Martinez brings international experience to MPG strategic remit
Maria Martinez, formerly VP, global knowledge management at MPG, the media network of worldwide marketing communications group Havas, has been added to MPG’s Catalyst team as VP, strategic planning at the company’s North American arm. In her new role, Martinez will work closely with MPG clients to develop strategies that will support their brands, and her remit includes all North American offices, including Toronto’s MPG/Maxxmedia. Martinez will also play a role in MPG’s business development, using her knowledge of best practices from around the globe.
She previously worked in MPG’s Paris, Barcelona, NYC and London offices, and now will be based in New York. Media in Canada scored a few minutes with her before she boarded a plane bound for Spain.
MIC: What kind of innovation in strategy do you plan to bring to the North American market?
MM: We put the consumer in the heart of what we do so we can have a holistic understanding of their media consumption. We can understand them better. By working with different client teams, we get beyond basic brand issues and we drill down to the medium and eventually to the messages, which is where we want to be.
MIC: What have you learned from your work in other markets?
MM: I think there’s a lot of value in sharing best practices because challenges are now global. At MPG, we have global account directors in place who are leading the global strategy for a brand. They are there to share info and ensure consistency. We’re all in the process of building on best practices.
New Cossette brass
Suzanne Sauvage has been named president, Canada of Cossette Communication Group, effective June 1. Sauvage has been at the agency in progressively senior positions since 1998. She currently holds the title of president, Cossette Montreal – a post she has had since 2002. In her new duties, Sauvage will be based in Toronto and will take on the management of the agency’s Toronto and Montreal offices in addition to acting as chief liaison between Cossette’s offices in Quebec City, Vancouver, Halifax and Ottawa. Alex Sakiz has been chosen to head up the Montreal office as EVP, Cossette Communication Group.
Media exec makes president at Echo
Marilyn Sherman, EVP of media at Echo Advertising in Toronto, has been named president of the agency. Sherman joined Echo in 1984 as media director. She replaces Barry Avrich, who is opening a new shop, Endeavour Marketing and Communications.
CTF greenlights Canadian programs
The Canadian Television Fund has awarded $99.2 million to further domestic TV production, putting cash into 36 new and returning English-language dramas, handing out 66% of the total dollars requested by broadcasters earlier this year, down slightly from last year’s 75%.
CTV has had five out of its six shows approved, and can now move forward on Alice, I Think and a new run of Corner Gas, among others but received nothing for its new drama Whistler, leaving Canada’s largest network without a Canadian-made one-hour drama for 2005/06. Whistler was meant to replace The Eleventh Hour, which was cancelled earlier this year. Season two of Instant Star is also not on the list because it is not classed as a traditional drama, but will move forward with monies from CTV’s Broadcaster Performance envelope, according to producer Stephen Stohn. Stohn’s Epitome Pictures also produces Degrassi: The Next Generation, which did receive CTF funding and is already in production on its fifth season. The net also got funding for MOWs Doomstown and Last Exit.
CSI finale unearths about five million viewers
The two-hour season finale of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation directed by Quentin Tarantino went down in the record books. According to Nielsen Media Research, the show’s last half hour peaked at about five million (4.93 M) sets of eyeballs, making it one of the most-watched television events on Canuck TV this year, following February’s Oscars. The CSI finale’s audience count – at 1.224 million in Toronto/Hamilton – fired The Apprentice‘s season finale which earned 542,000 on Global. CSI is the leading drama on Canadian TV averaging 3.404 million viewers per episode.
CRTC Approves NOWTV buy, Winnipeg station launch
The CRTC announced on Friday that it has approved Rogers Broadcasting’s application to acquire NOWTV (CHNU-TV Fraser Valley) and to launch CIIT-TV in Winnipeg. The stations focus on religious and spiritual programming.
The CRTC has also approved the expansion of NOWTV’s broadcast into Victoria through the installation of a separate transmitter.
www.rogers.com
BBM Media Snapshot: Canadians who frequently use coupons
* 3.7 million (14%) Canadians are frequent coupon users.
* Frequent coupon users are more likely to be female (61%).
* 58% of them are between 25 and 54 years of age.
* Quebec stands out as the region with highest incidence (20%) of coupon users. Ontario and Atlantic Canada, on the other hand, are below average with 10% and 12% respectively.
* The average personal yearly income of frequent coupon users is similar to the national average of $30,000.
* 50% of the frequent coupon users simultaneously use mail flyers, flyers from community newspapers and flyers included in daily newspapers.
* The top five retail spending categories among frequent coupon users are: men’s clothing (80%), women’s clothing (79%), women’s shoes (69%), garden supplies (63%) and office (stationery) supplies (61%).
* The top three media for yesterday exposure against frequent coupon users are television (90%), radio (88%) and daily newspaper (58%).
* Looking at radio weekly reach, the top three formats among frequent coupon users are news/talk (22%), adult contemporary (20%) and country (9%).
