Season One
SERIES LAUNCH Fall 2011
COVERAGE REPORT MRP ANALYSIS AND HIGHLIGHTS TOTAL REACH: 62.4 MILLION
COVERAGE REPORT SERIES LAUNCH
CONTENTS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
COVERAGE OVERVIEW AND ANALYSIS CRITIC QUOTES FULL CLIPPINGS REPORT PRINT HIGHLIGHTS TV BOOK HIGHLIGHTS ONLINE HIGHLIGHTS
COVERAGE OVERVIEW AND ANALYSIS SUMMARY The Comedy Network original production, PICNICFACE, premiered its first season on Sept. 21, 2011. As a result of a strategic communications plan, the series launch secured national online, print, radio, and television coverage, and generated excitement online and on social media. The media campaign for the PICNICFACE launch on The Comedy Network was extremely successful. A total of 128 stories and a total reach of 62,439,944 impressions were achieved at a cost of less than one cent per impression. The campaign received a final score of 95.12% as assessed by the MRP system (see below for details about MRP). Ongoing media outreach continues to maintain interest during the series run. The campaign was a huge success due to the following factors:
1. Full access and availability of the eight-member Picnicface troupe allowed for ongoing pitching to national outlets for interviews leading up to the series premiere. 2. In advance of the broadcast, the troupe participated in two promotional shows coordinated by The Comedy Network. The first, at Montreal’s Just for Laughs comedy festival and the second at the Rivoli in downtown Toronto. In-person interviews were solicited and secured on site at both shows to generate buzz and feature stories. 3. The Comedy Network Communications team generated excitement and engaged viewers through a targeted eight-week online campaign that featured unique mini-promo videos of PICNICFACE reminding viewers of the premiere on The Comedy Network, as well as a series of “Meet Picnicface” videos pushing to the PICNICFACE branded site on www.thecomedynetwork.ca. 4. A sneak peek episode aired on Aug. 31, 2011, which sustained buzz around the series and the piqued interest of media and viewers in advance of the official series premiere. 5. The Comedy Network Communications team sent a playful media kit to national media outlets, which included branded PICNICFACE whimsical pens in the shape of forks and spoons, was wrapped to look like a picnic napkin, and included a screener of the Sept. 21 premiere episode.
COVERAGE RESULTS (from MRP™) Overview of Coverage Results Total Stories: Total Program Reach*:
128 62,439,944
Program Budget**:
$3,852
Cost Per Contact:
$0.00006
MRP™ Quality Score***:
95.12%
*Circulation = unique readers/viewers **The budget for this campaign mainly covered media kit expenses and talent travel to the Rivoli promotional show. ***Total MRP™ Score is calculated as follows: Total criteria fulfilled / (Total stories x 5) = % (out of 100)
Four customized criteria were used to measure the impact of each story. We used these criteria for Print, Online and Broadcast hits: • Company/Brand Mention (Any mention of PICNICFACE on The Comedy Network!) • Photo/Image • Tier 1 Media Outlets: (Tier 1 = reach of 100,000+ and/or top outlet for demo) • Key Messages / Call to action (inclusion of one or all key messages) o PICNICFACE premieres Sept. 21 at 10:30 p.m. ET on The Comedy Network. o PICNICFACE is a Comedy Network original production o The Comedy Network develops Canada’s funniest home-grown original programming. o The Comedy Network spotlights and cultivates Canada’s next comic stars. Bonus points were awarded if a piece included all of the following: a mention of The Comedy Network, a photo, a quote and ran in a Tier 1 media outlet. Fifty-five percent of all media hits received a bonus point.
QUALITY OF COVERAGE Company/Brand Mention All stories (100%) mentioned The Comedy Network and PICNICFACE. Key Messages Across all outlets, 100% of stories mentioned at least one of the key messages outlined above. Photos/Images The majority (68%) of coverage included photos and several pieces featured more than one photo. Tier 1 Sources More than half (59%) of stories were featured in top tier outlets. Top tier coverage achieved include features in The Toronto Star, The National Post, The Toronto Sun, Metro, etalk, MTV News, Rogers Your World This Week, along with repeated pick-up across the wires (QMI Agency, Postmedia and Canadian Press).
