Astral Mix Celebrates Ten Years of Creativity and Innovation!

MONTREAL, Nov. 30 /CNW Telbec/ - Astral Mix, the multiplatform advertising service of Astral Media Inc. (TSX: ACM.A/ACM.B), this year celebrates its 10^th anniversary on the theme of creativity and innovation.

Founded in 2001, Astral Mix is the very first mix media team to come into existence in Québec. Today, the multidisciplinary team of professionals provides strategic advice in media placement and creativity. They apply in-depth knowledge in communications, technology, marketing, and media, as well as leverage the unique opportunities created by Astral platforms and brands.

"It was a daring wager for Astral to invest major resources in a media sales division supported by an independent team entirely dedicated to providing integrated marketing solutions," explained Michelle LaBarre, Vice President, Astral Mix. "We had a mission to develop creative campaigns by using all Astral platforms in synergy—specialty television, radio, out-of-home, and digital media. A decade later, we've evolved at the same pace as industry transformations and today we're better positioned than ever to carry out our mission."

"Times when we were content to connect a product with an existing offer have long gone and a new vision has now become the imperative: growing with clients, challenging them, but above all, starting out with their own basic needs as regards media placement and offering them innovative brand and programming combinations, always with entertainment in mind," adds Michelle LaBarre.

Such a vision has allowed Astral Mix to achieve remarkable results. The success of projects lead by Astral Mix in collaboration with partner agencies has notably been recognized on numerous occasions by the industry over the years, both locally and internationally.

An overview of dozens of major projects carried out by the Astral Mix team since its foundation is showcased on its brand new website at astralmix.com.

Launch of a Series of Capsules on the Advertising Industry

To highlight the creative and innovative aspect of its impressive scorecard as a key partner for clients in Québec and elsewhere in the country, Astral Mix today launches an exclusive series of four humorous capsules on the advertising industry. Titled Planner Planet, the capsules feature four key players among the most influential in the advertising industry: Ody Giroux, Executive Vice President at Carat Montréal; Claude Lamoureux, Vice President and General Manager at Bleublancrouge; Frédéric Rondeau, Media Director at Bos; and Alain Tardif, Media Vice President at Marketel.

Hosted in an irreverent tone by Julie Marcoux, an aspiring media planner, the capsules humorously sum up the state of advertising in 2010, as well as examine the future prospects for the industry. The capsules can be viewed at astralmix.com/10ans and will be broadcast via social media over the next few days.

"On behalf of Astral Mix, I wish to thank our clients and partners for their trust and support over the past ten years. A special thanks goes to our colleague Mary Lepage who expertly promoted Astral Mix expertise in the Toronto market. We're looking to the future with the constant desire to remain at the forefront, to innovate, adapt, and evolve, while staying ahead of what's being done in the industry, both at the creative media and new technology levels," concludes Michelle Labarre.

For ten years now, thanks to Astral Mix, all it takes is one phone call to bring together everything you need for your media strategy. And, more than ever in 2010, perfect mixes have provided perfect results!

Astral Mix provides powerful and integrated solutions to advertising and media placement agencies that want to capitalize on the synergy between Astral's various platforms, including specialty television, radio, out-of-home and the web. Much more than a sales office, Astral Mix creates, develops, and implements outstanding campaigns that meet advertisers' expectations. Creative and tech-savvy, Astral Mix offers truly original and effective media solutions. For exceptional results, put Astral Mix into your creative mix!

Astral Mix, part of the Astral family. Astral is one of Canada's largest media companies. It operates several media properties—pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties—among the most popular in the country. 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 astral.com.

For further information:

Émilie Clément
Astral Mix
514 939-5001, ext. 3061
[email protected]