Nielsen Media Research Spend Trend: Thanksgiving
TV is the showcase for the fixings for Thanksgiving feasts. Marketers of everything from turkey and stuffing to juices and pumpkin pie make TV the first choice for Thanksgiving advertising. TV grabbed 51.4% to 64.8% of category spending 2001 through 2004. The landscape really changed for the other media during that time. Dailies gained each year to take second spot in 2004 with 21.1% of the spending. Out-of-home had slight increases while magazine and radio both experienced steady declines in this category each year.
History unearths new series
History Net is set to release a new series that travels to the battlefields of World War I, following a group of forensic experts and historians to excavate what lies beneath. The five-part, hour-long series, entitled Finding the Fallen airs Thursdays at 8 p.m., beginning Nov. 17.
Bravo! to release lit series
Beginning Thursday, Oct. 6 at 8 p.m., Bravo debuts a new documentary series on Canadian-Caribbean authors. Literature Alive! will profile such writers as Ricardo Keens-Douglas and Nalo Hopkinson over the course of 13 episodes.
OBN adds two
Toronto-based media company Outdoor Broadcast Network (OBN) has added Carolann Aitken and Gabriel Dunlop as national account managers. Prior to joining OBN, Aitken sold in-theatre full-motion ads. Dunlop comes from Markham, Ont.-based OOH agency Motomedia/POPMedia where he held the position of media sales and operations manager. Both Aitken and Dunlop will report to general sales manager at OBN Judy Tapp. The newest hires are part of the expansion of the OBN network.
Events
Oct. 13
Out-of-Home Day
kelly@transearchgroup.com
www.adclubto.com
The Ad Club of Toronto presents this luncheon showcasing new and innovative OOH options for the in-door urban landscape. Featured speaker is professor Alan Middleton. Liberty Grand, Toronto.
Oct. 13
Web Analytics Thought-Leadership Discussion
UBC Robson Square, Vancouver
866-281-4462
www.iimaonline.org
Panelists like Jim Sterne, president of the Web Analytics Association and Braden Hoeppner, business analyst Web analytics, TELUS will participate in an interactive discussion of trends, current developments, best practices and the future of measuring the success of Web sites.
Oct. 14
Measuring the Success of Your Website: An Interactive Workshop for Web Marketers and eCommerce Managers
UBC Robson Square, Vancouver
866-281-4462
www.iimaonline.org
A focus on key metrics with extra consideration given to the types of Web sites represented by workshop participants. Both of the above events are presented by the International Internet Marketing Association.
Pirate to release Lennon radio show
Toronto production house Pirate Radio and Television has started a branded entertainment division. Its first project? A two-part radio program narrated by Graham Nash (of Crosby Stills and Nash fame) commemorating the 25th anniversary of ex-Beatle John Lennon’s assassination. The title sponsor? Toshiba. Explains writer and director Terry O’Reilly: ‘We try to come up with interesting radio programs that advertisers can leverage. Branded entertainment is something I’m not sure is even happening in Canada. So we’ve created a seven-hour radio special around Lennon.’
O’Reilly explains that the project was divided into two three-hour parts plus a series of vignettes. The first is a three-hour special airing on Sunday, Oct. 9 called Dreaming of the Past, with a theme that spans the years between Lennon’s birth in 1940 to when the Beatles broke up in 1970. The special will air in Canada, the U.S. and other countries around the world on classic rock stations such as Q107 in Toronto, CFMI in Vancouver, CKDK in London, Ont., and CFGQ in Calgary. CHOM, an English station in Montreal, is also picking up the special.
New lifestyle glossy targets ‘young sophisticates’
Calgary-based entrepreneur, Zinat Damji is launching a national lifestyle mag targeting ‘young sophisticates’ called ‘Generation Zi.’ Its premiere Fall/Winter 2005 issue debuts this month. The aud of 18-34 men and women will get commentary on everything from culture and fashion to technology and finance and will be encouraged to contribute online to the editorial content. The firm will also promote the Zi Magazine Scholarship Fund, an annual, sponsor-driven award of 10 educational scholarships of $10,000 awarded to Zi readers.
The magazine will be published quarterly and distributed through high traffic newsstands including Chapters, Indigo, Safeway and Shoppers Drug Marts across Canada. As well, 40,000 copies will be inserted in The National Post and The Globe and Mail, and with subscriptions, will total a first national circulation of 75,000. Cost of a full-page, colour ad is $9,500. Cover price of the magazine is $5.95 or $20 for four issues.
