Radio Marketing Bureau names board
The Radio Marketing Bureau, based in Toronto, has named its 2005 board of directors. Chairman is Patrick Grierson of Canadian Broadcast Sales. Vice-chairs are Lesley Conway-Kelley of CHUM Radio Sales and Tom Manton of Newcap Broadcasting.
Strategic planning committee members are John Hayes, Corus Radio Group; Elmer Hildebrand, Golden West Broadcasting; Mark Maheu, Newcap Broadcasting; Gary Miles, Rogers Radio; Luc Sabbatini, Groupe Radio Astral; Paul Ski, CHUM Radio; and Gary Slaight, Standard Broadcasting. The board also includes CHUM Radio’s Jim Blundell, Standard Radio’s Glenn Chalmers, Rogers Media’s Victor Dann, Integrated Media Sales’ Ron Hutchinson, Pattison Radio’s Gerry Siemens, Target Broadcast Sales’ Dick Sienko, Corus Radio Group’s Chris Sisam, Rawlco Radio’s Ross Tirrell; and RMB president John Harding.
Events
January 26
Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada Breakfast Forum
This CMO panel discussion on the ‘Integration of sponsorship marketing within the MARCOM mix’ is open to all ACA and SMCC members at no charge. Seating is limited – you must register in advance. 8 a.m.- 10 a.m, Air Canada Centre, Toronto 416-964-3805
http://www.sponsorshipmarketing.ca/
April 28
Sponsorship Marketing Council of Canada’s 2nd Annual Spring Conference
The day-long conference on ‘Measuring Sponsorship Marketing Success’ culminates with the presentation of the inaugural Sponsorship Marketing Awards, which acknowledge and celebrate proven performance in Canadian Sponsorship marketing.
Westin Prince Hotel in Toronto
416-964-3805/514-842-6422/1-800-565-0109
http://www.sponsorshipmarketing.ca
June 19-25
Cannes Lions 2005, 52nd International Advertising Festival
The granddaddy of advertising awards shows.
+44 (0)20 7239 3400 (London)
http://www.canneslions.com/home/index.cfm?CFID=2111058=45731730
Mid-season round-up: Part 2 – CTV
CTV is set to add six shows to its schedule this month including two brand new series. In addition to its new programs, CTV is also rescheduling five of its current series including Corner Gas, which BBM lists as Canada’s number one sitcom this season. As of next week, CTV will have changed its primetime lineup for five different days with only Thursday and Friday remaining intact. With all this change, what can media buyers expect from the network that from September to December owned close to three-quarters of the country’s top 20 shows?
Deluge of support for CTV Newsnet licence changes
CTV Newsnet has received overwhelming public support for its CRTC application for licence changes to amend its mandate. By the Dec. 20 deadline for comments, the CRTC had received 1,219 letters of support for the application and just two negative missives. Those were sent by CTV’s competition, CBC and Global Television.
Last August, CTV applied to the CRTC to amend Newsnet’s condition of licence by deleting the need to operate on a 15-minute wheel format with at least two minutes of news headlines in each 15-minute segment and the elimination of the maximum of 25 exceptions per week to that requirement.
Ipsos-Reid poll says Canadian New Year’s resolutions heavy on weight loss
A recent Ipsos-Reid poll was conducted for Carb Options, a Unilever brand. The survey found that 36% of Canadians put weight loss at the top of their list of New Year’s resolutions.
-65% say they will limit the carbs in their diet;
-68% plan to exercise;
-37% will eat healthier foods; and
-11% will practice portion control.
Other methods mentioned include eating more fruits and/or vegetables (4%) and cutting down on various other aspects of their diets: fats (6%), snacking (5%), sugar (5%), calories (2%), and alcohol (1%).
As expected, the resolve to lose weight is more prevalent in the older age groups and amongst more women (42%) than men (30%). Forty percent of Canadians aged 35 to 54 put it on their lists, followed by 55+ at 37%, and those 18 to 34 at 30%.
Those over the age of 35 are more likely to cut carbs to lose weight (71%) than younger adults 18 to 34 (49%). More younger adults will whittle away the pounds through exercise (80%) than older adults (64%).
TSN Junior Hockey gets highest numbers ever
TSN’s live coverage of the World Junior Hockey Championship gold medal game on Tuesday scored a national average-minute audience of 3.2 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research. These preliminary overnight ratings are 2+ and exclude pre and post-game. Levels peaked at 3.8 million during the final half hour. The program is the second-most-watched in TSN’s 20-year history, with the 2003 gold medal game still topping it. The six-game average was 1.6 million viewers, beating the 2003 tournament, which nabbed 1.5 million. TSN is available in eight million households.
French-language RDS’s live coverage of the game attracted a national average-minute audience of 348,000 viewers. TSN.ca recorded its fourth busiest day with more than 4.23 million page views, roughly four times the average amount of daily traffic.
Bell gets results of digital signage test
Bell Canada has gleaned some results from its fall 2004 pilot program testing digital in-store signage. It joined with Convergent Media Systems of Atlanta, Ga., and Toronto’s Sony of Canada to operate the service in Canada’s approximately 300 Bell and Bell World retail stores. In the test, video screens attached to a national network replaced in-store posters and placards.
Quantitatively, Bell found a 9% increase in purchasing versus stores that didn’t have the digital signs. Qualitatively, research revealed that customers were drawn more to the dynamic advertising, perceived their wait time as being shorter and asked more questions about products. The digital signage has now been rolled out to some client stores but Bell declined to reveal their identity at this early stage.