About MRP™ Media Relations Rating Points (MRP™) is a standardized measurement tool that assesses not only the quantity, but quality of coverage, providing a basis for comparison between different communications campaigns. The MRP™ system analyses editorial media coverage by tone, customized criteria, total program reach, and cost-per-contact. It also calculates a total score for the campaign. The MRP™ system is developed by the Canadian Public Relations Society. The MRP™ system provides reach data that is sourced by leading industry suppliers. These suppliers conduct empirical surveys with the general public to assess the number of people reading, watching and/or listening. More info on MRP™ is available at www.prmeasurement.ca.
WHAT THE CRITICS SAID “It's the most promising Canadian sketch-comedy show since Kids in the Hall.” – Chris Lackner, Postmedia News "Picnicface's humour is almost always absurdist. It's also very popular, with more than 70,000 subscribers to the Picnicface YouTube channel and one clip having surpassed 24 million views." – Alexandra Posadzki, Canadian Press “Prepare yourself for the absurd, strange and sometimes creepy comedy of the Haligonian sketch troupe, Picnicface” – Michael Oliveira and Cassandra Szklarski, Canadian Press “…They deserved their own show a long time ago, so let’s be glad they finally have one…In short, Picnicface are good at what they do, and only growing better as it as they progress. They are smart comics, every one, and the Rivoli show was mostly excellent at a point when they’re still very much developing as performers." – Christopher Bird, Torontoist "The octet are a triple threat, with a book, movie and television show coming out this fall; if everything works out they may just become a household name." – Angela Hickman, National Post "Picnicface shows promise because the group's sketches draw from the boundless depths of absurdist culture. They've also proven that there's an audience for their comedy." – Fabiola Carletti, CBC.ca “Picnicface frequently pushes the boundaries of so-called good taste” – Angela Hickman, National Post
FULL CLIPPINGS REPORT
SERIES LAUNCH – FULL CLIPPINGS REPORT NEWSWIRE: Canadian Press – September 19, 2011, Alexandra Posadzki, “Halifax comedy troupe Picnicface take their act to TV; book, movie on the way” **Appeared in Yahoo News Canada, 660news.com, 570news.com, mysask.com, 658news.com, Cape Breton Post, The Daily News (Truro), Hamilton Spectator, newstalk1010.com, q107.com, thecornwalldaily.com, thespec.com, metronews.ca, cjob.com, ctv.ca/entertainment, am1450.ca, y108.ca, 610ktb.com, news957.com, celebedge.ca, Winnipeg Free Press, WinnipegFreePress.com, kbsradio.ca, macleans.ca, am1150.ca, theChronicleHerald.ca, y108.ca Postmedia News – August 31, 2011, Chris Lackner, “Fine Tuning column for Wednesday, August 31, 2011” ** Appeared in Montreal Gazette, The Daily News, Edmonton Journal, Times & Transcript (Moncton), The Leader-Post (Regina), Times Colonist (Victoria) Postmedia News – August 26, 2011, Chris Lackner, “Pop Forecast” **Appeared in Times Colonist, Vancouver Sun, Ottawa Citizen, Windsor Star, The Leader-Post, Montreal Gazette, Canada.com, leaderpost.com, Vancouversun.com, ottawacitizen.com, theprovince.com, thestarphoenix.com, timescolonist.com, edmontonjournal.com