The launch will be supported with media relations, product placement, broadcast and print co-promotions, strategic partnerships and alliances, and interactive contests. Print and online ads will appear in entertainment and weekly newspapers nationally and a 15-second spot will run on select university campuses beginning Oct. 21 for two weeks through an agreement with Freefone, the public courtesy telephone and digital video advertising system. Media buying and planning are by Wendy Ell, marketing manager, Codell Concepts, of Calgary. Creative is being handled by Montana Creative, of Calgary with media relations by The Siren Group, of Toronto.
http://www.zimagazine.com.
Levi’s takes extreme approach to casting ads
Levi’s jeans took an innovative approach to finding models for its latest campaign. The clothing company sent talent scouts to extreme sports festivals Crankworx and Wakestock in August to check out how well the ubiquitous denim was molding to young buttocks and thighs with an eye to finding some new models. Participants were invited to be in a photo shoot to create mock ads.
The mock ads were posted at Crankworx and Wakestock as well as on levi.com/Canada. Festival attendees and site visitors voted for their faves with Penticton, B.C.’s Austin Ross and Toronto’s Kelly Given coming out on top. Next the two were shot for real ads that will appear in Exclaim! Magazine – Ross in the October issue and Given in November. The GEM Group was behind the initiative. GEM is a marketing communications agency specializing in sports and entertainment marketing.
Cannes Lions judging revamped for 2006
The judging process at the 2006 Cannes Lions Festival is getting a revamp. First, there will be separate press and outdoor juries judging the entries in those categories. The jury president, however, will continue to preside over the film, press and outdoor juries.
The second change is in the Lions Direct competition. There will no longer be any preliminary pre-Cannes ‘judging-at-home’ rounds. According to Terry Savage, executive chair of the festival: ‘Direct marketing is a tactile medium, and it is important that the jury see all entries…in their true format and not digitally.’ An increased jury of 30 plus the jury president will judge all entries in this category in Cannes.
In 2005, more than 11,300 ads competed in the press and outdoor competitions. A record 1,600 ads were entered last year in the direct category. The 53rd International Ad Festival will be held in Cannes, France from June 18-24.
BBM Media Snapshot: Do credit cards with loyalty rewards appeal to Canadians?
* 4.8 million Canadians (17%) have at least one credit card with loyalty rewards.
* The average personal yearly income of Canadians with credit cards with loyalty rewards is $50,000 (1.6 times the national average).
* 21% of these card holders completed their university studies (1.6 times the national average).
* 40% are middle management professionals and 22% are upper management professionals.
* 51% of reward credit card holders have Visa; 46% have a Master Card; and 20% have an American Express.
* Canadians with credit cards with loyalty rewards are 1.9 times more likely to be members of Aeroplan and 2.1 times more likely to be members of other airline reward programs, compared to the national averages.
* When compared to the national averages, the top categories in which they spent $150+ last year are: china/tableware (twice the national average), online shopping (1.8 times more), flowers for someone else (1.8 times more), and office supplies (1.7 times more).
* TV (89%), radio (88%) and Internet (65%) are their top three media choices by yesterday exposure.
* Looking at radio weekly reach, their favourite formats are: 25% news/talk (1.3 times more than the national average), 15% adult contemporary, and 11% classic/mainstream rock.
* News/current affairs (68%), movies (67%) and suspense/drama (48%) are the top television program types they watched in an average week.
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.
Discovery preems Mean Machines
Discovery channel’s new 10-part half-hour series, Mean Machines, makes its debut on Thursday, Oct. 20 with two back-to-back episodes beginning at 9 p.m. The series counts down the toughest and meanest machines in history, from subs to transporters to cranes.
NHL Net offers free preview
The NHL Network has begun a 32-day free viewing period available to all digital cable and satellite subscribers continuing until Oct. 31. The regular season begins Oct. 5 along with NHL On The Fly which is back for a fourth season from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. with nightly live look-ins to games across the league. The NHL Net offers around-the-clock hockey programming.
Cossette nabs Marchand
Brett Marchand has joined Toronto-based Cossette Communication-Marketing as SVP/managing director. Marchand’s mandate will be to drive the creative product.
He was previously president/CEO of Lowe Roche, also of Toronto. Prior to that, Marchand spend time client-side – five years at Campbell Soup and a stint as VP marketing at Molson during the ‘I Am Canadian’ era. Later, Marchand oversaw the development of the groundbreaking commercial ‘The Rant’ which won a Cannes Lion.
Bogias joins Astral
Nick Bogias has been appointed to the position of director, affiliate marketing at Toronto-based Astral TV. Bogias, along with his team, will be responsible for developing affiliate marketing programs for The Movie Network, Family Channel, Mpix and Viewers Choice brands, as well as creating new channels. He joins Astral after a long stint at Pepsi where he was the national business development manager. Bogias will report to Domenic Vivolo, SVP marketing and sales at Astral.
