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SHAFTESBURY KIDS EXPANDS ITS DEVELOPMENT AND PRODUCTION SLATE AND COMMENCES VIRTUAL WRITING ROOMS FOR FOUR NEW SERIES

Animated series Mary and Flo: On the Go! brings two beloved Frankie Drake Mysteries characters into Shaftesbury’s family space 

Life with Luca picks up on family-favourite series Life with Derek 15 years later

 TORONTO, May 12, 2020 – Shaftesbury, the award-winning production company behind the global hit TV series Murdoch Mysteries, is expanding the Shaftesbury Kids production and development slate to include four new series: Mary and Flo: On the Go!, Life With Luca, Miikshi and Stinky Science. This ambitious slate, led by Jennifer McCann, Executive Producer, Shaftesbury’s Kids and Family, has united key creatives from across Canada and established virtual writers’ rooms for each series. 

“It’s wonderful that 15 years later, we are working once again with Life with Derek writers Daphne Ballon and Jeff Biederman on a spin-off series Life with Luca.” said Christina Jennings, CEO and Chairman, Shaftesbury. “We are also delighted to be working with Rebecca Liddiard and Sharron Matthews (Frankie Drake Mysteries) and teaming up with Carmen Albano (Detention Adventure) in a fun new animated series that sees their characters travel the world. Think – History. Mystery. Sistery.” 

“It’s inspiring to see how creativity and collaboration have been driven to new levels despite the current restrictions,” said Jennifer McCann, Executive Producer, Shaftesbury Kids and Family. “Our strategy to create the most compelling Kids and Family programming for global audiences remains unchanged.” 

About the four new series: 

In development 

Life With Luca – (26 x half hrs) – Life With Luca is a live-action spin-off comedy series based on the long-running hit Life with Derek. The series picks up 15 years later, as Derek and his “Type A” personality daughter Skyler prepare to move in with aunt Casey and her extended family. What makes things complicated is that Derek’s daughter is way more like her aunt, and Casey’s “Type Z” personality son way more like his uncle. As Derek and Casey’s stepsibling dynamics are reignited, Skyler tries to adjust to her new life with an aunt she barely knows and FOUR cousins. But the biggest adjustment of all will be living with Luca, a charming yet rebellious prankster. 

The series is being developed with funding assistance from the Shaw Rocket Fund and the Canada Media Fund. 

In production 

Stinky Science (26 x 3 mins) – In pre-production. With animation from Smiley Guy Studios, this smart and gleefully gross series explores the science behind why things stink. Vibrant animation, loveable characters, smelly songs and stink-loads of comedy blend together in this magazine-style show, produced, performed and hosted by the characters from the acclaimed Stinky Science books written by Ed Kay with illustrations by Mike Shiell. The series is being produced with funding assistance from the Shaw Rocket Fund. 

Mary and Flo: On the Go! (9 x 7-mins) – Inspired by Shaftesbury series Frankie Drake Mysteries, with animation by Smiley Guy Studios, this animated series is currently in production and follows beloved characters Mary and Flo as they travel the world encountering famous women and men of the 1920s. Part buddy caper, part history lesson, these two fearless heroines solve problems, resolve mysteries and help people everywhere with a healthy dose of girl-power to fuel their adventures. The series was co-created by its two stars Rebecca Liddiard (Mary) and Sharron Matthews (Flo) along with Carmen Albano (Detention Adventure). The series is being produced with funding assistance from the Shaw Rocket Fund and the Canada Media Fund. 

Miikshi – (10 x 7 mins) – In pre-production. From creators Lindsay and Justin Lee, Miikshi follows the adventures of a shy but genius sheep scientist who saves the world one day at a time… quietly. Using her quick, resourceful mind and scientific smarts, this live-action puppet series provides a strong and unique female role model for a generation of STEAM-loving kids. The series is brought to life through hand puppets and model miniature effects. The series is being produced with funding assistance of the Independent Production Fund and the Shaw Rocket Fund. 

Shaftesbury has released its full library of new and legacy kids programming on the Shaftesbury Kids YouTube channel, to provide families with free and easy access to entertaining and educational content. Some of these series are also available on CBC Gem and Citytv in Saskatchewan. The programming available includes The Solutioneers (released Monday, March 30, with new episodes every Monday, Wednesday and Friday), Life with Derek (all four seasons on CBC Gem) as well as the all-new series, ClearWaterKids Challenge, also launching on CBC Gem in May. 

About Shaftesbury 

Shaftesbury is an award-winning creator and producer of original content for television, film, and digital. Shaftesbury’s current slate includes 13 seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for CBC and UKTV, three seasons of detective drama Frankie Drake Mysteries for CBC and UKTV, three seasons of critically acclaimed horror series Slasher for Netflix, two seasons of Hudson & Rex for Citytv/Rogers Media, and several new primetime series including Departure for Global/Corus Entertainment and NBC Universal, Dead Still for RTÉ, Acorn TV, and Citytv/Rogers, and The 

Sounds for CBC, Acorn TV, and Sky NZ. Building on a rich slate of award-winning kids programs, Shaftesbury’s growing roster of Kids and Family co-viewing programming brings fresh content to a new generation of tween and young adult viewers across all platforms. Current shows include The Solutioneers, Miikshi, Stinky Science, Life with Luca, based on the Disney hit series Life with Derek and Mary and Flo on the Go! based on the characters from Frankie Drake Mysteries. Shaftesbury’s branded division produces original entertainment projects for brands, including the global phenomenon Carmilla for U by Kotex/Kimberly-Clark, Turning the Tables for göt2b®/Henkel, and Futurithmic for Nokia. Shaftesbury’s technology division works with leading healthcare institutions and researchers to explore and develop clinical applications for immersive media experiences including augmented and virtual reality, including a recent focus on children’s therapeutic support tools. www.shaftesbury.ca 

For more information, please contact: 

Jane Collins 

Executive, PR, Shaftesbury 

(647) 323-8874 

[email protected] 

Iain Christiansen 

Manager, Publicity, Shaftesbury 

(647) 338-4590 

[email protected] 

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How To Plan A Marketing Campaign For An Unfamiliar Product And Actually Get Results

Our SVP, Branded Entertainment, Kaaren Whitney-Vernon,  is an active Forbes Agency Council member. She is often asked, and quoted, for her expertise in their Forbes Expert Panels.   Reposted from Forbes.

