Insight: Media habits are changing, consumers expect to access information/entertainment where, when and however they want. Digital video/social media are on a drastic rise. Branded content is fast becoming the most exciting and dynamic method of engaging audiences today.

With this key insight, we created a first-to-market, multi-platform, webisodic reality program — Canada's Best Beauty Talent.

In response to changing media consumption habits, the program was played out across multi-platforms from digital to iPad apps to on demand conventional and digital broadcast. Each platform required the content to be uploaded in individual formats with varying rules and regulations for each from closed-captioning requirements to approvals from the Canadian Advertising Standards Council. All digital media units had to comply with Canadian Internet Advertising Bureau standards.

Key objectives for the program:

• Develop a “test & learn” branded content program across multimedia channels (earned/owned/paid)

• Inspire/educate/promote trial of L’Oréal brands

• Leverage Canadian talent/beauty expertise

• Engage consumer/professional audiences

The audience was drawn to the content via multi-platform content and media tactics including:

• Content integrations in relevant Rogers-owned television programming via morning television show interviews.

• Via a series of promotional media running across Rogers television stations and run-of-network across Rogers Digital properties.

• Editorial and advertising placed in selected Rogers-owned magazines: HELLO Canada, LOULOU, Chatelaine and FLARE.

• Orchestrated social media push initiatives across all participating L'Oreal products and Rogers Media brands across Twitter and Facebook.

• Via presence on Rogers Cable TV listing channel and via a custom On Demand channel on conventional and digital TV.

The series brought brand integration to the next level balancing entertainment with brand messaging. We delivered results for L’Oréal, and we established benchmarks for integrated branded content programs for the future with outstanding results:

• 210 press hits from media in Canada and globally (Russia, France, USA, Singapore etc)

• More than 31m earned media impressions

• Total media impressions: 57,524,846

• Average time spent with each episode: 9:44

• 162,272 unique video views

• 87% brand recall

• 79% of viewers indicated intent-to-purchase a L’Oréal product

• 98% of viewers wanted to see more

• ROI 369 (every $100 spent returned $369 value)

• Impressions: 45,023,420

• Brand lift: 50% improvement

• Purchase intent: 70%

• L’Oréal International deemed it a global best practice in digital marketing

CANADA’S BEST BEAUTY TALENT is Canada’s first-to-market program of its kind. We proved that high-quality integrated branded content programs work, and that creating content which is available wherever and whenever consumers want to watch/engage with it, is possible. We pushed many technological boundaries across media platforms, from conventional broadcast television, to online, to developing a new process for trafficking materials for national broadcast, to gathering data/program metrics across all platforms.