Postmedia – August 31, 2011, Angela Hickman, “Thankfully they didn't go with 'Laughterknife'; Picnicface launch all-out assault on comedy world” **Also appeared in National Post, Ottawa Citizen, CalgaryHerald.com, The Ampersand [Nationalpost.com], The StarPhoenix [Saskatoon], MontrealGazette.com, Vancouver Sun, The Province, TheProvince.com, Canada.com QMI Agency – August 31, 2011, Bill Harris, “Picnicface makes its TV Debut” **Toronto Sun, Torontosun.com, The Sault Star, The Peterborough Examiner, The North Bay Nugget, The Chatham Daily News, The Brantford Expositor, The Belleville Intelligencer, Woodstock Sentinel-Review, The Winnipeg Sun, The Ottawa Sun, The London Free Press, 24 Hrs Toronto, 24 Hrs Edmonton, OttawaSun.com, Tv-eh.com, nydailynews.com PRINT: Canadian Jewish News – October 12, 2011, "Writer brings 'nerd and neuroses' to comedy troupe" **Also appeared on CJNews.com The Grid TO – October 13, 2011, “Picnicface at the Canadian Comedy Awards” 24 Hrs Toronto – October 13, 2011, “Picnicface troupe cut from a different cloth” Globe and Mail – September 28, 2011, Andrew Doyle, “Also Airing Tonight: Picnicface” Ottawa Sun - September 9, 2011, Bill Harris, “WATCH LIST; Here’s a roundup of when your shows – old and new – return to the airwaves”
Hamilton Spectator – August 31, 2011, “Wednesday File: reasons and excuses to watch, celebrate and play” ** Also appeared in Waterloo Region Record, TheRecord.com Toronto Star – August 27, 2011, Chandler Levack, “’Picnicface takes the tube” **Also appeared on Toronto.com Metro Halifax – August 25, 2011, Jenna Conter, “Picnicface is local no more” **Also appeared on MetroNews.ca TV BOOKS STARWEEK – October 8, 2011, Brian Gorman, “Picnicface puts TV into its comedy basket” STARWEEK – September 10, 2011, “Legend of Arthur lives again in gritty new Camelot 2 Broke Girls, Playboy Club and Picnicface” Channel Guide Magazine – August 31, 2011, “PICNICFACE” ONLINE Globe and Mail – October 17, 2011, Carsten Knox, “From Halifax to The Comedy Network by way of YouTube” Toronto.com – October 12, 2011, “The Brioux Report: Don Cherry Helps Hockey Night in Canada to a top 3 Finish Behind Only Big Bang and House” OpenFile.ca/Halifax – October 2011 (Expected to be published), Interview with Troupe TheChronicleHerald.ca – September 21, 2011, Andrea Nemetz, “Life’s a picnic now” AOL TV – September 21, 2011, AOL TV Staff, “Picnicface ready for primetime with new sketch comedy show” TheSeriousComedySite.com – September 21, 2011, “Picnicface – The Comedy Network Wednesdays 10:30” TheChronicleHerald.ca – September 15, 2011, Andrea Nemetz, “Festival gets rolling start” CBC.ca – September 15, 2011, “Atlantic film fest opens with Roller Town” TheCoast.ca – September 15, 2011, Carsten Knox, “The deal with Picnicface” TheCoast.ca – September 15, 2011, Carsten Knox, “Picnicface Q&A (Part One)” TheCoast.ca – September 15, 2011, Carsten Knox, “Picnicface Q&A (Part Two)” Torontoist.com – September 7, 2011, Christopher Bird, “Picnicfaceoff” ArtsOnline.cbc.ca – August 31, 2011, Fabiola Carletti, “Sketch troupe Picnicface tackles the mainstream” TorontoLife.com – August 23, 2011, “The one thing you should see this week: an oldfashioned variety show by Toronto's top improv troupe" Torontoist.com – August 29, 2011, “Televisualist: Heroic Bisexual Succubus Fairy Time TV CTV News Channel “Straight Talk” – October 24, 2011, Live interview with Evany Rosen TSN: Off the Record – October 13, 2011, Panel with Brian Macquarrie CTV News Channel Direct – October 12, 2011, Live interview with Evany Rosen TSN: Off the Record – October 12, 2011, Interview with Brian Macquarrie
