BBM Commercial Tracking Service
Please click on the attached link to view a comparison of commercial activity versus all advertising activity (commercials, station/program promos and PSAs) trended by week along with average weekly GRPS on Toronto conventional stations from Jan. 26, 2004 to Jan. 30, 2005.
Toronto commercial activity
ComBase Market Focus: British Columbia
British Columbia adults are very strong community newspaper readers:
* 79% report reading any community newspaper (weekday or weekend) compared to 63% who report reading any daily newspapers (weekday or weekend).
* 27% only read the community paper and not the daily newspaper.
* Exclusive British Columbia community newspaper readers tend to be women 25-34.
When it comes to other media in British Columbia:
* 28% of adults admit they didn’t listen to any radio yesterday.
* 14% report listening to non-commercial CBC stations.
* 44% of adults report watching less than 9.5 hours of television in the past week, which translates to less than an hour and a half a day.
Source: ComBase 2003-2004 Study
ComBase, the Community Newspaper Database, is a syndicated consumer-media survey of more than 400 Canadian markets that provides market-by-market information. It is an initiative of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association and its nearly 700 members across the country. For more information, contact Kelly Levson, senior project manager, kellylevson@combase.ca.
New for spring: Toronto Life
The new look for Toronto Life, as MIC reported in December, is set to hit newsstands. The mag has added some new editorial sections, including an architecture feature called ‘Hot Property’ and ‘City Survivor,’ which looks at arts, entertainment and restaurant reviews.
The change, coming into play with the April issue, is designed to reflect the changing face of Toronto and to attract more eyes at the newsstand level, says group president Greg MacNeil. The pub is owned by St. Joseph Media. This is Toronto Life‘s first redesign in 13 years.
Canadian Satellite Radio, CKUA Radio Network form strategic partnership
Old is meeting new as Canada’s first publicly owned radio caster, CKUA, formed in 1927, makes plans to provide programming to Canadian Satellite Radio. CSR will gain local content while Alberta-based CKUA’s material will grab ears across North America with a proposed satellite radio service, the Northern Lights channel. The duo will also try to generate other funding and programming initiatives for community radio throughout Canada.
‘Our involvement with satellite radio allows us to extend our programming expertise and reach via this new technology,’ said Sharon McMullan-Baron, chairman of the CKUA Radio Foundation Board in a release.
http://www.cdnsatrad.com.
http://www.ckua.com.
CMT charts musician’s journey in new series
CMT is rolling out an original, unscripted series that follows the trials and tribulations of forming a band. Each 30-minute ep of the six-part series chronicles award-winning country music artist Jason McCoy’s efforts to recruit a band, record an album and play their first live concert.
The Road Hammers airs over three weeks with back-to-back episodes beginning Saturday, April 23 at 11 p.m. After the series finale, viewers can pick up the album they watched come into being when it hits stores May 17. Renée Fournier, publicist with parent company Corus Entertainment of Toronto, says CMT is targeting its usual demo with the show: country music fans 25-54. She says the net is skewing slightly female at the moment.
http://www.cmtcanada.com
I’ll show you mine if you…
Showcase’s sexually charged original series, Show Me Yours, will return for a second season that will pick up right where the first left off.
Premiering Tuesday, April 12 at 9 p.m. the half-hour show will run for eight weeks in that time-slot and be repeated Saturdays at 9 p.m. The series centres on two authors who collaborated to write a book, The Erotic Instinct in the first season and return to write a sequel after the overwhelming success of the original. Showcase declined to provide viewership numbers from last season but says the target aud is 18-49s, skewed slightly male at 55%.
Trio moves up at Astral
Toronto-based Astral Media of Toronto has rejigged its marketing and sales department for The Movie Network and Family Channel. Holly Chapman becomes the inaugural director of sales promotion and sponsorships where her focus will be developing partnership and promotion deals. She was previously manager of Viewer’s Choice event programming and marketing. Russell Ward has been named to the new post of director of consumer marketing for Family Channel and the company’s Toronto-based movie services. Ward joined Astral’s Family Channel five years ago. Meanwhile, Richard Bartrem will be developing programs for Family Channel and the movie services as part of his new position as director of affiliate marketing. Bartrem also joined Astral five years ago, as sales director.
Hebdos names new marketing manager
Luc Granger has joined the association Les Hebdos du Québec as manager of the marketing department. The appointment was effective March 7. Previously, Granger was director of media research and special projects for Cossette Communication Group.