As an agency, one of the most common things that will happen is that a new, innovative company pitches you to advertise their product. When their item or service is familiar and usable by everyone, it’s easy to come up with advertising material. However, if the product they offer is highly specific and geared to a particular niche of users, it becomes a bit more complicated.

If no one within the agency has any experience with the product or the field, developing advertising for it might seem like an impossible task. There is hope, however. These 15 experts from Forbes Agency Council look at the ways an agency can market a product that it knows little about.

1. Do Your Research

For the placement of a successful advertising message, the target group must still be addressed exactly where it spends most of its time. Due to the digital change, the advertising budget has not only increased in recent years, this change will also continue to assert itself with regard to technologies such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence. Agencies that focus on online advertising will be among the winners! – Markus Hetzenegger,NYBA Media GmbH

2. Use The Product

The only way to really understand a product is to use it in your daily life. Get a copy of the actual product, software, device or whatever it is, and use it. You will see its advantages and disadvantages. Even better, use the competing products and find out why they are different. – Peter Boyd, PaperStreet Web Design

3. Work Closely With The Client

You can’t be an expert in everything, and it’s OK. I think there’s no better way to learn about an unfamiliar product or service than by working closely with its founders. Ask your client for input. It’s going to be much more efficient if you establish the most convenient cooperation process from the start. – Solomon Thimothy, OneIMS

4. Start With The Basics

Start with the fundamentals. What is the company’s mission? Who are its customers? What problem(s) is the product solving? Why is it a better solution than others? This can be accomplished through interviews with company employees and customers, researching competitors, and getting hands-on with the product. Use all of this research to help position campaigns that address consumer pain points. – Preethy Vaidyanathan,Slice

5. Always Put The Consumer First

Think of the customer journey. Who are they? What pain point do they have that this product fixes? Where would they begin looking for a solution to their pain point? How would they search for a solution? Is it an FAQ article? A direct search? A forum post? Then, how would they connect with your product? Email, text, call? Then promote your product using your responses to the questions above. – David Kley, Web Design and Company

6. Build A Campaign Around Results And Value

Everyone that buys a product or service does it because of the value that it adds to their life or business. The key to any marketing campaign is to highlight that value and show how it is so much bigger that the associated cost. So even if you’re marketing a product or service that is hard to understand, make it so that the result is as obvious as possible, and you’ll have a winner. – Rafael Romis, Weberous Web Design

7. Get Comfortable Being Uncomfortable

In my opinion, preparing a campaign for a product or service I don’t understand is the most fun one can have in marketing! Why? Because it’s fun to learn new things, of course. But also because these are often the most successful. Not knowing means we have no preconceived notions of the client or brand and that allows us to be inherently objective in defining the target customer and value proposition. – Keri Witman, Clever Lucy

8. Embed Yourself

There is no substitute for understanding. If you are unfamiliar with a product or service, embed yourself in it. That means going beyond internet research. Shadow a salesperson. Visit the manufacturing plant. Go mystery shopping and talk to real customers. Put yourself in their lead funnel. You’re almost guaranteed to have an “ah-ha” moment. – Tripp Donnelly, REQ

9. Get The Marketer Back To The Drawing Board

If the agency and the consumer don’t completely understand the benefit of your product or service, the marketer shouldn’t be planning a campaign just yet, or they will be setting up for a failure. Instead, go back to the strategy and positioning stage — research the market, understand consumer trends and needs, and design a value offering and messaging that is clear to the consumers. – Hamutal Schieber

10. Meet With Different Stakeholders

We spend some time learning about the business first. Then we do a competitor analysis after having a meeting with several stakeholders. It is important to do user journey analysis and understand pain points in each stage. We identify questions asked by their customers in various stages of user journey. The meeting with stakeholders (different departments) is a good way to uncover facts. – Sanil Subhash Chandra Bose, Ayruz Data Marketing

11. Stop Using Industry Lingo

During the launch of a new financial service, our client made us remove any of our industry lingo from our presentation and our discussion. Often, we rely heavily on using these words as fillers but they have little meaning to consumers. We were left with a distilled idea that we felt was more easily understood. – Kaaren Whitney-Vernon, Shaftesbury

12. Find The Right Words

It’s very common for companies to talk internally about their products using terms that the general population doesn’t associate with the product category. As an outsider looking in, the first step is to identify the product niche and do a deep dive on the terms/lexicon that consumers use to describe competitive products. Only then can you start crafting a message that will resonate. – Toren Ajk, TAC Marketing Group

13. Use Discovery Sessions And Focus Groups

If you find yourself marketing a product you don’t fully understand, please stop. If you’ve launched a product or campaign without a go-to-market strategy, you should make it your No. 1 goal to get it done right away. Leading in-depth discovery sessions and focus groups around the product or service will allow you to better understand the product, its benefits and the objections potential customers may have. – Alex Quin, UADV

14. Have A Repeatable Onboarding Process

We execute PR exclusively for business-to-business software-as-a-service brands, many who operate in complex industries (think AI for IT operations, medical device QM software, etc.). To level up the understanding of any new client’s business, we developed a robust 30-day onboarding process. It is not optional for our clients — a repeatable, proven process allowing us to get the information we need before any work begins. – Lindsey Groepper, BLASTmedia

15. Apply Design Thinking

Spend a significant part with the budget on empathizing with the problem. Invest in taking a deeper dive. The industry is highly underserved in client intimacy. Templates don’t work. Capitalize on that fact and find success with a scrappier solution. It’s OK to take that chance because most campaigns are already set up to fail due to lack of empathy and a rushed problem definition phase. – Kashif Zaman

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Forbes Agency Council
14 Best Practices For Company Website Management | Forbes Agency Council

Our SVP, Branded Entertainment, Kaaren Whitney-Vernon,  is an active Forbes Agency Council member. She is often asked, and quoted, for her expertise in their Forbes Expert Panels.   Reposted from Forbes.