* Their daily newspaper sectional readership focuses on local and regional news section (84%), front page (81%) and the movies/entertainment section (77%).
Source: BBM RTS Canada Fall ’03 / Spring ’04
The preceding information is from BBM RTS, a syndicated consumer-media survey of over 55,000 Canadians, conducted twice a year by BBM Canada. For more information contact Craig Dorning of BBM Canada: cdorning@bbm.ca.
PRIME’s summer lineup
Beginning on Monday, May 30, PRIME will be adding Seinfeld, Danger Bay, The Restaurant, Matrix and My Fabulous Gay Wedding to its primetime and weekend roster.
Monday, May 30
Half-hour drama Danger Bay premiers and airs Monday to Thursday at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, June 1
Popular sitcom about nothing Seinfeld premiers with multiple airtimes. There will also be a six-hour Seinfeld marathon special on Saturday, June 11.
Friday, June 3
The action installation series Matrix starring Nick Mancuso and Carrie-Ann Moss premiers on Friday, June 3 and airs weekly at 11 p.m.
Saturday June 4
The Restaurant, a one-hour reality doc focusing on workplace drama, airs on Saturdays at 8 p.m.
Sunday, June 12
The season premiere of My Fabulous Gay Wedding starring Scott Thompson airs at 10 p.m. and screens weekly.
Family Channel debuts new live-action comedy for tweens
Look out Lizzie McGuire, here comes Sadie. An original live-action comedy series for tweens (eight-14) is set to make its Canadian TV premiere on Family on Saturday, June 25 at 6 p.m. Naturally, Sadie stars wannabe naturalist Sadie Hawthorne (Charlotte Arnold), a nature-obsessed 14-year-old who observes and documents the behaviour of human specimens at her high school. In her quest to understand the world, Sadie always inadvertently ends up insulting her classmates or dragging her friends into social experiments gone wrong.
Naturally, Sadie, which will be comprised of 26 half-hour episodes, is produced by Toronto’s DECODE Entertainment in association with Family Channel. Sponsorship opportunities are currently available and ‘it’s a particularly good opportunity, considering that the show is produced locally, and thus provides good access to talent for events,’ says Marcia Andreychuk, a spokesperson from Family Channel.
W July fare includes Dove tie-in
Women’s specialty W Network is preeming a new Canadian series, Ghostly Encounters. The show explores real people’s stories of meetings with the supernatural, shown through re-enactments. It will air Fridays at 8:30 p.m, beginning July 15.
W will also be running a doc with a Dove tie-in. The Beauty Quest (working title) follows fashion photographer Arline Malakian as she leaves her glossy world behind on a quest to find the picture of true beauty. Meeting a variety of women of different ages, sizes, cultures and walks of life, Malakian’s final picture choice will be featured in the Dove Beyond Compare photo exhibition later this year. The doc airs Saturday, July 30 at 8 p.m. W is targeting women 18-54 for both of these shows.
Life network channels modern-day Mary Poppins
Nannies to the rescue! Life network unveils Nanny 911, a new, unscripted series aimed at parents everywhere. The show follows a team of expert nannies, dispatched to various homes by über-nanny, Lillian, an au pair with more than 25 years of child care experience to the British upper-crust under her belt. The nannies then identify the causes of turmoil and devise a plan to turn temper tantrums into tears of joy. Nanny 911 is currently a ratings hit on Fox in the U.S. The series premiers on Monday, July 11 at 8 p.m. and airs weekly. Primary target demo is women 25-54.
Father Ted comes to BBC Canada
Beginning Tuesday, July 26, BBC Canada brings half-hour sitcom Father Ted to living rooms across the nation. This series, from the U.K.’s Hat Trick Productions, was originally shot in the mid-’90s and brought big ratings numbers to its original broadcaster, Channel 4. It airs at 10:20 p.m. on BBC Canada.
Shipton joins CanWest
CanWest MediaWorks has scooped a new senior director, dramatic programming in Christine Shipton, formerly of Toronto-based Blueprint Entertainment. Shipton will be responsible for developing and overseeing the production of all original dramas and comedies across CanWest MediaWorks’ television networks. In her past, Shipton was responsible for developing programs Due South, North of 60 and Cold Squad.
Events
Sept. 27-28
Online Media, Marketing and Advertising Conference and Expo EAST
New York Marriott Marquis, NYC
http://www.mediapost.com/omma/eastindex.cfm?ip=Overview
Designed by and for the online marketing community, the Online Media, Marketing and Advertising Conference and Expo EAST speaks to interactive media planners, buyers, marketers, sellers and suppliers. Presented by MediaPost, the event takes place during Ad Week and includes 100+ booths on the show floors showcasing breakthroughs in technology, strategy and insight. Speakers at the conference include Ron Belanger, VP, Carat Interactive; Scot McLernon, EVP sales and marketing, CBS Marketwatch and Brad Santeler, director of media services, Kimberly-Clarke. Topics TBA.
PMB Factoid
Internet purchasing of CDs
