Despite the explosion of media choices, television remains a powerful medium to reach the mass market. According to Numeris’ latest data, traditional television reaches 98% of Canadians per week, with Canadians watching an average of 27 hours of television per week.
As the media landscape has changed, television broadcasters have become more aggressive in charging for any PR/promotional opportunities, making it increasingly difficult to secure earned media content on television. “A number of the brands we worked with still wanted to tell their stories on television, but could no longer access this medium due to costs,” says Shelley Middlebrook, President of Fifth Story, a Toronto-based content marketing firm. “It became apparent that brands needed a more cost-effective way to create and promote content, especially television and video content.”
To help brands tell impactful stories through video and across multiple platforms, Fifth Story launched a television and digital content marketing program called For Your Life. Leveraging paid, earned, owned and shared media channels, For Your Life features a ½ hour, paid programming, lifestyle TV show, which airs on female-skewing specialty channels. These include Food Network, HGTV, Showcase and Slice, as well as CHCH and CHEK.
As part of the overall program, brands get a four-minute video segment within the TV show. The video segment is then edited to create 1) a 30-second direct-response TV spot airing on the same specialty channels as the TV show, 2) a two-minute online video with earned and paid media distribution, and 3) a six-second Vine video for brands to use on their social media pages as they desire. The program provides brands with an opportunity to reach eight to ten million impressions. In addition, brands own the video content, and can repurpose it. They can for example reuse their 30-second direct-response TV spot for future media buys.
By repurposing video content across multiple platforms and leveraging paid, earned, owned and shared media channels, brands can reach consumers across Canada, even with a small marketing budget. “The For Your Life program captured our audience’s attention through informative and entertaining video storytelling, and multiple touch points of TV, online and social exposure allowed us to amplify our message nationally,” says Rita Weigel, Director of Marketing at Piller’s Fine Foods.
Since the launch, Fifth Story has produced two programs a year, one in the spring and one in the fall, and is planning on producing four seasonal programs in 2015. “We have seen a great amount of interest and involvement in the program from clients across various industries. The turnkey nature of the program, as well as the incredible value in production and reach, has made it a smart option for many brands, including: California Grapes, Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation, Canada Protection Plan, Canon, Electrolux, Genworth Financial, Metro, Ontario Grain Farmers, Parmalat, Piller’s, Reliance Protectron, Roxul, RSA Insurance, Shopper’s Drug Mart, T-fal and The Kidney Foundation – with a number of these brands participating in multiple episodes,” says Middlebrook.
For more information about the For Your Life program and to be part of the Spring 2015 episode, click here.