Over the last decade, the number of channels for marketing products has more than doubled. As expected, the amount of spending has matched the increased number of channels, with businesses in any industry striving to make the most of their advertising budgets so as to take advantage of as many marketing channels as possible.

With the rise of online shopping and e-commerce, businesses are today — more than ever — dependent on the positive management of their company website. However, there’s no rule book about the right way to develop and manage a business website. There are distinct differences between one industry and another that make it impossible to generalize website management.

1. Have A Strategy And Know Your Visitor

The homepage of a website is the most important place on the site. In less time than it takes to hit the back button on a browser, visitors will ask and notice several things. Your website needs to match up with your organization’s strategic goals. Which leads directly to who the people visiting you are, why they are visiting, how they interact with the site and what we want them to know and do. – Patrick Nycz,NewPoint Marketing

2. Remember That Less Is More (Sometimes)

A website can allow businesses to share almost unlimited information, but that doesn’t mean they should throw everything under the sun at their users. Too many choices in a menu, for example, can create confusion or take focus away from high priority topics or offerings. Use text and visual elements thoughtfully to highlight what matters most to your customers. – Hannah Trivette,NUVEW Web Solutions

3. Keep Your Customers In Mind At All Times

Businesses make a fatal error when they design and program their websites for themselves instead of their customers. While there are a million ways to implement this mindset, one granular example is knowing which browsers your users prefer. Make sure your site can accommodate older versions of those browsers, as well as the latest ones. – Mary Ann O’Brien, OBI Creative

4. Make It A Knowledge Center

Talk to the news. To show authority in your sector, you need to be able to provide insight in what is going on and why it matters for your clients. Providing well-researched and well-written commentary is a great way to mark out your website as a knowledge center. – Paul Blanchard, Right Angles

5. Be Specific, Valuable And Keep It Simple

According to Hick’s law, the more choices you present to visitors, the longer they will take to make the decision. So the first rule is to be specific. Second, add the value to the visitors by adding the call-to-action buttons (e.g., ROI calculator or free SEO audit). Finally, use the programs that build the heat map and click reports for a better understanding of UX (user experience). – Oganes Vagramovich Barsegyan, Digital Beverly Marketing Solutions

6. Focus, Focus, Focus

Sometimes people want to add every detail of what they do. My best practice is to focus, from the get-go. Decide what your goals are for the site — is it to build relationships (maybe add a live chat feature) or to sell products or simply to give out info? Decide on your main purpose and then change and pivot from there, depending on what is working. – Kaaren Whitney-Vernon, Shaftesbury

7. Feed Your Blog, Or Kill It

If your firm lacks the resources or motivation to produce relevant content on a consistent basis, then shut down your blog. Content that’s more than two months old suggests that either your company is no longer in business, or that ideas and enthusiasm are in short supply. Your website should be a brand asset, not a liability. – Gordon Andrew, Highlander Consulting Inc.

8. Set The Tone

Utilize your website to convey the “tone” of your business — through the text, visuals, presentation of your products and services, leadership, culture and even job openings. However you best describe yourself — conservative, buttoned-up, progressive, to irreverent — let that spirit come through as a differentiator. – Jim Heininger,Dixon|James – Rebranding Experts

9. Address Customers’ Most Important Needs

Anticipate the customer’s main need and make sure that the story your website tells explains how your product or service addresses that need. The website design and functionality should support it, yet the story should come first. – Inna Semenyuk, InnavationLabs

10. Update It Constantly

Gone are days of spending a bunch of time and resources on building a website only to never update it again. To maximize the potential of a web page or online community you must remember to update and upkeep the content on that platform on a regular basis. Not only will you favor search engine algorithms, but you will also give your returning visitors a fresh experience each time they visit your page. –Alex Quin, UADV

11. Use Human Imagery

Human imagery on the home page makes a big difference in creating a good first impression. Of course, a clean look and feel, aesthetic design, soothing colors and good navigation are important for a good home page. But one thing that can make a difference is human imagery. As humans, we like to talk to people, and having a good visual with people in it creates an instant connection with the website visitor. – Hareesh Tibrewala, Mirum India

12. Remember That Looks Matter

A professionally-designed, easy-to-use website will convey to potential customers that you are a reputable organization that they want to do business with. And don’t forget about your mobile site. People won’t recommend a business with a poorly designed mobile site. – Laura Cole, Vivial

13. Add Video Content

Video is your No. 1 marketing tool in 2020 because that’s the way people consume content at the moment. Just to illustrate, adding a video to the website increases organic search traffic by 157% and boosts conversion rate by up to 80%. Take the time to film an informative and valuable video and embed it on your home page. It will definitely create a positive first impression. – Solomon Thimothy,OneIMS

14. Don’t Forget Your Social Front Door

Websites are often a top search result for a company, but likely in the top three results is probably also a company’s social page. Ensuring that any “front door” that a consumer decides to enter is curated, updated and on-brand is equally critical. Not only should you ensure that your website has functioning social links, but you should also ensure your social pages link easily to your website. – Matthew Brown, ThumbStopper®

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SHAFTESBURY AND COMPANY PICTURES COME TOGETHER TO OPTION ACCLAIMED CANADIAN BOOK SERIES BIRDER MURDER MYSTERIES

Birder Murder Mysteries is a series of novels written by best-selling author Steve Burrows 

 TORONTO, CANADA: Feb 28, 2020 — Shaftesbury, the award-winning production company behind the global hit TV series Murdoch Mysteries, is partnering with the BAFTA-winning U.K. producer Company Pictures (Wolf Hall, Inspector George Gently, Shameless) to option Canadian author Steve Burrows’ book series Birder Murder Mysteries. The international partnership, which will bring together a roster of both Canadian and U.K. screenwriters, is the first joint venture for the two production companies. 

The series’ protagonist is Domenic Jejeune, a Canadian detective and avid birdwatcher who has been transplanted to the town of Saltmarsh, in Norfolk, U.K. Domenic has become a poster boy for the U.K. police service, using clues from the world of birding to give him a unique perspective on the most complex crimes. 

