Pepsi towers over Yonge-Dundas Square
Pepsi-Cola Canada has unveiled a 50-foot high ‘Pepsi Tower’ at the southwest corner of Yonge-Dundas Square. Atop the tower rests a 7-foot high, backlit and rotating ‘Pepsi Globe’. The ‘Pepsi Tower’, built as a permanent structure, is situated at the top of the Hard Rock Café between two large video screens. The concept was developed by Titan Outdoor and executed by BBDO Toronto and OMD Toronto.
Ford revs its engines for new hi-tech OOH campaign
Ford is touting two downtown Toronto billboards that are making the company’s new Mustang campaign stick out. The first billboard, located at the corner of Richmond and Peter (12 x 4.5 metres), flashes 125 different colors at three-second intervals to promote the 2005 Mustang’s new feature of a dashboard that can be set to shine in 125 shades of color. The second billboard, located at the corner of Adelaide and John (8 x 6 metres), features a speeding Mustang and invites consumer interactivity by instructing passersby to, ‘tune into FM 88.3 and hold on’. The station broadcasts the sounds of the Mustang’s 330 HP 4.6L V8 engine as it changes gears at high speeds. The low-frequency broadcast reaches about a one-kilometer radius from the sign. Young and Rubicam, the campaign’s AOR, worked with Roar Media.
DAN plans to market content transmission services worldwide
Digital Advertising Network and their Montreal-based partner PIXNET have announced plans to market their satellite transmission services that place and monitor advertising campaigns on multiple display boards and video screens to markets around the world. The DAN/PIXNET services provide secure transmission, monitoring, booking and scheduling of advertising content in the company’s 66 shopping mall food courts in Canada. The marketing push comes just days after DAN announced a $1.4 million plan to upgrade its entire network of large format video displays. DAN’s advertising partners include Nike, Mastercard, Chrysler and Sony Playstation. Already signage companies in the U.K, the U.S. and Australia have expressed interest in acquiring the tech.
Research shows newspaper readers also listen to news
The latest findings by The Media Audit indicate a link between heavy newspaper readership and radio format choices, showing that heavy newspaper readers also gravitate towards news and talk formats when they switch to radio. More than 50% of those surveyed in 80-plus metro U.S. markets say they listen to news, news-talk, news-talk-sports, and sports formats and are heavy newspaper readers (someone who spends at least one hour a day reading a newspaper).
The 24 million adults surveyed that fell into the heavy newspaper reader category is pretty evenly split between males, 51.1% and females, 48.9%. Amongst women who are heavy newspaper readers: 43.4% listen to the news-talk format; 41.1% choose the news format; 39.8% news-talk-sports; and 20.0% listen to the sports format. When it comes to men, 80% of heavy newspaper readers listen to the sports format, 58.9% tune to the news format, and 60.2% choose news-talk. The Media Audit is a multimedia, qualitative audience survey from International Demographics of Houston, Texas.
Fore! Corus swings into Golf Town
Corus Custom Networks, Hitachi and Club Media have teamed up with Golf Town to become a formidable foursome in the digital signage world. The partnership have brought custom advertising content to digital signage networks in Golf Town retail outlets and premier golf resort destinations in Canada. Flat-screen Hitachi visual displays have been installed in 16 Golf Town locations as well as renowned courses such as Copper Creek, Angus Glen and Golf Links PEI.
Nielsen Media Research Spend Trend: Income Tax Time
The tax man cometh – and advertises
It’s been said that the only sure things in life are death and, well, you know. Traditionally income tax services have been the biggest spenders at this time of year but 2004 really closed the spending gap between the services and tax software manufacturers.
TV is the main media vehicle used but radio picked up a good chunk of the business in 2002 and 2003 but slipped in 2004. Both newspaper and out-of-home made nice showing last year while magazines final made an appearance on the radar screen.
To see the charts click
ComBase Market Focus: Alberta
More than three-quarters of Alberta adults read community newspapers:
· 78% report reading any community newspaper (weekday or weekend) compared to 58% who report reading any daily newspapers (weekday or weekend).
