Astral highlights the power of media planners' creativity in its latest trade campaign

MONTREAL, April 3, 2012 /CNW Telbec/ - Astral Media Inc. (TSX: ACM.A ACM.B) today launched phase two of its latest national multiplatform trade advertising campaign "Media is the New Creative", targeting media buyers and planners in English Canada.

"Astral's national slate of sought-after brands and platforms already enjoys a very strong reputation within the advertising community," said Derev Antikacioglu, Director of Branding and Corporate Marketing. "Building on these foundations and on the impressive successes of the campaign's initial phase, this latest execution aims at raising the awareness of media buyers and planners of the near unlimited creative possibilities that Astral offers to reach targeted consumer groups multiple times a day."

Conceived by Bos, the campaign is entirely web based and consists of three videos and one "making of" that all playfully highlight some of the stereotypes of our industry; the messages recognize media planners as the creatives they truly are, but not always recognized for.

This year, as a first, YouTube's annotation technology is used, permitting us to read into the minds of all the players, be they media, creative, account services or the client. "It was also important that our media choices reflect our message of innovation and creativity, and Annotation did just that, allowing us the latitude to be even more playful in our messaging", added Derev Antikacioglu.

All videos can be viewed at:
www.astral.com/en/advertising/b2b.

The online capsules are supported by web banners that revisit known media measurement acronyms such as CCPs, CPMs, GRPs and transforms them into humorous adjectives normally reserved to agency creatives to each letter: GRPs = Grumpy, ruthless primadonnas.

The rapid evolution of today's media landscape is transforming the media planner's role. Media planning and buying has attained creativity in its own right. Being at the table at the onset of the ideation stage, media's involvement in the ideation process is becoming increasingly intimate.

Astral is proud to salute and support all media creatives by delivering the customized, clever and innovative advertising solutions that help them and their respective brands shine.

Please see below for campaign credits and contacts.

CAMPAIGN CREDITS

Media Planning: Alex Guimond
Clients: Derev Antikacioglu, Véronique Desroches
Strategic Planning: Mélanie Leduc
Client Services: Simon Essiambre, Anne-Marie Savard
Creative Team: Ron Caplan, Sébastien Deland, Jocelyn Leroy, André Paradis 
Creative directors:  Roger Gariépy, Hugo Léger
Director: Olivier Ménard
Production: Fanny Quenneville
Production House: Bos
Director of Photography: John Ashmore
Sound Design: La Majeure - Sylvain Lefebvre

Founded in 1961, Astral is one of Canada's largest media companies. It operates several of the country's most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit www.astral.com. 

Source:

Derev Antikacioglu
Director, Branding and Corporate Branding
Astral Media Inc.
Tel.: [phone]
[email protected]

Information:

Hugues Mousseau
Director, Corporate Communications and Synergies
Astral Media Inc.
Tel.: [phone]
[email protected]