Casters lend a hand in tsunami recovery
Canadian broadcasters are doing what they can to help recovery efforts following the tsunami disaster. At press time, the following had been announced: CBC will be running tsunami-related programming on Saturday from noon to 1 p.m. with a show called News Special: National Memorial Service for Canadian Tsunami Victims. It will air live across the full network.
Also on Saturday, Citytv will air CityPulse At Six – Tsunami Relief Special with Merella Fernandez hosting live coverage to raise funds for the victims of the disaster. The special will be simulcast on Cable Pulse 24. Meanwhile, CHUM declared yesterday Disaster Relief Day, with a fundraising blitz across all of its 32 radio stations and 33 TV stations from 6 a.m. to midnight ET. The effort is in partnership with the Canadian Red Cross.
On Jan. 9, OMNI Television will present a fundraising appeal developed in partnership with Canadians For Tsunami Relief (C.T.R.), a registered non-profit organization formed by local businesses, ethnocultural communities and social organizations.The CTR Appeal Special will air commercial-free from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on OMNI.2, and from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. on OMNI.1.
http://www.cbc.ca
http://www.redcross.ca/chum
http://www.cfmt.com/
Kid spec rolls out spec toons
Funpak premiers Thursday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 p.m. YTV is debuting a new series of zany cartoon shorts about everyone from superheroes to accountants. The net sent out an open call to internal staff for pitches with the results a 13-part series produced in-house by YTV sister company Nelvana.
Four shorts air per episode and each week viewers can log onto ytv.com to pick their favourite. The site is very interactive with streaming video clips and a message board where people can offer feedback to the animators. The winning short gets the final ep dedicated to its concept, along with the chance for its own series.
http://www.ytv.com
Star! original production showcases celebrity hometowns
Star! is launching its new six-episode original series Starville which profiles celebs and their once no-name hometowns. Premiering Sunday, Jan. 23, at 7:30 p.m., the show features interviews with family, mayors, teachers and ex-loves of famous people as well as the stars themselves to gain an appreciation of the role of a birthplace in a particular performer’s rise to fame. Upcoming episodes include Catherine Zeta Jones’ birthplace in the south of Wales and Avril Lavigne’s hometown of Napanee, Ont.
Tiegs passes away at 43
Billy Tiegs, a veteran of the Canadian marketing business who spent the last two decades in the industry, died in his sleep last Sunday while visiting relatives in Windsor, Ont. Since January 2000 Tiegs had been running TiegsMedia, where he showcased his talents as an accomplished planner and buyer. Prior to opening TiegsMedia, Tiegs spent over 18 years building experience and establishing his reputation in the Canadian marketing industry. Over the years Tiegs logged hours with some of the top names in the industry including BBDO, Young & Rubicam and J. Walter Thompson as well as at several media buying services and creative agencies.
Tiegs leaves his parents, William and Marion, his sister Trish and his brother Tim. Cremation has already taken place. A dedication service for a tree planted in Tiegs’ memory will take place later this year.
Two join Famous Players Media
Toronto-based Famous Players Media has named Beth Scott director of marketing and sales of its magazine division, which comprises Famous, Famous Quebec and Famous Kids. Scott hails from Transcontinental Media’s Women’s Service Group.
In addition, Lise Major has joined the Montreal office as account manager focusing on Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa. Major was formerly with the magazine arm of La Presse.
ComBase Market Focus: North Battleford, Sask. (CA)
– 84% of adults 18+ report reading any edition of a community newspaper in North Battleford; with a break down of 85% of women and 81% of men reporting the same
– 32% of adults 18+ report reading any edition of a daily newspaper; only 25% of women and 41% of men report the same
– Over 50% of those surveyed only read community newspapers and not dailies (53%)
Source: ComBase 2003-2004 Study
ComBase, the Community Newspaper Database, is a syndicated consumer-media survey of more than 400 Canadian markets that provides consistent and accurate, market-by-market information to assist in the buying and selling of community newspaper advertising space.
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.
http://www.combase.ca
Events
January 21
Blogs: Marketing Beyond the Website.
This American Marketing Association Hot Topic Series event looks at how Weblogs are developing into a credible marketing tool. NYC.
800-AMA-1150
http://www.MarketingPower.com/blognewyork
January 25
Ad Club Newspaper Day
The focus is on ‘Front Page Politics – Breaking Through in North America’s Most Competitive City’. Delta Chelsea Hotel, Toronto.
http://www.adclubto.com
Mid-season Round-up: Part One – CBC
The CBC is overhauling its schedule to give the network a brand new look for the mid-season and so far at least KIA has liked what it found when it kicked the sked’s tires.
Last night, CBC premiered The Tournament to strong praise from critics. With upcoming episodes directed by Bruce McDonald, the show looks to be a hit with audiences searching for both a comedy and a hockey fix. KIA Canada, The Tournament‘s main sponsor, is using the show to air its new ads which call for an end to the NHL lockout. The KIA deal was made before the show’s script was finalized which allowed for the brand to be integrated into the plot in both the storyline (the two main characters work at a KIA dealership) and in signage (rinkboard ads, and dealership ads). The Tournament‘s Web site also features KIA branded content including Web links to KIA sites and fictitious ads for the KIA dealership on the show.
