In the most significant change at the Television Bureau of Canada (TVB) since its 1961 formation, the Toronto-based organization has rebranded as Thinktv and doubled down on its commitment to advertisers and agencies.
As part of its revamped mandate, Thinktv plans to emphasize “thought-provoking” and “leading-edge” research, as well as insights pertaining to both collected and curated data.
The new brand identity was developed in association with Toronto-based Frontier Design, which has worked with clients and partners including the New York Jets and Giants, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Unilever.
The Thinktv name was selected from more than 30 choices, with president Catherine MacLeod saying it was selected because of its simplicity. “We wanted something that was modern, fresh, dynamic and very simple,” said MacLeod, who joined Thinktv in May after spending more than a decade with Bell Media.
While Thinktv has worked closely with advertisers throughout its more than 50-year history, it has also traditionally incorporated what MacLeod described as a “huge focus” on local broadcasters into its offering. However, MacLeod said that component has become less significant in recent years as broadcasters have built out their own research departments.
“We are focusing our attention now on serving advertisers and agencies,” said MacLeod. “Whether it’s through education or research, we are going to help advertisers get through the noise in the marketplace so they can understand all the benefits they can get from television.
“Our mandate is not to say ‘Buy television, not digital,’ it’s to say ‘Television is great and digital is great too.’ In our scenario, it’s almost a one plus one equals three equation.”
Thinktv currently employs 14 people, with MacLeod saying the plan is to bolster its research and marketing departments. “There’s a really important emphasis for me on research and marketing, so those two groups will be built out over the coming weeks and months,” she said.
The organization’s new focus on wooing advertisers and agencies reflects TV’s slightly diminished role in media plans, as digital continues to reshape how advertisers approach consumers. However, MacLeod said the organization is committed to disproving media theories about TV’s waning influence.
“There’s a role for an organization like Thinktv now to say ‘This is legitimate’ or ‘This isn’t legitimate,’ as advertisers and agencies are being inundated with this stuff,” said MacLeod. “Everybody out there is drowning in data, but there’s very little wisdom. We think our approach can help advertisers and agencies get to the wisdom piece.”
MacLeod said Thinktv would go beyond simply repurposing resources from other sources, emphasizing research that helps its constituents understand the contribution it can make to their bottom line. Last month, the organization appointed former Shaw Media executive Kathy Gardner to the newly created position of vice-president of media insights.
MacLeod said many contemporary media planners have not received the “old-school training” for TV planning their predecessors once received, creating a role for the organization to familiarize them with that particular craft.
“There are media planners out there who are extraordinarily gifted in creating campaigns with television and digital pieces…and I think it would be great to bring everybody up to that level of skill,” she said.
While media reports have focused on the continued emergence of digital as a leading destination for advertisers, Thinktv’s mandate is to remind agency partners of TV’s considerable reach and influence, said MacLeod.
According to Numeris, commercial TV still reaches 98% of the population and 96% of millennials each week, with comScore data indicating adults watch an average of 28 hours of TV per week – compared to 1.5 hours of YouTube and 36 minutes of Netflix.
The organization also notes that time spent with TV dwarfs that of leading social media platforms, with Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounting for just four hours per week combined.
Research will be informed by what advertisers and agencies need, said MacLeod. “They’re going to be our guide, and we want to be in front of as many people as possible all the time.”
The organization has created a new website and will be “much more involved” in event sponsorship, said MacLeod. It will also bring in speakers who are “changing the conversation” about television, she said.
MacLeod put the TVB’s annual creative awards show, the Bessies, on hiatus shortly after her arrival. She told Marketing the future of the show – which debuted in 1963 – is still being determined.
“To be honest I still haven’t really figured that piece out,” she said. “I think there is a role for an event and awards, but I’m just not sure what shape that’s going to take right now.”
She said while the show rightfully celebrated TV creative, it overlooked the media plans that delivered the creative. “[It’s about] going back to our constituents and saying ‘Does this continue to be meaningful for you?’ and if so we’ll get behind it,’” she said. “‘If not, what do you need?’”