His responsibilities at Les Hebdos will be to increase the market share of weekly papers in Quebec, to boost ad spending and promote the effectiveness of advertising in weeklies.
http://www.hebdos.com
Events
March 31
Internet Marketing 2K5: Serving your Market with Intelligent Coding
Ontario Club, Toronto
905-764-3334
cadno@itac.ca
http://www.itacontario.com
The Alliance of GTA IT Associations presents this breakfast meeting about the evolution of Internet marketing and commerce, and the opportunities and challenges they present. Topics include the use of e-mail to support business development and client retention, as well as legal and technical issues that can hamper this medium. Speakers include Kevin Jackson, co-founder of Biz-Bone Internet Group, creator of CanadaOne.com, an Internet business channel that attracts more than 60,000 users monthly with no offline marketing.
March 31
Canadian Marketing Association – Manitoba Lunch & Learn Workshop #3
Inn at the Forks, Winnipeg
204-284-5642
http://www.cmamanitoba.com
The topic is ‘Privacy and How it Relates to Marketing,’ presented by lawyer Brian T.D.Bowman, who reviews PIPEDA one year later.
PMB Factoid
30% of 18-24 years olds drink coolers in the spring/summer.
Metro Vancouver faces increasingly crowded market
In addition to yesterday’s launch of Metro Vancouver and the upcoming launch of Dose, the Globe and Mail is expected to roll ‘7,’ its weekly tabloid entertainment and lifestyle section, into the city and, says Vancouver-based media consultant Smita Patel, Sun Media is reportedly bringing its free daily 24 to the market as well.
All of this activity will ultimately be positive for local advertisers, says Patel. ‘TV is outrageously expensive. Radio is cluttered and there are a lot of games being played that are keeping the rates high. Outdoor is difficult to buy because of limited space and it gets sold out. I hope the (free dailies) won’t be so outrageously priced because I really think the local advertisers are going to win.’
Black Tower ads need security
People will take anything they can get their hands on. At least that’s what TBWAVancouver demonstrated with its recent stunt for client Black Tower Security Services.
The agency swathed a 10-foot x 20-foot billboard with grab-worthy household items like framed paintings, rugs, pillows and cookware on Friday, Feb. 25. By the end of the weekend all the items had been lifted, revealing the campaign’s simple message: ‘People Steal. Black Tower Home Security.’
BBM Top 20
For a list of the top 20 TV shows for the week of March 7 to March 13, according to BBM, click the links below:
National Top 20
Ontario Top 20
Toronto Top 20
Vancouver Top 20
Canadian agencies untouched by auto account action in the U.S.
General Motors’ review of its US$3 billion+ buying and planning business south of the border will have no affect on its Canadian agency M2 Universal, a sister to the Interpublic Group incumbents involved in the review.
Hugh Dow, president of M2 Universal, says General Motors of Canada directs and selects its advertising and marketing partners independently from the U.S. corporation.
The U.S review involves GM’s national and regional dealer group buying now handled by Mediaworks of Warren, Mich. and New York – a separate GM agency formed by IPG – and LCI in New York. They will be facing off with GM’s media planning and research agency GM Planworks of Detroit, a unit of Starcom MediaVest Group. There is speculation that the review will lead to consolidation of GM’s buying and planning with one agency group.
A second Toronto-based media management firm, MPG/Maxxmedia, has also escaped unscathed by upheaval in the U.S. where 60 layoffs across MPG North American offices came about after its loss of Intel, estimated at US$300 million, and the Volkswagen of America media account valued in excess of US$400 million.
David Chung, president of MPG/Maxxmedia, says the cuts are strictly in the U.S. and there have been no changes in the Canadian office, which still handles the Volkswagen and Audi business.
BBM Media Snapshot
A profile of American Express Gold and Platinum Cardholders
* 716,000 Canadians claim an AmEx gold or platinum card either in their own name or jointly with someone else.
* 53% of gold and platinum cardholders are between the ages of 35 and 54.
* Gold and platinum cardholders are more likely to be men (65%) than women (35%).
* They are twice as likely as the average Canadian to have a yearly household income of $125,000 or more, and five times more likely to have a personal yearly income of $150,000 or more.
* Gold and platinum cardholders are 2.5 times more likely than the average Canadian to be a senior manager or professional.
* This elite group is pretty much evenly spread out by region, although Quebec is slightly under-represented in the AmEx gold/platinum cardholder segment.
* The top four media for reaching AmEx gold and platinum cardholders in terms of yesterday exposure are: radio (89%), TV (88%), daily newspapers (65%) and the Internet (62%).
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.
