National Geo Spy‘s on viewers
National Geographic is premiering two new series this April, giving civilians the chance to be SAS operatives or spies.
The first hour-long series follows the British Army’s Special Air Services division, to see how ordinary people will fare in the intense training and jungle warfare. SAS Jungle: Are You Tough Enough? airs Monday to Thursday, April 11-14 at 9 p.m., with two eps on Friday, April 15, beginning at 8 p.m. Then, beginning April 23, SAS Jungle will air Saturdays at 9 p.m. (except May 7).
The second hour-long series, Spy, gives 16 people the chance to complete an intense training program conducted by former intelligence operatives from the CIA and FBI and then to complete intricate operations in the real world using their newly acquired skills. Spy will air Saturdays at 8 p.m. (except May 7), beginning April 16. Target demo for the two shows is adults 25-54.
Another Bachelor set to preem
Things are going to be different this time around with the seventh offering of The Bachelor, premiering this month on Citytv.
The season begins with a special two-hour ep on Monday, March 28, at 9 p.m., and will continue with weekly hour-long episodes every Monday. Financially secure 29-year-old ‘jack of all trades’ Charlie O’Connell is the bachelor on this stripped-down instalment of the popular reality series. Many of the previous series mainstays, like limos, gowns, tuxedos and the infamous rose ceremony will be absent.
Sympatico.MSN.ca adds two
Sympatico.MSN.ca has signed two new members to its strategy sales team. Alfredo Tan comes from Bell Canada’s enterprise marketing team and Bell Nexxia while Christopher Law hails from Kontent Publishing, Famous Players Media and Rogers Media. Both will work out of the Bell Sympatico office in Toronto.
The Sympatico.MSN.ca Web site gets more than 15 million Canadian visitors each month.
Toronto 1 appoints new GM
Jim Nelles has been named VP/GM at Toronto 1. Nelles has been with the station since last summer. Previously, he was VP of sales and marketing at Rogers Media Television as well as GM of digital channels at Rogers Digital Group. Toronto 1 is owned by TVA Group and Sun Media.
Event
April 14
Advertising In Games Forum
Metropolitan Pavilion, NYC.
512.415.8300.
http://www.advertisingingames.com.
With key demos showing huge growth in video game playing, experts from both the agency/marketer and game developer perspectives look at the options and ROI available when considering games as a new medium. Keynote is Mitch Davis, CEO of video game advertising network Massive, who will talk about how his company brings advertisers and gamers together and provides tracking through a deal with Nielsen Interactive Entertainment.
PMB Factoid
Percent of regular tennis players aged 50+: 22
Quebec talent unions want new debate on the province’s ban on advertising to kids
Two Quebec unions put the issue of the province’s ban on advertising to children back on the table as part of a recent joint submission to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
The main issue for the unions representing Quebec writers and performers – SARTEC (Société des auteurs de radio, télévision et cinema: http://www.sartec.qc.ca/info_s.html) and UDA (Union des artistes: https://www.uniondesartistes.com/) – is the negative cultural impact caused by the shortage of Canadian-made, French-language children’s programming in the province. Reopening the discussion on advertising to children is just one of their suggestions for encouraging production of kids’ shows in the province.
Anne-Marie Des Roches, director of public affairs for Union des artistes (UDA), says the ban on kids advertising resulted in private broadcasters TVA and TQS eliminating kids programming. That left it up to public broadcasters Tele-Quebec and Radio-Canada and specialty channels such as Teletoon to serve up kids programming.
DAN and DY forge mall-based SMS program
Digital Advertising Network (DAN) and Digital Youth Network (DY) have reached an agreement whereby DY will provide DAN’s national network of video displays with wireless technology for interactive marketing and sales promotions. Signage viewers will be able to use text messaging to interact directly with video screens in all of DAN’s 66 mall locations across Canada to receive prizes, coupons and instant special offers. DY will be using direct mail, email, text messaging and online communication to support campaigns with its existing member base and the ‘DY Text Team’ will be present in malls throughout the year teaching consumers how to use their cell phones to interact with DAN video screens. DY functions as an online and wireless community for its 30,000 registered teen users. DY’s website (www.digitalyouth.ca) provides games, downloadable ringtones, special offers from DY advertising partners and a forum for members to communicate with each other.
