 10 p.m., beginning Oct. 21 there will be a new original comedy reality series featuring ‘four hot prankstresses’ who will do anything for a laugh. The plan is to mix sex and practical jokes in such skits as a woman dropping her ‘fake boob’ and asking passersby to help her stick it back in her bra. The Comedy Network is available to more than 4.8 million subscribers.
Brit car series hits BBC Canada
British motoring show Top Gear airs on BBC Canada on Saturdays and Sundays at 7 p.m. beginning Oct. 15. The 10-part hour-long series looks at new cars on the roads, new motoring technology and what’s new in concept cars. Celebrity races are a feature. Top Gear is hosted by Jeremy Clarkson.
Eloda hires one
TV ad tracking firm Eloda has found a director of business development in Michel Girard. Girard has worked in sales and marketing for several Canadian companies such as Radio-Canada, TVA and Transcontinental. He was an important part of the launch of Astral Media’s specialty TV channels and has recently helped to develop all-news radio for Corus Entertainment. Girard will report to David Gilmour and will be based in Eloda’s Montreal headquarters.
Event
Oct. 24, 31 and Nov. 7, 14, 21, and 28
Demystifying the Numbers: CARF Fall Education Course
http://www.carf.ca or mrodway@tvb.ca
The Canadian Advertising Research Foundation (CARF) is hosting six three-hour workshops on research supporting the sale and purchase of media. Each session – television, magazines, radio, newspaper, out-of-home, and Internet/online – is hosted by an expert in the field. Dinner is included.
Event
Oct. 26
ComBase Wave 2 Data Release Launch
Toronto Hilton, Toronto
http://www.combase.ca
rsvp@combase.ca
ComBase will be hosting a cocktail reception to launch the second wave of data to agencies, clients and publishers. North America’s largest media study will be releasing new data based on interviews conducted between October 2004 and June 2005.
PMB Factoid
Chocolate bar consumption: by age
DDB Canada unleashes Crime Stoppers campaign
Seems nothing speaks louder than cash. At least that’s the thinking behind the new PSA campaign headed by Toronto’s DDB Canada for Toronto Crime Stoppers, the community program with the anonymous tip line. And as part of future discussions, ads may someday be running in holding cells.
Unveiled today at police headquarters in downtown Toronto, the new campaign trades an up to $500 cash reward for anonymous tips leading to the seizure of an illegal or crime-related handgun. And in the year dubbed by many as the ‘year of the gun,’ the campaign couldn’t have come at a better time. Andrew Simon, VP/CD at DDB Canada, says: ‘We wanted [the creative] to have a targeted experience – to other criminals and to the general community.’
Lipton tea goes to the movies
Lipton’s got a brand new bag. The tea brand (parent company – Unilever) has released a national, month-long SMS promo called Lipton Tea Movie Trivia. Entrants vie for a chance to win a year’s worth of free movie passes from either Cineplex Galaxy or Famous Players theatres by texting ‘MOVIE’ (or for the French program, ‘FILM’) to a shortcode. Movie trivia questions are sent to contestants via SMS. One correct answer is equal to one contest entry. The promo is supported online, through in-theatre ads as well as via SMS.
According to Amanda Tatham, assistant strategic account manager for Unilever’s media company PHD Canada: ‘The objective is to support Lipton Tea’s ‘Power of Tea’ messaging, and to drive people to our Web site [at] www.liptontea.ca. Lipton’s messaging speaks to a young, active adult [and] the medium for this program was chosen to reinforce our young, innovative message.’ Toronto-based DDB Canada handles the brand’s creative, while Tribal DDB manages online creative and Web site. PHD brokered the deal between Lipton and the movie theatre chains. Toronto-based mobile interactive company MyThum handled the logistics of the SMS portion of the campaign.
Research tool gets express version
Toronto-based Ipsos ASI, provider of ad and brand equity research, has launched Ad*Graph Express, a new tool to help companies see how their ad or campaign is doing. The tool costs less than a full tracking study, being $9,500 for 1,000 interviews conducted nationally. Results are available within a week. Ad*Graph Express is a spinoff of Ipsos ASI’s Ad*Graph Tracking Service which has been used in over 100 categories since 1986. The Express version is touted as a means to assess ads, different executions within a campaign or to see if an ad is wearing out.
http://www.ipsos-asi.com
Fusion launches sponsorship measurement tool
Fusion, Alliance Marketing, a business unit of ad agency Cossette, has launched a tool to measure the value of sponsorships. The tool is called SponsorScope and, according to a release, it gauges the total value of a prospective partnership using points to weigh tangible and intangible factors. SponsorScope assigns a value point to factors such as on-site visibility as well as promo tools to support the program. Intangibles such as the event’s reputation, brand category exclusivity and communications plan among others are also weighted. Fusion has worked on Bell Canada’s sponsorship of the Bell Centre in Montreal as well as GM’s sponsorship of the Festival International de Jazz de Montréal.