“Steve Burrows’ gripping books have engaged a vast audience of crime readers in Canada and the U.K. It will be exciting to see his homegrown stories reach an even larger audience with this new partnership,” Christina Jennings, Chairman & CEO, Shaftesbury. 

“We are extremely lucky to have the wonderful Nick Hicks-Beach bringing Steve’s enigmatic detective to life for the screen. And with such distinctive stories and the haunting beauty of the Norfolk coast as the setting, I think this has the makings of an iconic and memorable new series.” Michele Buck, CEO, Company Pictures 

“I’m absolutely delighted. I can’t imagine a better way to bring the Birder Murder Mysteries to the screen than through this terrific partnership between Shaftesbury and Company Pictures.” Steve Burrows, Author, Birder Murder Mysteries 

About Shaftesbury 

Shaftesbury is an award-winning creator and producer of original content for television, film, and digital. Shaftesbury’s current slate includes 13 seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for CBC and UKTV, three seasons of detective drama Frankie Drake Mysteries for CBC and UKTV, three seasons of critically acclaimed horror series Slasher for Netflix, two seasons of Hudson & 

Rex for Citytv/Rogers Media, and several new primetime series including Departure for Global/Corus Entertainment and NBC Universal, Dead Still for RTÉ, Acorn TV, and Citytv/Rogers, and The Sounds for CBC, Acorn TV, and Sky NZ. Building on a library of award-winning kids’ programs, Shaftesbury has an extensive slate of new kids and family programming with series centred on inspiring interest in STEAM, including The Solutioneers, Miikshi, Stinky Science, and Emerald Code. Shaftesbury’s branded division produces original entertainment projects for brands, including the global phenomenon Carmilla for U by Kotex/Kimberly-Clark,Turning the Tables for göt2b®/Henkel, and Futurithmic for Nokia. Shaftesbury’s technology division works with leading healthcare institutions and researchers to explore and develop clinical applications for immersive media experiences including augmented and virtual reality, including a recent focus on children’s therapeutic support tools. www.shaftesbury.ca 

About Company Pictures 

Founded in 1998, All3Media owned, Company Pictures has produced hundreds of hours of critically acclaimed, award-winning drama. Company Pictures has produced major drama series for the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Sky, WGBH, HBO, Starz and other leading broadcasters all over the world and was the producer of triple Golden Globe award winning period drama Elizabeth starring Helen Mirren. Company Pictures’ credits include the Golden Globe and BAFTA-winning adaptation of Hilary Mantel’s Wolf Hall for the BBC starring Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, seminal BBC dramas The Lakes, The Village and Inspector George Gently. Their multi award-winning drama Shameless ran for eleven series and their hugely popular teen drama Skins enjoyed a six-year run, both for Channel 4. Their much-loved long running family series Wild at Heart ran for seven years on ITV. Company Pictures continues to produce high quality, distinguished drama that attracts the best talent and a global audience including The White Princess and The White Queen. Agatha Raisin (Series 2 and 3) starring Ashley Jensen and a re-make of the upcoming detective drama, Van Der Valk starring Marc Warren. 

For more information, please contact: 

For Shaftesbury: 

Jane Collins 

PR, Executive 

+1 (647) 323-8874 

[email protected] 

Iain Christiansen 

Manager, Publicity 

+1 (647) 338-4590 

[email protected] 

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branded entertainment Podcast
The future of podcasting will be highly personalized

There are now 7.6 million of us listening to podcasts each week – an increase of a quarter in just one year. As more and more of us consume this audio, influencers, celebrities, newspapers, radio and TV shows are among those who are jumping on this platform as a new way of sharing content, reaching a wider audience and, ultimately, growing.

Podcasts aren’t new – they actually first arrived on the digital scene back in 2004 – but they have recently seen a resurgence and only continued to grow ever since.

So, why are we all suddenly listening to them, creating them and more importantly, why should your brand join the podcast revolution?

The growth of podcasts

The numbers speak for themselves. In 2013, 3.2 million were listening to podcasts every week. By 2018, this had doubled to almost 6 million adults. Podcasts are growing at a rapid rate and don’t appear to be slowing down anytime soon.

Using data from Rajar, ACast and TouchPoints, Ofcom found half of podcast listeners are under 35. It might not come as a surprise to hear that Generation Z has seen the highest increase, with one in five of those aged between 15 and 24 listening to this format.

Macrae, Ofcom’s Director of Market Intelligence, said: “Podcasts are booming in the, and broadening people’s listening habits. Every age group is getting involved, but the most explosive growth is among younger adults.”

Podcasts are the perfect way to reach and attract this demographic – who want to listen to audio on their terms. The Financial Times, for example, has created a podcast with the primary aim of attracting a younger audience. In the three months up to November 2018, 60% of the increase in marketing subscriptions came from 22 to 37-year-olds. In creating 12 podcasts it doubled its listeners to a million in less than a year. Two-thirds of those listeners are non-subscribers that can now potentially be converted. 

The Guardian targeted commuters on the London Underground advertising its new daily podcast with an ad that said: ‘Don’t read this poster. Listen to it.’ Sam Jacobs, creative director at Oliver said that they wanted to: “Let commuters know that instead of staring at their social media or avoiding eye contact with the person opposite them they could listen in and discover the story behind the headlines.”

While the podcast advertising market is growing, ad performance remains notoriously hard to measure.

According to IAB, the challenge has been “for podcast producers and distributors to offer buyers a set of metrics that is consistently defined and measured equally across the podcast medium”. 

As a result of difficulties relating to ad measurement in podcasts, many brands – fashion and beauty retailers in particular – have chosen to create their own podcasts instead of merely advertising via the medium. This allows retailers to gain a more accurate picture of reach, as well as greater control over messaging and tone.

Fashion retailer Pretty Little Thing is one example to do this. Its ‘Behind Closed Doors podcast’ went straight to number one on the UK podcast charts upon its release earlier this year. 

Pretty Little Thing has taken a targeted approach to its podcast content, tailoring it to the interests of its core audience (of young women). Each episode is centred around a theme such as feminism, social media, and careers, including interviews with relevant and high-profile influencers and celebrities.

