Latest News
May 21, 2013
Toronto-based theatre company Famous People Players has retained ThreeTimesThree, also based in Toronto, to undertake a rebranding project. The assignment includes the development of new positioning, a new logo and an accompanying tagline. The new branding is intended to depict the theatre as a memorable night out. The new materials will roll out into 2014, which will be the 40th anniversary of the theatre company. "The new branding platform reflects the core essence of the company," said to Mark Tawse-Smith, strategic director at ThreeTimesThree. "The bright colours and iconic shapes hint at what you'll experience during a performance."
May 21, 2013
Shaw Media of Toronto has introduced a new advertising option aimed at movie companies. The new method debuted on May 18 during the broadcast of the Warner Bros. film The Hangover on its Showcase specialty channel. At two times during the movie, advertising messages were displayed over suspended movie content, after which the film continued playing. The messages promoted the upcoming release of The Hangover Part III on May 23. "This is an exciting twist on a commercial break," said Errol Da-Ré, senior vice-president of sales at Shaw Media. "Warner Bros. wanted a campaign that matched the impact of the Hangover franchise and our MV team delivered in spades. Viewers will be mesmerized and fans will love the integration. It will work best if the movie we are promoting has a strong connection to the movie we are airing."
May 21, 2013
Coast Hotels of Vancouver has begun a rebranding initiative. The project includes a redesigned website at CoastHotels.com and a new tagline: "Refreshingly local." The new branding is intended to reflect the "friendly, authentic spirit" of Coast Hotels, according to the company. The new website incorporates a streamlined booking process, improved functionality for loyalty program members and a new availability calendar. It also makes use of a responsive design that adapts to mobile devices, as well as new content such as local guides and event calendars. "We took the time to involve our customers and understand what really made Coast special to them," said Sarah Kirby Yung, executive director of marketing and communications at Coast Hotels. "This new brand is about honoring our 40 years of history, while building for the next 40 and attracting new generations of travelers." The new branding and website were developed by GreenRubino of Seattle and GCommerce of Park City, UT.
May 21, 2013
Warner Bros. Digital has retained Crucial Interactive as its exclusive Canadian online sales representative. The Toronto-based company will handle advertising sales for online properties including TMZ.com, EllenTV.com, AndersonCooper.com, Toofab.com, ExtraTV.com and KidsWB.com. The agreement also includes the YouTube and mobile elements of these websites. "Being able to represent Warner Bros. in Canada is a tremendous opportunity for Crucial and addresses our clients' demands for extended visibility within select female demographics," said Petar Bozinovski, president of Crucial Interactive. "The collective reach of these sites is over three million uniques per month, with over 1.5 million being female. This presents an opportunity to expand our business into previously untapped female-skewing categories, including CPG."
Recent Headlines
Toronto-based Your Brand Integrated Marketing Communications has promoted Ashley Calapatia to the position of director of communications. She joined the firm's media relations department in 2011 and was most recently national manager of brand communications.
Market research company Ipsos has appointed Jeff Cail to the position of chief operating officer for North America. He was previously country manager for Ipsos in the United States. Prior to that, he held various senior management positions at Nielsen Online and Bases.
The Jim Pattison Broadcast Group of Kamloops, BC has signed agreements to purchase three FM radio stations. The company will buy Kool FM 101.5 in Calgary and FAB 94.3 in Winnipeg from Bell Media, and QX 104 in Winnipeg from Astral Media.
The Societe de transport de Montreal has signed an agreement with Cogeco Métromédia to install additional digital display screens in the city's subway stations. The roll-out will take place in two phases between June 2013 and the summer of 2014, each covering 26 stations.
Montreal-based loyalty management company Aimia has formed a partnership with Axis Bank of India to launch a new customer loyalty program called Edge Loyalty Rewards. The program will be managed by Aimia's India office.
Y&R Toronto has added five new staff members. Mark Francolini and Jonathan Smith have joined the agency as creative directors. They will lead the creative development of the firm's Ford account.
Toronto-based Vision7 Media has appointed David Jowett to the position of president. Vision7 Media includes media agencies Cossette Media and Jungle Media, as well as research firm Impact Research.
McNeil Consumer Healthcare and The Arthritis Society conducted a street promotion in Toronto yesterday intended to raise awareness of the "Walk to Fight Arthritis" fundraising event that will take place on June 9.
Nova Scotia Tourism began a promotion in Toronto yesterday involving a 28-foot-tall replica of the Peggy's Cove Lighthouse at the intersection of Bay and Wellington Streets. The launch event also offered food and music from the province to passers-by.
Brick Brewing of Kitchener, ON has begun an Ontario contest promotion called "Muscle Up and Win a Dodge Challenger" in support of its Laker Beer brand. Consumer can enter the contest by submitting the code number from 15-can packages of Laker Lager, Laker Light or Laker Ice online.
Dare Vancouver has promoted Addie Gillespie and Mia Thomsett to the position of creative director. Both were previously associate creative directors. Gillespie and Thomsett joined the firm in 2011 as copywriters.
Toronto-based branding and marketing agency Ten81 Lifestyle has appointed Jana Masiewich to the position of director of lifestyle marketing. She will begin work on May 27.
Hill&Knowlton Strategies of Toronto has hired Joshua Hollenberg as an assistant consultant in its public affairs department. Sarah Bain has joined the public engagement department in the agency's Ottawa office as a senior account director.
Toronto-based Postmedia Network has extended its paid-subscription model to all of its daily newspaper websites following a two-year pilot project. Consumers will be able to select from several subscription offers.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada and Groupement des assureurs automobiles have launched a campaign in Quebec called "En voiture, j'assure," intended to raise awareness of car insurance issues among young drivers. The campaign addresses the topics of insurance premiums, deductibles, losses and false declarations.
The Children's Wish Foundation of Canada has retained Toronto-based TrojanOne Consulting Group to conduct a study of the "environmental landscape" of its annual Wishmaker Walk for Wishes fundraising event, which takes place in approximately 100 communities nationally.
Montreal-based insurance company Belairdirect has redesigned its website at Belairdirect.com. The new site, developed by Publicis Modem, is intended to be more user-friendly and responsive to users of mobile devices.
Venture Communications of Toronto has hired Ketan Manohar as a senior writer and Jamie Brand as an art director. Manohar was previously at Agency59, where he most recently worked on the The Heart & Stroke Foundation account.
Joseph Clark, founding president and CEO of Canada Newswire, died late last week at the age of 91. Prior to his time at that company, he was the founder of public relations agency Tisdall Clark and an executive at Massey Harris.
Vancouver-based pet food company Petcurean has begun a new advertising campaign called "Savour Every Moment." The campaign, which is running in Canada and the United States, began on April 27 with the release of a short film at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York.
Solutions with Impact is seeking for our tier 1/CPG clients for an account manager who will provide structure, support and overall leadership on our projects. The ideal candidate will bring their solid agency track record to build creative and innovative ideas, develop, plan, direct and oversee several accounts. 
We're looking for an experienced Connections planner / buyer to join our team for a 10 to 12 month period starting in June. The ideal candidate would be able to work both independently and with team members to plan and execute multi-media plans. 
