2,425,000 – that’s the number of Quebeckers who, according to preliminary data from BBM, tuned in to last weekend’s season finale of Star Académie, the music-focused talent competition. This is also the number of viewers who saw, on stage, the $100,000 cheque that Capital One awarded the winner.
Pascal Bricault, chief marketing officer at Capital One in Quebec, presented the cheque. The event was the culmination of the American company’s year-long marketing foray into the province.
“We had to find a quick way to be recognized as a major player in the credit sector,” Bricault said. “Our notoriety was practically non-existent among French-speaking Quebeckers and only a little higher among the English-speaking population who might have seen our commercials for the [English] Canadian market. We had to develop a platform that would connect with Quebeckers.
Bricault said Star Academie was an ideal vehicle. “It is a show that attracts a varied audience, is presented by a credible host, and consistent with our corporate culture that supports youth and the arts. In fact, when we shared the audience numbers with our colleagues in Toronto, they were incredulous. In English Canada, there are no shows that reach 53% of the market.”
The show’s 2012 season indeed drew an average of two million viewers every Sunday evening for its performance episodes. In comparison, the episodes that aired every weeknight building up to the weekend performances averaged 1.4 million viewers (39% of the market).
“At first, we simply wanted to be a sponsor, but we decided to push our integration further,” said Bricault. “We literally put our agencies Mediavest and Productions J to the test to develop a better strategy.”
The result: as soon as Star Académie auditions started last Fall, it was announced that the winner would receive a $100 000 grant – the biggest since the beginning of the show – courtesy of Capital One. As of January, television commercials referring to this were broadcasted on TVA, including one featuring the show’s host, Julie Snyder.
“This was the first time the host was personally associated with an outside partner,” said Bricault.
Exposure wasn’t limited to the show’s broadcast either. On the show’s website, the company had its own dedicated section. And throughout the show’s season, the brand often found itself in the pages of 7 jours magazine, which dedicated a large weekly section to the show’s participants.
Capital One’s collaboration with Star Académie will continue with a “major” partnership during the participants’ tour set to begin in the fall. A commercial starring this season’s winner will also air soon.