The absence of visual content allows brands to build natural relationships and affinities with audiences. Listeners feel they are getting something of real value (be that entertainment, news, or education) rather than a sales pitch.

This example shows how brands are able to experiment and expand on their style in a way that other channels do not allow.

A chance for events  

Another reason for brands to invest in podcasts is that it offers them an opportunity to bridge the gap between the online and offline worlds. 

Saks in New York is one such example, having launched an in-store residency for its ‘Brains Meets Beauty’ podcast. It records monthly podcasts on a special stage in its Fifth Avenue store, inviting fans to come along and experience the interviews. As well as fostering fan loyalty – by offering a unique and exclusive in-person event – the initiative allows Saks to enhance its store experience, creating a more creative environment.

In conclusion.

A challenge for brands will be to get the balance right with branding. It is important for podcasts to feel authentic and valuable rather than just a vehicle for marketing. This is where natural partnerships also come into play, meaning that brands must pick and choose interviewees or collaborators based on relevancy and natural affiliation rather than overt popularity. The latter could come across as fake and therefore harm the content’s credibility, just the same as an inauthentic influencer post on Instagram might.

Like video content, the effectiveness of these podcasts is likely to hang on brands investing in high-quality and engaging content – not just jumping on the bandwagon. If they do, there is no reason why podcasts won’t become a regular fixture in many more retailers’ marketing arsenal. 

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SHAFTESBURY HONOURED WITH 5 CANADIAN SCREEN AWARDS NOMINATIONS INCLUDING BEST LEAD ACTRESS FOR FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES’ LAUREN LEE SMITH

TORONTO, February 18, 2020 – Leading producer Shaftesbury has received 5 nominations for the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards, as announced earlier today by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television, with nods for Murdoch Mysteries, Frankie Drake Mysteries and Hudson & Rex. “We are so thrilled about this year’s Canadian Screen Award nominations for Murdoch Mysteries, Frankie Drake Mysteries and Hudson & Rex. With nominations in the performance and craft categories, this honour is yet another reminder of just how fortunate we are to work with such great talent – on both sides of the camera” said Christina Jennings, Chairman & CEO, Shaftesbury. 

MURDOCH MYSTERIES – 3 nominations 

Best Photography, Drama Series 

Yuri Yakubiw 

Best Achievement in Makeup 

Debi Drennan 

Best Achievement in Hair 

Shirley Bond, Toni Mastropietro 

About MURDOCH MYSTERIES One of Canada’s most successful and longest-running dramas, Murdoch Mysteries (13 seasons; 204 x one-hour episodes; 3 x two-hour specials) has become a staple for CBC and broadcasters around the world with its winning formula that brings together compelling mysteries, unique slices of turn-of-the-century history, ingenious inventions and personal moments for each character. The series is licensed to broadcasters in 120 countries and territories including the U.S., U.K., France, Finland and China. Starring Yannick Bisson, Hélène Joy, Jonny Harris, and Thomas Craig. 

FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES – 1 nomination 

Best Lead Actress, Drama Lauren Lee Smith About FRANKIE DRAKE MYSTERIES Set in 1920s Toronto, Frankie Drake Mysteries follows the city’s only female private detectives as they take on the cases the police don’t want to touch. In a time of change and hopefulness, their gender is their biggest advantage as they defy expectations and rebel against convention. Their cases take them through every cross-section of Toronto, meeting people of all backgrounds and means, as well as historical characters, along the way. Frankie and Trudy’s fearless sense of adventure gets them into all kinds of trouble, but they always manage to find a way out. They are new detectives for a new world –but is the world ready for them? Starring Lauren Lee Smith, Chantel Riley, Rebecca Liddiard, Sharron Matthews, and Wendy Crewson. 

Hudson & Rex – 1 nomination 

Best Photography, Drama Series 

Ian Vatcher 

About HUDSON & REX Detective Charlie Hudson (John Reardon), a cunning Major Crimes detective for the St. John’s Police Department, teams up with an unusual partner–Rex (Diesel vom Burgimwald), a former-K9 German Shepherd, whose heightened senses keep Charlie hot on the trail of his suspects. Together, they investigate puzzling crimes, from a kidnapping which reveals a much larger conspiracy at play to an art theft murder which runs deep into the world of high society. With Charlie’s deft detective work and Rex’s keen canine senses, this crime-fighting pair is unstoppable 

Murdoch Mysteries Series Social Channels: Facebook: facebook.com/MurdochOnCBC Twitter: @CBCMurdoch Instagram: CBCMurdoch #MurdochMysteries #MysteryMondays Frankie Drake Mysteries Series Social Channels: Facebook: facebook.com/FrankieDrakeonCBC Twitter: @CBCFrankieDrake Instagram: CFCFrankieDrake #FrankieDrakeMysteries #MysteryMondays 

Hudson & Rex Series Social Channels: Facebook: facebook.com/HudsonAndRex 

Twitter: @hudsonandrex Instagram: hudsonandrex (#HudsonAndRex) 

About Shaftesbury 

Shaftesbury is an award-winning creator and producer of original content for television, film, and digital. Shaftesbury’s current slate includes 13 seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for CBC and UKTV, three seasons of detective drama Frankie Drake Mysteries for CBC and UKTV, three seasons of critically acclaimed horror series Slasher for Netflix, two seasons of Hudson & Rex for Citytv/Rogers Media, and several new primetime series including Departure for Global/Corus Entertainment and NBC Universal, Dead Still for RTÉ, Acorn TV, and Citytv/Rogers, and The Sounds for CBC, Acorn TV, and Sky NZ. Building on a library of award-winning kids’ programs, Shaftesbury has an extensive slate of new kids and family programming with series centred on inspiring interest in STEAM, including The Solutioneers, Miikshi, Stinky Science, and Emerald Code. Shaftesbury’s branded division produces original entertainment projects for brands, including the global phenomenon Carmilla for U by Kotex/Kimberly-Clark,Turning the Tables for göt2b®/Henkel, and Futurithmic for Nokia. Shaftesbury’s technology division works with leading healthcare institutions and researchers to explore and develop clinical applications for immersive media experiences including augmented and virtual reality, including a recent focus on children’s therapeutic support tools. www.shaftesbury.ca 

Jane Collins 

PR, Executive 

Shaftesbury 

[email protected] 

647.323.8874 

Iain Christiansen 

Manager, Publicity 

Shaftesbury 

[email protected] 

647.338.4590 

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Forbes Agency Council
Making The Most Of This Year’s Advertising Budgets: 15 Expert Tips | Forbes Agency Council

Our SVP, Branded Entertainment, Kaaren Whitney-Vernon,  is an active Forbes Agency Council member. She is often asked, and quoted, for her expertise in their Forbes Expert Panels.   Reposted from Forbes.