Rogers Your World This Week (TV) – October 7, 2011, Segment on PICNICFACE and interview with Kyle Dooley MTV News – September 21, 2011, Interview with troupe members etalk – September 21, 2011, Just For Laughs segment – Interview with the troupe CTV Morning Live (Halifax) – September 20, 2011, Interview with the troupe TSN: Off The Record – September 20th, Interview with Brian Macquarrie RADIO CJSW (Radio) – October 13, 2011, Interview with Evany Rosen CJSW (Radio) – September 28, 2011, Interview with troupe members CKDU FM – September 14, 2011, Interview with Scott Vrooman CKCU FM – September 21, 2011, Interview with Andy Bush
PRINT HIGHLIGHTS
Toronto Star (Aug. 28, 2011) 1 of 2
Toronto Star (Aug. 28, 2011) 2 of 2 Also appeared in: Toronto.com
National Post (Aug. 31, 2011) Also appeared in: Ottawa Citizen, CalgaryHerald.com, The Ampersand [Nationalpost.com], The StarPhoenix [Saskatoon], MontrealGazette.com
Toronto Sun (Aug. 31, 2011) Also appeared in: TorontoSun.com, 24 Hrs Toronto, 24 Hrs Edmonton, Jam Showbiz [canoe.ca], Grande Prairie Daily Herald-Tribune, The Sault Star, The Peterborough Examiner, The North Bay Nugget, The Chatham Daily News, The Brantford Expositor, London Free Press, The Belleville Intelligencer, The Ottawa Sun, The Winnipeg Sun, Woodstock Sentinel-Review, OttawaSun.com, TV-eh.com, nydailynews.com
Canadian Press (Sept. 21, 2011) 1 of 2 **Appeared in Yahoo News Canada, 660news.com, 570news.com, mysask.com, 658news.com, Cape Breton Post, The Daily News (Truro), Hamilton Spectator, newstalk1010.com, q107.com, thecornwalldaily.com, thespec.com, metronews.ca, cjob.com, ctv.ca/entertainment, am1450.ca, y108.ca, 610ktb.com, news957.com, celebedge.ca, Winnipeg Free Press, WinnipegFreePress.com, kbsradio.ca, macleans.ca, am1150.ca, theChronicleHerald.ca
Canadian Press (Sept. 21, 2011) 2 of 2
The Grid (Oct. 13, 2011)
24 Hrs Toronto (Oct. 13, 2011)
Metro Halifax (Aug. 25, 2011) Also appeared in: MetroNews.ca
TV BOOK HIGHLIGHTS
Starweek (Oct. 8, 2011) 1 of 2
Starweek (Oct. 8, 2011) 2 of 2
Starweek (Sept. 10, 2011)
Channel Guide Magazine (Aug. 2011)
ONLINE HIGHLIGHTS
Globeandmail.com (Oct. 17, 2011) 1 of 3
Globeandmail.com (Oct. 17, 2011) 2 of 3
Globeandmail.com (Oct. 17, 2011) 3 of 3
The Canadian Jewish News.com (Oct. 12, 2011) 1 of 2
AOLTV.com (Sept. 21, 2011) 1 of 2
AOLTV.com (Sept. 21, 2011) 2 of 2
TheChronicleHerald.ca (Sept. 21, 2011) 1 of 2
TheChronicleHerald.ca (Sept. 21, 2011) 2 of 2
TheCoast.ca (Sept. 15, 2011) 1 of 2
TheCoast.ca(Sept. 15, 2011) 2 of 2
TheCoast.ca (Sept. 15, 2011) 1 of 2
TheCoast.ca (Sept. 15, 2011) 2 of 2
TheCoast.ca (Sept. 15, 2011) 1 of 2
TheCoast.ca (Sept. 15, 2011) 2 of 2
Torontoist.com (Sept. 7, 2011) 1 of 3
Torontoist.com (Sept. 7, 2011) 2 of 3
Torontoist.com (Sept. 7, 2011) 3 of 3
Torontolife.com (Aug. 28, 2011)
Therecord.com (Aug. 26, 2011)
Toromagazine.com (July 27, 2011) 1 of 4
Toromagazine.com (July 27, 2011) 2 of 4
Toromagazine.com (July 27, 2011) 3 of 4
Toromagazine.com (July 27, 2011) 4 of 4