Castle Media Kit

2013 MEDIA KIT

Contractor advantage Ca n a da’ s M ag a z i n e f o r P r o f e s s i o n a l C o n t r ac t o r s z

Contractor Focused

Each edition of Contractor Advantage (CA) zeroes in on what contractors need to do to grow and improve their business. From how-to features created to ensure a seamless and smooth renovation, to design and market trends as well as relevant information on business best practices. Contractor Advantage is dedicated to providing relevant content and information that will help to give their business a competitive advantage and more profit potential.

6 Issues Annually

Castle Connected

It is likely that at some point, just about every contractor in Canada will purchase supplies and equipment at a Castle location.

When they do, they also receive a copy of Contractor Advantage.

Our distribution is coast-to-coast, which extends our advertisers’ reach across Canada. Contractor Advantage reaches a database of more than 28,000 carefully-selected and opt-in contractors who make buying decisions for their businesses.

Online Strategy

Beginning in January 2013 Contractor Advantage will be available in an easy-to-read digital version on castle.ca. Current issues of Contractor Advantage, Avantage Entreprenur, Ideas and Rough Construction will be posted and archived. Past issues of CA will also be available with an assortment of news and feature articles from yesterday and today.

Trusted and Respected

Contractor Advantage has served its readers and advertisers for nearly two decades by offering high-quality, informative and well-received content. Each issue features compelling, original and timely editorial content that Canada’s contractors have come to trust and respect. In 2013, Contractor Advantage continues to follow key homeowner investment areas, while taking on timely business issues such as DIY competition, design trends, overcoming trades shortages and the effects of climate change.

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2013 Castle Media kit

Editorial Calendar 2013 July-August

January-February • Repeat Business: Tips For Recurring Revenue • Building Envelope Evolution • Exterior Doors and Hardware

• Green Materials • High-end Kitchen Renovations • Lumber Trends 2013

• High-end Homes, Low-impact Cost • Outdoor Structures: Decks, Fences and Pergolas

Material due: Nov. 26, 2012

Material due: May 24, 2013

March-April

September-October

• Tax & Accounting Tips • Building the Man Cave: Basement Renovations • Environmental Energy Options

• Beyond Marble: Countertop Options • Exterior Paints & Stains • Insulation Trends 2013

Material due: Jan. 24, 2013

May-June • Staffing Amidst Market Skill shortages • Outdoor Designs: Landscaping and Lighting

• Ceilings • The Green Home • Siding • Flooring Trends 2013

Material due: March 25, 2013

• Legal Tips • Smart Homes: Contractor Considerations • Engineered Wood

• Dock Designs • Cottage Country Renos • Roofing And Shingles • Foundations

• Gypsum • Hand And Power Tools • Insulated Concrete Forms

Material due: July 25, 2013

November-December • Building To Combat Climate Change • Interior Paints • Millwork

• PT Lumber • Cabinets And Moulding • Top-tier Bathroom Renovation

Material due: Sept. 25, 2013

Business Building

It takes more than a hammer and saw to build a contractor business and Contractor Advantage recognizes that through providing readers with top-tier advice from expert columnists.

Accounting expert Paul Rhodes, remodeling authority Victoria Downing and online marketing guru Josh Kerbel continue to provide contractors with the professional counsel, tools and acumen needed to grow their businesses.

Making Green Easy

Homeowners and builders are frequently asking contractors for environmentally-friendly options, and building codes are increasingly driving demand for energy efficiency. Contractor Advantage keeps a finger on the pulse of environmental issues to help its readers react to these growing demands, understand the trends and issues, and take greatest advantage of the mounting green movement.

DesignTalk

More than ever consumers are becoming more design conscious and often communicate their design ideas to the very contractors that will make their design dreams a reality. As the gate keepers of this movement, contractors will find innovative new product and renovation design information in every issue of CA helping to keep them on the edge of the latest home renovation trends.

50 Years and Building A Special Edition Castle Building Centres Group will celebrate a landmark anniversary in 2013 – 50 Years.

The first in the industry; a great deal has happened since four lumber retailers – joined forces in 1963 in an effort to secure a better deal from their suppliers.

To commemorate this impressive milestone, Castle will publish a special 50th Anniversary Issue in Spring 2013. The issue will chronicle the life and times of not just Castle, but the valued vendor partners, milestones and individuals that are part of its history and evolution over the past five decades.

Bonus Issue Material due: March 25

2013 Castle Media kit

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Circulation Breakdown for

Contractor advantage Ca n a da’ s M ag a z i n e f o r P r o f e s s i o n a l C o n t r ac t o r s

Total: 27,842 By province

Northwest Territories: 151 Yukon: 44 Nunavut: 21/29

Newfoundland and Labrador:1623

British Columbia: 2459 Alberta: 3818 Saskatchewan: 1504 Manitoba: 1646

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2013 Castle Media kit

P.E.I.: 410 Nova Scotia:1615 New Brunswick:1397 Ontario: 12,876 Quebec: 249

avantage ENTREPRENeuR

LE M AGAZINE C ANADIEN DES ENTRE P RENE U RS P ROFESSIONNELS

Francophone Edition

Launched in 2010, Avantage Entrepreneur (AE) is the French edition of Contractor Advantage with relevant content catering directly to Francophone contractors and consumers.

The AE is filled with engaging editorial, cutting edge new product alerts, helpful hints from business experts and timely feature articles. AE is published 3 times per year; Spring, Summer and Fall.

3 Issues Annually

Edition Francophone

Lancée en 2010, l’édition française du magazine Contractor Advantage, Avantage Entrepreneur, traite de sujets concernant directement les entrepreneurs et consommateurs francophones.

Avantage entrepreneur regorge d’éditoriaux intéressants, d’annonces de nouveaux produits à la fine pointe de la technologie, de conseils utiles donnés par des experts en matière de commerce et d’articles d’actualité. Le magazine est publié trois fois par année : au printemps, à l’été et à l’automne.

Trois numéros par année

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Building a Better Envelope

Launched in 2010, Rough Construction (RC) provides contractors and consumers with the industry insights about the cornerstone of any structure: the foundation and building envelope. RC advertisers range from all aspects of this crucial component of good building including framing, concrete forms, roofing, insulation, and beyond. RC provides contractors with the information, innovations and insights into how to build a better building envelope.

rough construction insulation • weather protection • tools • gypsum • siding• underlayment • roofing

Annual Issue rough construction_No_Castle_32_pages.indd 1

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2013 Castle Media kit

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ideas Inspiring Home Improvement

For the past five years Ideas has provided homeowners with inspiration from which to build their dream homes.

Each Spring and Fall Ideas issue brings to consumers highly-illustrative designs and innovations that will help inspire them to take their home renovations to the next level. For advertisers, the pages of Ideas is a showroom of home products featuring the hottest indoor and outdoor finishes, luxurious bath designs, trend setting kitchen designs and the lure of outdoor living.

Spring and Fall Bi-Annual Issues

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The

Building Of

Excellence

Castle Building Centres Group is proud to be celebrating 50 years of building excellence

and we continue to grow stronger each year. Castle is the very first Lumber, Building Materials and Hardware buying group in Canada to reach this incredible milestone of 50 years and continue to be committed to the success of the independents in our Canadian member-owned buying group. Our commitment is to drive this success to our members through freedom of choice in buying decisions and strategic partnerships with key suppliers and distributors. Castle thanks our vendor partners for their continued support of Castle Building Centre Group and our valued Castle Dealers.

Jennifer Mercieca Editorial Director Castle Building Centres Group Ltd.

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2013 Castle Media kit