Over the last decade, the number of channels for marketing products has more than doubled. As expected, the amount of spending has matched the increased number of channels, with businesses in any industry striving to make the most of their advertising budgets so as to take advantage of as many marketing channels as possible.

With so many options available, it’s essential that organizations only invest in channels that actually prove their worth. Figuring out what those channels are early and getting in on the ground floor can put a company miles ahead in the game. To help out those businesses looking for the scoop, 15 members of Forbes Agency Council offer their insight into where an organization should put its advertising money this year for optimal results.

1. Focus On Digital And Win 

For the placement of a successful advertising message, the target group must still be addressed exactly where it spends most of its time. Due to the digital change, the advertising budget has not only increased in recent years, this change will also continue to assert itself with regard to technologies such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence. Agencies that focus on online advertising will be among the winners! – Markus Hetzenegger,NYBA Media GmbH

2. Invest In What Consumers Want To Watch 

More and more video content is being consumed on our mobile phones. This content ranges from watching a long-form series on OTT platforms to short-form vertical videos on TikTok, Snapchat and Quibi. Instead of interrupting consumers viewing this content with banner ads and pre-roll, brands should start creating branded entertainment that viewers will want to seek out and engage in. – Kaaren Whitney-Vernon, Shaftesbury

3. Diversify To Multiply Your Advertising Effectiveness 

Time and again, research has proven the multiplier effect on awareness and consideration that advertising across multiple channels can have. The essential growth strategy for 2020 is to diversify. Try adding another channel into the mix. It’s also important that your advertising is optimized to each channel’s best practices — don’t just copy your ads and messaging from one channel to the next. – John Keehler, RUNNER Agency

4. Allocate More Funds To Personalization 

We’re going to see more ad dollars devoted to personalization. Consumer targeting will reach all new targeted peaks as brands build out robust multichannel marketing strategies yet manage to deliver personalized messages to each individual customer. Consumers want brands to make them feel special. Agencies that want to get ahead use data to deliver messages tailored for each individual customer. – Danica Kombol, Everywhere Agency

5. Spend It On The Customer Experience 

As everything commoditizes and advertisers continue to struggle to be noticed, it seems the best thing to do in 2020 is spend your money on the customer experience. Many of the typical media channels are so saturated that every dollar spent on the stakeholder experience may yield higher returns. With so many advertisers “screaming” at the consumer, actions might be the best advertising. – Bo Bothe, BrandExtract, LLC

6. Invest In Paid Social Media Targeting 

The media landscape continues to evolve with new digital players such as TikTok disrupting the game. However, the key to maximizing ad budget and ROI will continue to come down to your ability to effectively target your audience. With TV, print and billboards you are guessing. That’s not the case with paid social on Facebook and Instagram, which will remain the best place to spend money in 2020. – Kristopher Jones, LSEO

7. Leverage LinkedIn Promotional Media 

In business-to-business, this year’s trend will be to utilize and leverage various aspects of LinkedIn in a single campaign. Sponsored ads will lead to original posts which will lead to landing pages and calls to action. The concept is to begin by targeting a specific audience with something attention-getting, then transition to a thought leadership article or educational information, and eventually to a company’s website. – Francine Carb, Markitects, Inc.

8. Don’t Underestimate Facebook 

Facebook ads have been saturated for quite some time and the cost of “real estate,” so to speak, has been high. As many companies are shifting ad spend to other platforms, it will open up spaces on Facebook to gain cheaper traction within the platform, given the right model. – Michael Smith, MDS Media Inc.

9. Focus On Mobile Video Advertising 

Two massive audience trends are set to converge in 2020 — the migration to mobile and increased interest in video. Mobile’s share of the U.S. digital advertising market has grown to almost two-thirds, and more than half the population watches video content on mobile devices regularly. Agencies that produce compelling mobile video ads will be ahead of the game in the coming year. – Scott Baradell, Idea Grove

10. Prioritize Influencer Marketing 

With digital ad spend slated to overtake traditional ad spend, we’re going to see more companies prioritizing influencer marketing in their increasingly digital budgets. With all the ways to measure influencer performance, ROI-based campaigns are going to replace the initial wave of experimentation. Brands are turning away from fads and vanity metrics in favor of real KPIs. – Danielle Wiley, Sway Group

11. Go Native 

Native advertising has gone through several reputation iterations, from seedy clickbait to social media staple. In the open web, it’s savvy programmatic buyers’ best-kept secret: When done right, native ads are content previews and lead to the highest post-click engagement. About $2.98 billion will go toward native ads outside social networks in 2020 — the fastest growth of any channel, according to eMarketer. – Lon Otremba,Bidtellect

12. Personalize Customer Touch Points 

“Best spent” means ROI to me, and advertising dollars that go toward direct, personalized customer touch points will deliver the most ROI. This includes email and mobile, but could encompass creative remarketing across digital and social channels, including in-home touch points like product packaging and direct mail. Marketers should think less about channels and more about omnichannel and experiential. – Tripp Donnelly, REQ

13. Put Your Money On CTV 

Connected TV will have one of the largest rates of expansion over the coming year. People still want content, but they continue to want it delivered on more diverse mediums, and Connected TV can reach them wherever they are. – Jessica Hawthorne-Castro, Hawthorne LLC

14. Place The Media Around Consumption Habits 

There are so many options when it comes to buying and placing media. Agencies and businesses can get ahead by only placing media around the target audience’s consumption habits. People who are 18 to 24 years old consume media differently than 35-to-44-year-olds. The social platforms they use, TV shows, magazines — all different. To avoid large amounts of wasted impressions, the execution needs to be hyper-targeted. – Sean Allen, Twelve Three Media

15. Spend Your Ad Dollars On Content Instead 

When you buy traffic, you only get one ROI. When you spend it on content, you make that ROI over and over again from earned organic traffic. The investment is longer term, but sticking to the inbound methodology will eventually lower your cost per acquisition below paid media. If you want to get ahead in the game, invest in content — you’ll still be generating traffic when your budget is gone. – David Ward, Meticulosity

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Is ROX the new ROI
Is ROX the new ROI?

