Blitz Magazine

Regina Leader-Post Friday, June 27, 2014 By: Greg Harder     TSN has about 40 million reasons to embrace its role in the heightened profile of the CFL. The league signed a fiveyear contract extension last spring which officially kicks in this season, securing TSN as its exclusive television partner through 2018.   The landmark deal, valued at approximately $40 million per season, has been called a game changer for the budget conscious CFL - tangible affirmation of its increased value within the Canadian sports landscape.   The new contract is believed to be worth almost three times more than the previous deal, an investment which means that TSN's commitment to the CFL is stronger than ever. That said, it doesn't mean the network is planning to stray from its tried-and-true formula.   As the old saying goes, if it ain't broke, don't fix.   "We don't feel pressure to up our game," said Mark Milliere, TSN'

  June 10, 2014 Family and friends are still the number one influence on decision-making, according to a new study by Veritas Communications. The Veritas Canadian Influencer Study found that family (70%), friends (67%) and trusted experts (34%) have the greatest influence on female consumers’ decisions to try a new product or service. “When marketers think of tapping into influencers, they automatically think of media and social media, and that makes sense because they do have a lot of influence,” said Krista Webster , president and partner at MDC-owned Veritas Communications. “But marketers have forgotten the lost art of tapping into family and friends.” Webster added that there’s a big opportunity for smart brands to recognize the power of word of mouth. “It’s authentic, it takes time and you have to nurture it,” she said. “For many marketers, things have to happen immediately. But true staying power and true loyalty comes from allowing things happen in their own t

While the Millennial generation indeed founded the social media movement, their interests, backgrounds and aspirations span well beyond what’s listed on their Facebook pages. This generation’s digital tendencies, however, mean that marketers and brands need to step up their games in order to keep up and engage with them. Adding to the challenge is the need for diversity with a greater portion of millennials belonging to a multicultural group – redefining mainstream.  And these 18 to 34 year-olds are worth the effort. Why? Because they are 9 million strong in Canada — on par with Baby Boomers — and make up 26 percent of the country’s population. And while many are still climbing the income ladder, this group’s size and age range highlight its long-term purchase power. Carman Allison, VP Consumer Insights Canada at Nielsen, takes a look into the trends surrounding this changing generation—including purchasing habits, consumption patterns, media choices and more.