The 10 companies shortlisted for Media Player of the Year in Marketing’s Nov. 14 issue were at the top of their game in 2011. We’ll be featuring each one online as a lead-up to our January 2012 issue, where you’ll find out which media company will reign supreme.
Torstar
Torstar demonstrated that even a media giant with roots going back a century can find new ways to connect with audiences and advertisers
At Torstar’s 6th floor corporate headquarters at the foot of Yonge Street in Toronto, black-and-white framed portraits of the company’s past and current presidents and chairmen adorn a wall. Their shared demographic—older white males, for the most part—gives the impression of a stuffy, conservative, old boys’ club. However, the media company, which was formed in 1976 and whose flagship newspaper dates back to 1892, is anything but.
Torstar, whose properties include Olive Media, group-buying site WagJag, mobile marketing firm Web2Mobile, and Chinese daily Sing Tao, among others, is always evolving to remain relevant and valuable to both advertisers and audiences. Put another way, this ain’t your father’s newspaper company.
Here’s the year at a glance: Torstar launched a new weekly city magazine The Grid, geared to curious, young urbanites; bought digital beauty and wellness magazine The Kit; partnered with The Onion to publish the U.S.-based satirical publication in Toronto; launched the commuter paper Metro in Winnipeg and London, then acquired a 90% stake in the Canadian franchise.
“Torstar has some of Canada’s most forward-thinking, smart people on their payroll,” says Brenda Bookbinder, VP, group account director at PHD Canada.
“At a time when newspapers are taking some pretty hard hits, it’s a pleasure to see The Toronto Star just getting better and better. The Royal Wedding Keepsake section was phenomenal. The Grid makeover was elegant, and bringing on The Kit was a smart move. [Torstar knows] they have to change it up, speak to more people and speak to them better.”
David Holland, CEO of Torstar, says the company is “willing to commit resources to develop new audiences that we think will ultimately be attractive to advertisers.”
The Kit, for example (which now has a weekly print edition published in The Toronto Star) appeals to advertisers that aren’t “traditional newspaper advertisers, at least for The Toronto Star,” says Holland. “The whole beauty and fashion area is not an area that we traditionally had a lot of revenue from.” Its current crop of advertisers include Chanel, Coty, Avon and Shoppers Drug Mart.
And in the case of The Grid (formerly known as Eye Weekly), the aim was to create more relevant and engaging content for the key 18-34 demo.
There’s more! Check out the Nov. 14 issue of Marketing for the full profile, and subscribe to find out who will be named the Media Player of the Year for 2011.
What do you think of Torstar’s year? Has The Grid made a difference in the Toronto media market? Post your thoughts in our comment section.