· 30% are exclusive community newspaper readers. They only read the community paper and not the daily newspaper.
· Exclusive Alberta community newspaper readers tend to be women between the ages of 25 to 34.
And when it comes to other media in Alberta:
· 28% of adults admit they didn’t listen to any radio yesterday.
· 8% report listening to non-commercial CBC stations.
· 43% of adults report watching less than 9.5 hours – less than an hour and a half a day – of television 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.
Sisters are doin’ it for themselves on The Comedy Network
In conjunction with International Women’s Day on March 6, The Comedy Network is premiering the first six all-new episodes of the hit Brit-com French & Saunders at 6 p.m. The series stars Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, who team up again after an eight-year hiatus for their sixth season of the series. The original BBC series’ format combines satire, slapstick and celebrity guests.
Marchand is leaving the building
After 15 years with the company, Jeff Marchand, senior VP, general manager of Starcom Worldwide in Toronto, has decided to hang it all up – at least for a while. Feeling on the brink of burnout, Marchand decided to throw caution to the wind and gave notice last October. His last day is tomorrow. ‘I’m 36, young and healthy, and I’m doing this now instead of when I’m 75. This is a one-time only, one-shot deal. The next time I do this I will be retiring so I don’t want to rush it, don’t want to waste it.’
He plans on taking a three- to six-month break before deciding the next step in his career. Marchand was VP strategy director before the promotion that put him at the head of the agency two years ago. He is not being replaced at Starcom and says that Patrick Walshe, CEO operations for Starcom Mediavest Group, and the various other Starcom directors will be filling the gap.
Convergence: Media Opportunities and Strategies for the Multiple Media Enterprise
Tue. March 22, 2005
Dallas Convention Center
(703) 620 3611
www.mediacenter.org/content/5101.cfm
A half-day seminar co-located with NEXPO, the annual newspaper technology show, wherein every type of media will be showcased, from traditional to the newest tech.
IAB Leadership Forum: Direct Response
Tue. March 22, 2005
Ritz Carlton, Chicago
www.iab.net/events/directresponse2005/overview.asp
Seminars explore direct marketing on the Internet.
Mobile Media: Media Opportunities and Strategies for the Mobile, Broadband Generation
Tue. Apr. 26, 2005
The Media Center at the American Press Institute, Los Angeles
(703) 620 3611
How to create content for mobile audiences.
www.mediacenter.org/content/5102.cfm
PMB Factoid
34% of seniors drink white wine.
Kokanee bows on-air Glacier Girl Contest
Take the archetype of hot girls promoting beer, throw in a contest and top it all off with a reality TV concept and you’ve got a recipe for innovative new marketing territory. When the hit TV show Smallville scooped up one of Kokanee’s three Glacier Girls, Erica Durance, the beer company was left one girl short of a trio. Enter Grip creative partner Rich Pryce-Jones’ stroke of genius: recruit the replacement via a contest, and broadcast a reality-TV inspired microseries chronicling the progress.
Jetix’s pan-Euro media Quest
If you’re planning a European media buy and think kids in Holland are pretty much the same as kids in Italy, you might want to crack open a copy of Quest before you commit any marketing money. Published in December 2004 by Jetix Europe, this media planning bible is overflowing with TV viewing and entertainment consumption stats on kids in 17 different countries.
To avoid being dismissed as mere propaganda, Quest ventures beyond the Walt Disney offshoot Jetix empire to paint a complete broadcasting picture including all terrestrial, cable and satellite channels that transmit kids programming. The book is broken down into sections that take a look at things such as: when kids in each country are out of school and likely to be glued to the tube; and television viewing habits (complete with illustrative charts and graphs detailing channel ratings and audience share data. There’s also a region-by-region overview of promotional events that advertisers may want to market around, such as rock concerts in the Netherlands, in-store events in the U.K. and Serbia’s Children’s Day holiday. Quest was compiled by Jetix’s new commercial sales unit, which the company set up in London last spring to offer its clients and advertisers cross-media solutions that are sensitive to the cultural differences dividing Europe. www.jetix.net