In today’s digital environment, brands interact with customers across multiple touch points, on multiple channels and along unique journeys. In fact, customers are increasingly involved in helping co-create the brand experience when they share on social media. Traditional metrics, such as return on investment, no longer capture the variety and breadth of interactions created by today’s marketing activities. Instead, many marketers are turning to a new measure, return on experience (ROX), to better quantify the impact of their activities. 

What is Return on Experience (ROX)?

Metrics like return on investment consider revenues and costs, but don’t calculate intangibles created by storytelling, social sharing, event engagement or the multiple other touchpoints that may impact a customer’s purchasing decisions. As a result, too much attention on ROI may lead marketers to prioritize less effective tactics. How should you compare the return of a banner ad campaign to branded entertainment if you don’t also calculate the opportunity for social media sharing and customer interaction? 

PWC’s John Maxwell, who leads the company’s Global Consumer Marketing industry sector, wrote an article that discusses the importance of brand experiences. “To keep up with accelerating changes in consumer habits and to acknowledge customer importance, companies need to focus on — and measure — people’s experiences with their products and brands.” 

Consumer habits are constantly changing, and technology is evolving at high-speed rates; “a revolution in technology has created the devices and interfaces that allow people to interact with companies anywhere and anytime and has enabled customers to influence a global audience with their comments or “likes.” 

Meaning that traditional ROI metrics are no longer enough to determine the success of a company and their marketing initiatives. “Evaluating whether your value proposition, capabilities, and portfolio of products and services will create shareholder value requires laser focus on how well you’re meeting higher expectations around the customer experience.” 

With new technologies and services being added daily, company’s need to thoroughly understand the consumers’ purchase journey  and determine what the key touch points and factors are that drive experience. Upon doing so, a brand can determine where in the company needs to invest more.  

Brands need to move the needle on those interactions during the consumers purchase journey and yield measurable results or return on experience (ROX). 

ROX also needs to address whether the company is driving the behaviors in the organization that are key to designing and delivering better online and physical experiences.

Now of course that doesn’t mean that traditional ROI metrics are to be thrown out the window; however, companies need to focus on both ROI and ROX. For example, in  PWCs Global Consumer Insights Survey, they asked more than 21,000 consumers in 27 territories around the world what type of advertising they thought was the most influential. 

“About 35% said traditional TV advertising, the highest percentage among all the choices. This might seem like good news for the world’s biggest companies, because that’s where they still spend the bulk of their advertising dollars. But, dig a little deeper, and you’ll see the  desire for experience  staring us right in the face.” 

When looking at the millennials who have responded to the survey, it’s no surprise that they preferred social media advertisements that allowed them to have some type of interaction with the brand. “Although many companies partner with athletes and entertainers to market their products and services, respondents said that testimonials from real people who have authentic experience with a brand are more influential. Just 17% of survey respondents bought a product because of a celebrity endorsement, but 32 percent did so because of positive reviews on social media.” 

Understanding these statistics, it is evident that they are clear indicators of ROX and that, “investment into traditional advertising campaigns needs to be supplemented by enhancements to customer experiences along the purchasing journey.”    

Incorporate Emotion to Affect Brand and Business Positively

 “Word of mouth has always been more valuable than advertising, but now there are billions of opportunities for word of mouth — through social reviews and sentiment — to make an impact.” – Matt Egol 

Don’t Cast a Wide Net

Global phenomenon Carmilla, produced in partnership with U by Kotex®, focused on reaching a tribe rather than a demo.  This approach allowed us to create content that resonated and spoke on a deeper level to this group. It also allowed this tribe to reach out to other members of the tribe and share the content. When people love your content and share, others will become interested and start watching it, too.

U by Kotex’s® branded web series Carmilla had such an incredible impact on its viewers, that they crowd-funded a movie.  Read the Case Study

This is ROX! Customers involved in the storytelling and creating an experience relevant to them while the brand gains consumer loyalty.

Conclusion

Maxwell ends off with this, “Consumers are focused more than ever on the attributes that make up the totality of their experience, it’s time for all types of companies to lose the ROI blinders and begin focusing more on ROX.” 

Find out how  Shaftesbury Branded can bring you a greater ROX and read John Maxwell’s full article  here.   

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SHE’S NOT AFRAID OF THIS GHOST: GHOST BFF SEASON 2 NOW IN PRODUCTION

Season One now available on KindaTV

TORONTO, November 18, 2019 – Babe Nation Films, Shaftesbury’s KindaTV and WhoHaha announced today that the Canadian Screen Award-nominated web series Ghost BFF has begun production on Season Two (8x5min). Created and written by star Vanessa Matsui (The Handmaid’s Tale, Shadowhunters, The Smurfs 2), Ghost BFFfollows two best friends – one alive, one dead – across space, time and the suburbs as they struggle to find themselves and right past wrongs following a suicide. The series will film in Toronto this November and will be available for streaming on Shaftesbury’s YouTube channel, KindaTV (worldwide, excluding the U.S.), and in the U.S. on the Elizabeth Banks co-founded platform, WhoHaha, and Whohaha channels.

