Ontario’s French-language educational network Groupe Média TFO (TFO) has selected Havas Worldwide to oversee its digital and social media strategy for the next three years.
Havas was one of approximately 10 agencies that responded to an RFP issued via the electronic tendering service MERX in December. The contract was awarded in mid-January.
Laurent Guerin, chief content officer at TFO in Toronto, said Havas presented the best solution that included a thorough understanding of the broadcaster’s business objectives and challenges, as well as prior experience and price.
TFO took a “big shift” towards digital several years ago, said Guerin, and is looking to Havas to audit, measure and optimize (and possibly streamline) its various social media channels – which include six YouTube channels as well as a series of Twitter and Facebook feeds for its various on-air properties.
“We’ve reached the point where to continue to improve and progress, we want to be helped by people who have a better strategic vision and can help us formulate our objectives,” said Guerin.
While acknowledging TFO is a “small fish in an ocean of sharks” such as Netflix, CBC/Radio-Canada and YouTube, Guerin said the company has been aggressively growing its social media presence over the past several years.
Not including YouTube, TFO’s social media fans and followers grew by 220% to more than 200,000 in 2014. “We’ve been really good at growth, but we want to get better at engagement with our fans,” said Guerin.
Guerin said TFO’s YouTube channels, which include a general TFO Canada channel as well as the emerging music-focused BRBRTFO and kid-specific Mini ABC, have garnered more than 60 million views.
He said the public broadcaster is adapting to the viewing opportunities created by digital, particularly as it serves younger audiences who have grown up with mobile and tablets.
“Our audience is on all screens – we’re making content, not television,” he said. “We’re not shifting, we’re spreading.”
