Beginning today, Food Network Canada is rolling out a massive, multi-platform national marketing campaign to drive awareness and further build excitement around the premiere of the eagerly anticipated brand new original series Top Chef Canada. In an effort to exceed the colossal popularity of the Top Chef franchise, Food Network Canada is making this its most extensive multi-layered marketing campaign for a single show in network history. Highlights of the campaign include wide-reaching, strategic media buys, robust promotional sponsorships, and unique creative executions such as die-cut AdBars, wrapped streetcars, reusable grocery bags, and postcards. The distinctively Canadian campaign, designed to reach a broad audience, celebrates national pride, the country’s top chefs and taps into Canadians’ competitive spirit.
Targeting adults 25-54, the national eight-week campaign, with heaviest emphasis in Toronto, Calgary, and Vancouver, shines a spotlight on three iconic Canadian landmarks with food imagery creatively implanted into each execution. Representing the West is a ski slope with a potato masher chair lift, the East is represented by a seaside portrait with a salt shaker in place of a lighthouse and finally, the Toronto skyline is represented by a chef’s knife standing in for the CN Tower. The campaign takes public transit by storm with these creative executions posted as the coast-to-coast trio in every subway station in Toronto, every SkyTrain station in Vancouver and for the first time in network history, wrapped around two Toronto streetcars. The creative will also grab attention on marquee billboards, in print ads and a 30-second radio spot.
This campaign places great emphasis on one-of-a-kind executions in order to reach Canadians in unexpected ways and places. Shaw Media is the first Ontario advertiser to create a die-cut AdBar, showcasing the iconic Top Chef Canada image of a knife. These unique pieces will be placed in 60 grocery stores across Toronto. Over two Saturdays, April 2nd and 9th, Food Network Canada will be taking Top Chef Canada to the streets, having created reusable grocery bags that will be distributed at St. Lawrence Market in Toronto and a location in Calgary to be confirmed. In addition, postcards showcasing the tri-city creative will be distributed through the Top Chef Canada competitors’ restaurants across the country.
To whet viewers’ appetites and build early excitement for the series, Food Network has rolled out four different on-air teaser promos since January, using footage from an original shoot. Beginning the week of April 4th, a 30-second clip-based promo will be cross promoted across all Shaw Media channels and will receive a full-day on-air domination on April 11th, leading up to the premiere episode that evening.
“Infused with images of iconic Canadian landmarks, this campaign speaks directly to Canadians in a way we’ve never done before and has the potential to make Top Chef Canada a household name,” says Solange Bernard, Director of Brand and Publicity for the lifestyle channels at Shaw Media. “We’re infiltrating the market with the Top Chef Canada brand in the largest way possible – people will see it everywhere they go.”
Food Network Canada is extending the reach of this campaign, working with official sponsors GE Monogram®, Loblaws®, and SpongeTowels as promotional partners. GE Monogram will promote Top Chef Canada through showroom signage and stickers, as well as a promotional video for retailers. Posters will welcome Ontario grocers at Loblaws and SpongeTowels will promote the series with on-pack stickers and point of purchase displays at retail locations across Canada.
The marketing campaign and materials were developed in-house by Shaw Media’s Marketing team in partnership with digital artist Brett Simms.
The inaugural season of Top Chef Canada will premiere April 11, 2011 at 9pm ET/10pm PT exclusively on Food Network Canada.
To keep tabs on what Canadians are saying about Top Chef Canada, check out the official Top Chef Canada page on Facebook at www.facebook.com/topchefcanada or follow @TopChefCanada on Twitter.