Season Two of Ghost BFF sees Amy, a twenty-something painter who struggles with her mental health, newly single, broke, and trying to find her footing in life after her best friend, Tara, came back from the dead in Season One, throwing her life completely upside down. Amy is offered a huge opportunity to regain some of her old independence and finally find success as a working artist when an ad firm hires her for a lucrative project, but the pressure leaves her creatively blocked and severely anxious. A trip to the ER reunites her with Tara, who is back on Earth to confront her deep-seated anger with her mother in a desperate attempt to stay out of purgatory. Both Amy and Tara find themselves at a major crossroads in their lives (or afterlife, in Tara’s case) and needing each other more than ever to become the people they want to be. Season Two asks the question: Can a person really change? Or are we destined to stay forever stuck in a purgatory of our own making?

“We’re thrilled to be shooting the second season of this important series which promotes mental health awareness, and couldn’t ask for better partners in distribution than KindaTV and Whohaha” said producers Katie Nolan and Lindsay Tapscott.

“I feel thrilled and privileged to be able to explore these complicated characters further and help break barriers surrounding mental health. My hope is that Ghost BFF Season Two makes you want to hold your best friend close, be gentle with yourself, and if you have been affected by suicide, make you feel a little less alone,” said creator and star Vanessa Matsui.

The series will continue to challenge the stigma surrounding mental health and further the conversation by building on the foundation set in Season One. The second season of Ghost BFF promises to bring even more light, laughter and openness to rather taboo topics like depression and suicide.

Season One is now available on KindaTV.

Ghost BFF stars Matsui, Kaniehtiio Horn (Mohawk, Man in the High Castle), and Dan Beirne (Fargo, Reign, Flashpoint). The second season will see a bevy of guest stars including Steve Lund (Street Legal, Schitt’s Creek), Jean Yoon (Kim’s Convenience, Orphan Black), Dani Kind (Workin’ Moms, Wynonna Earp), Angela Asher (Bad Blood, Hard Rock Medical), Yani Gellman (Dynasty, Pretty Little Liars), and Gwynne Phillips (Kim’s Convenience, Sensitive Skin).

Created and written by Vanessa Matsui, the series is produced by Katie Nolan and Lindsay Tapscott of Babe Nation Films, and is directed by Lindsay MacKay (Wet Bum, Running with Violet). Matsui also acts as Executive Producer of Season Two and will direct one episode. Produced with the assistance of the Ontario Creates Interactive Digital Media (IDM) Fund, the Telus Fund, the Canada Media Fund and the Bell Fund. Shaftesbury holds worldwide distribution rights, excluding the U.S.

Ghost BFF Series Social Channels:

Facebook: facebook.com/GhostBFF

Twitter: @ghost_bff

Instagram: ghostbff

To download this release, and for more information on this and other Shaftesbury series, please visit the Shaftesbury media site at shaftesbury.ca/media.

About Babe Nation Films

Babe Nation Films is a Toronto-based boutique production company that champions female voices and stories. Producers Katie Bird Nolan and Lindsay Tapscott specialize in the hands-on creative development and production of character-driven narratives from a diverse slate of international filmmakers. Babe Nation’s debut feature, The Rest of Us, premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival; the film was written by Alanna Francis, directed by Aisling Chin-Yee, and stars Heather Graham, Sophie Nélisse, Jodi Balfour and Abigail Pniowsky. Babe Nation’s other projects include Calvin Thomas’s and Yonah Lewis’s feature White Lie, which also premiered at TIFF 2019; a contemporary adaptation of the famous Françoise Sagan novel Bonjour Tristesse, written by Durga Chew-Bose (Too Much and Not the Mood, FSG Originals); Alice, Darling, the second feature from Alanna Francis (The Rest of Us, TIFF 2019); and a limited television series adaptation of the Kit Pearson YA novels The Sky Is Falling, Looking at the Moon and The Lights Go On Again. Katie is an alumna of the 2016 TIFF Producers Lab and 2018 TIFF Accelerator Lab, where she studied under veteran producer Cassian Elwes, and Lindsay is an alumna of the 2019 Rotterdam Producers Lab. In 2018, Babe Nation was named one of Playback’s Top 5 to Watch, and in 2019, the company was nominated for the CMPA Emerging Producer Award.

About Shaftesbury

Shaftesbury is an award-winning creator and producer of original content for television, film, and digital. Shaftesbury’s current slate includes 13 seasons of Murdoch Mysteries for CBC and UKTV, three seasons of detective drama Frankie Drake Mysteries for CBC and UKTV, three seasons of critically acclaimed horror series Slasher for Netflix, two seasons of Hudson & Rex for Citytv/Rogers Media, and several new primetime series including Departure for Global/Corus Entertainment and NBC Universal, Dead Still for RTÉ, Acorn TV, and Citytv/Rogers, and The Sounds for CBC, Acorn TV, and Sky NZ. Shaftesbury’s branded division produces original entertainment projects for brands, including the global phenomenon Carmilla for U by Kotex/Kimberly-Clark and Turning the Tables for göt2b®/Henkel. Shaftesbury’s technology division works with leading healthcare institutions and researchers to explore and develop clinical applications for immersive media experiences including augmented and virtual reality. www.shaftesbury.ca

For more information, please contact:

Meg Campbell / Manager, Publicity / Shaftesbury / 416-363-1411 x163 / [email protected]

Jane Collins / Executive, PR / Shaftesbury / 416-363-1411 x130 / [email protected]

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GOVERNOR GENERAL ANNOUNCES 103 NEW APPOINTMENTS TO THE ORDER OF CANADA

OTTAWA—Her Excellency the Right Honourable Julie Payette, Governor General of Canada, today announced 103 new appointments to the Order of Canada — a list that includes Christina Jennings, the founder and CEO of Shaftesbury Films.

As mentioned on the website, Christina Jennings is commended “for her commitment to the Canadian film industry and for her promotion of women in this field.”

About the Order of Canada
Created in 1967, the Order of Canada is one of our country’s highest honours. Presented by the governor general, the Order honours people whose service shapes our society; whose innovations ignite our imaginations; and whose compassion unites our communities.

Close to 7 000 people from all sectors of society have been invested into the Order of Canada. Their contributions are varied, yet they have all enriched the lives of others and have taken to heart the motto of the Order: DESIDERANTES MELIOREM PATRIAM (“They desire a better country”). The striking six-point white enamel insignia they wear symbolizes our northern heritage and our diversity, because no two snowflakes are alike.

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