New pub profiles workplace diversity
Diversity Works, a new B2B magazine from Waterloo-based Diversity Works Media, focusing on issues surrounding diversity in the workplace, is set to launch this October. The quarterly print version will be accompanied by a website with daily uploaded content with an integrated offering for advertisers. The pub’s 20,000 national circulation will target senior HR executives, presidents, CEO’s and business owners. The editorial calendar for Diversity Works includes topics on diversity in marketing, fashion, and recruitment with special focuses on women in the workplace, gays and lesbians, and the mature workforce. URL information will be made available closer to Diversity Works‘ launch date.
Canucks love their Net: Study
Toronto-based ComQUEST Research yesterday released the latest results of the Winter 2005 CyberTRENDS, a quarterly study which tracks Canadian consumers’ attitudes towards the Internet. Sixty percent of Canadians connected to the Internet in the previous week, almost double five years ago. When asked, a majority of this group agreed with the statement: ‘The Internet is an integral part of my lifestyle’.
Says Pamela Herrington, research associate, ComQUEST Research: ‘The role that the Internet plays in most Canadian’s daily lives has grown from a convenience to an absolute necessity. This study indicates that many Canadians have become reliant upon products and services which are delivered via the Internet.’
Some highlights of the study:
– Usage is higher among those speaking English at home (64%), lower among those speaking French at home (49%) and highest among those speaking some other language at home (65%).
– Of Canadians with Internet access at home, a majority (63%), have broadband Internet access. This is a huge increase from only 14% with broadband access five years ago.
– 34% of Canadians made a purchase via the Internet in the past 12 months – approximately triple the percentage of five years ago.
– The top five Internet shopping categories are:
· tickets (for movies or concerts, etc.) – 42%
· books – 41%
· travel – 39%
· computer software – 32%
· music/audio CDs – 27%
– Ads in conventional media are far more likely than Internet ads to directly influence the decision to purchase through the Internet.
ComQUEST Research is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BBM Canada.
http://www.comquest.ca/cybertrends.html
http://www.bbm.ca
Newspapers book bulk of travel dollars
Newspapers are overwhelmingly the media of choice for travel related marketers, netting more than 60% of the dollars spent every year. Television is a distant second but has been steadily increasing its slice of the pie from 19.6% to 25.2% between 2001 and 2004. Radio is in third spot, gaining slightly year over year to a high of 6.7% in 2004.
To see the complete spending chart, click
BBM Commercial Television Tracking Service
Please click on the attached link to view BBM’s Commercial GRP Trending by week and broadcast month for Toronto and Vancouver covering the months of March 2004 to February 2005 inclusive and for Montreal Franco for the broadcast months of October 2004 – February 2005 inclusive.
Montreal CMR Chart
Toronto CMR Chart
Vancouver CMR Chart
ComBase Market Focus: Manitoba
Manitoba adults are strong community newspaper readers:
· 77% report reading any community newspaper (weekday or weekend) compared to 59% who report reading any daily newspaper (weekday or weekend).
· University educated Manitoba adults read community newspapers, with 81% reading community papers compared to 72% who read daily newspapers.
· 27% of Manitoba adults are exclusive community newspaper readers. They only read the community paper and cannot be reached through daily newspapers. Exclusive Manitoba community newspaper readers tend to be older women, homeowners, and married.
And when it comes to other media in Manitoba:
· 30% of adults admit they didn’t listen to any radio yesterday.
· 9% report listening to non-commercial CBC stations.
· 56% of adults report watching less than 9.5 hours of television (less than an hour and a half a day) in the past week.
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.
Nothing beats rock… except for paper
The World Rock Paper Scissors Society is looking to nail down sponsorship for the 2005 RPS International World Championships, scheduled to take place this fall. The past three championships that have been held in Toronto have drawn more than 1,000 participants and 80 international journalists. Last year’s event was turned into a one-hour special that ran repeatedly on Fox Sports Net. After the dust settles, the winner of the tournament will take home the championship trophy and a cash prize. But the question remains, do the combatants start on, ‘rock, paper, scissors‘ or ‘Rock, paper, scissors, shoot‘?
For sponsorship inquiries, contact Douglas Walker at dwalker@worldrps.com
Métis Radio goes on-line
The Métis Nation Of Ontario is launching the first ever web-based Métis radio station tonight at 8 p.m. To kick off the site (www.metisradio.fm), the Métis Nation of Ontario will be holding a Gala Métis Jamboree in downtown. The station doubles as an educational resource that targets both a Métis and more general audience. Station sponsors include Collins Barrow as well as several divisions of the Ontario provincial government.
