With the Toronto International Film Festival almost here, there’s cinematic buzz in the air. As red carpets get prepped and stars get preened, Marketing offers this roundup of the festival’s major sponsors and how they’re taking part in this year’s event.
The TIFF Bell Lightbox
Sponsor name: Bell
Years sponsoring TIFF: 18
What is it doing?: Lead sponsor of TIFF since 1995, Bell’s sponsorship program for 2012 includes a tribute to Canadian cinema, a cinema-related art exhibit and on-site demonstrations of its Bell Fibe TV and Bell Mobile TV services at the “Bell Box.”
“The objective for us is how do we increase the overall experience for people that want to come to TIFF,” said John McLarty, Bell’s director of sponsorship and marketing.
In collaboration with Telefilm, the Canadian Film Module at David Pecaut Square (adjacent to Roy Thomson Hall) invites visitors to use gesture-based technology to navigate through the Canadian films playing at the festival. Attendees will be able to view some of the greatest moments in Canadian cinema, explore related artwork, and discover interesting facts and trivia about each film.
This year’s program also includes the live art exhibit “O Cinema,” a series of five cinema-inspired street art installations situated near the TIFF hub. They will be augmented by Bell’s free “O Cinema” app featuring time-lapse photography and other enhancements that will be made available the day after the artwork is completed.
Bell Fibe TV and Bell Mobile TV will also offer customers live coverage of red-carpet events and press conferences. Bell Media brands including CTV, E!, CHUM FM and Sympatico will also offer extensive TIFF coverage.
Also, befitting its role as lead sponsor, expect to see ample placement of the Bell logo throughout the festival.
Why TIFF?: “TIFF gives us the opportunity to reach all our customers, not only with what we do on the ground to make the experience better, but across all of our [delivery] platforms,” said McLarty. “When we look at the value of a property, that’s how we evaluate it.”
While there are no hard numbers available, McLarty said that internal research indicates that enhancing the TIFF experience for attendees and film enthusiasts increases both the awareness and likeability of the Bell brand.
Is your brand a TIFF sponsor? Are you launching any film fest campaigns? Let us know.
