Live Broadcast of Grey Cup Parade – sponsored by H Gregoire & Rona

The Alouettes are 2009 Grey Cup Champions. On Weds, Dec 2 the city of Montreal will celebrate and Global Montreal will be there to catch all the action live on television and the web. 

H Gregoire & Rona present live coverage of the Grey Cup Victory Parade in downtown Montreal (Weds Dec 2, 11h30 – 13h30 on Global Montreal – Videotron 008, Bell TV 234)

HTC’s “You Campaign”

I’ve probably seen this spot 20 times or so and it still gives me the shivers. I think it’s perfect: the music, text, copy, VO, everything…. “You don’t need to get a phone. You need a phone that gets you.” Brilliant!

This is HTC’s latest commercial from the You campaign.

 

 

 

We Should Take the Stairs

Stairs can suck, especially if you’re carrying stuff or if it’s too early in the morning (after a late night). If you think about it, people generally choose not to take the stairs because there is a more convenient alternative and faster solution available. So what if you were a marketer of stairs? What would you do to get more people using your product?

It’s amazing what can be accomplished when we understand how consumers think and that sometimes, people will choose a more enjoyable experience - even if it comes attached to a little extra effort.  

Source: http://www.thefuntheory.com/ (a VW initiative – great idea!)

 

When People have Freedom to Choose, they Choose the Best

Seth Godin mentioned this in his daily blogletter… great example of what happens when you stick to your guns and offer things to people who appreciate them – even if that means choosing a small segment of the population.

We all Lose in Cable vs. Broadcast

I just received my monthly cable bill, and on it the company indicated that they were raising the fees for my cable TV service. Ridiculous! Not because I care about the $4 increase, but because cable TV service providers have refused to pay for the content they distribute for profit, and that has become my problem!?

It’s not right that service providers are passing the new costs on to us and disguising the fee as a “tax”. They are choosing to take no responsibility in the well being of the Canadian television industry.

What do you think? Should cable companies be forced to share in the cost with viewers?

Local TV Matters website

More info here: http://localtvmatters.ca/

 

Hulu to Charge Fees: Really?

On Friday, I was disappointed to read the Associated Press reporting on Hulu.com considering a switch from its free advertiser-supported online video service to some form of fee-based format. Hulu.com provides free access to TV shows and movies to U.S. audiences.

News Corp.’s Chase Carey and Rupert Murdoch made mention of the potential fees being introduced as early as 2010. (News Corp co-owns Hulu with NBC Universal, Walt Disney Co. and Providence Equity Partners)

Article in Marketing Mag is here: http://www.marketingmag.ca/english/news/media/article.jsp?content=20091023_143120_7884

Beginning of the end? Or inescapable reality?

I have to admit, this is truly disappointing to many of us media geeks who have viewed Hulu as a gleaming ray of hope in today’s media industry. As viewers continue to turn to convenient on-demand services, I thought Hulu (with its appropriate and reasonable structure of pre-roll ads in exchange for free content) would be perfectly positioned for the evolving trends and technology surrounding broadcast and broadband viewership.

Unfortunately for Hulu (and me), cash is king and waiting for the North American media business to embrace broadband video at a faster pace is something that shareholders may not be willing to wait around for.

So is this beginning of the end of Hulu? Will we look back 10 years from now and remember Hulu as being pioneers ahead of the curve? Or maybe subscriber fees are an inevitable reality that North Americans have to learn to live with?

Movember: Coming Soon to an Upper Lip Near You

If you haven’t heard of Movember yet, you will soon.

Movember is the month formerly known as November where men start clean shaven and commit to growing a Moustache to raise funds and awareness for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer. 

What do to for Movember

The idea for Movember was sparked in 2003 over a few beers in Melbourne, Australia. The guys behind it joked about 80s fashion and decided it was time to bring the moustache back. In order to justify their Mos (Australian slang for moustache), they used their new looks to raise money for prostate cancer research… never dreaming that facial hair would ultimately lead to a global movement that would get men talking about a taboo subject – their health.

Should be fun, stay tuned.

McDonald’s gets Creative with OOH

Great out of home creative… PS – MUCH COOLER than the steaming cup of McD’s coffee in Dundas Square last spring! But both deserve a nod for sure…

 

In an On-Demand World can Advertisers and Audiences Co-Exist?

It’s been a while since my last post. It’s been a busy summer in the media biz (which is good!) and I’ve neglected this blog. The good news is that I am working on a little article about advertising’s role in on-demand media. Here’s a quick preview…

Unlike fidgety television audiences, Hulu.com’s online viewers will gladly sit through 30-seconds of pre-roll advertising in exchange for the convenience of free, on-demand content. In a recent blog post, permission marketing expert Seth Godin agreed that today’s viewers will gladly pay attention to advertising “only if it’s anticipated, personal and relevant”. Too bad our current broadcast television technology fails to offer advertisers and audiences the relevance and personalization needed for the two groups to happily co-exist.

What do you think about the role of advertising in or around on-demand video content? Is it a necessary evil or do targeted ads complement your viewing experience? Post your comments!

 

Did You Know 2.0?

Great video about things you might not know…

 

EASILY one of the best pieces I have seen about tech, culture and media.