Marketing News Roundup: December 07, 2022

Today we feature a round-up of some big events and recent industry happenings.

• Turo Opens the Door to Extraordinary!
• Pluto TV Debuts in Canada with 110+ Unique Free Channels
• Discord Data: Do you have ‘Emoji Power?’ Gen Z does!
• Matte PR to Represent Ladurée Canada
• How Tangerine Created 250+ Customized Videos in Ads Creative Studio

Read more below!

Discord Data: Do you have ‘Emoji Power?’ Gen Z does!

It turns out emojis are more than just fun additions to digital interactions – over 70% of Canadian emoji users enjoy conversations with emojis more than those without. On top of that, around 7 in 10 Canadians feel emojis help make messages they are trying to communicate clearer and help mimic in-person conversations.

Discord, a global voice, video and text communication service, conducted a global study of 16,000 people to dig into the universal language of emojis and how we may see them used in the future, featuring a 2,000+ Canadian sample size.

Top Canadian findings point to younger generations dictating the future of emojis, including:

• Younger generations are most comfortable swapping emotion for emoji: Young Canadian adults (age 18-34) are more likely than their older counterparts to always/often use emojis (73% age 18-34 vs. 63% 35-44, 52% 45-54, 35% 55-64, and 21% 65+).
• Emojis help Gen Z communicate more simply: Young Canadian adults (age 18-34) are more likely than their older counterparts to at least sometimes respond to a message using just an emoji (83% age 18-34 vs. 72% 35-44, 70% 45-54, 61% 55-64, and 45% 65+).
• Custom emojis can amplify their uses: While 87% of Canadians have never used custom emojis, 42% are interested in learning how.
• Young Canadian adults have codified digital comms: 82% of Gen Z Canadian emoji users say the meaning of emojis differ based on who they are speaking to.
• Emojis make people more understanding: Canadian emoji users feel they strengthen their relationships with many different people including friends (67%), family (67%), and significant others (62%).
• Emojis are essential: Young Canadian adults (age 18-34) are more likely than their older counterparts to enjoy conversations with emojis more than those without (73% age 18-34 vs. 62% 35-44, 55% 45-54, 52% 55-64, and 32% 65+).

“One of the most popular behaviors we’re seeing on our platform is the use of emojis, so we were really interested in understanding how they make people feel and what is their full potential. Among Gen Z, we have seen a strong desire for emojis to not just represent our emotions, but also create deeper connections in more authentic ways,” stated Nicole Brendis, Director of Consumer Product Marketing, Discord. “Custom emojis will take self-expression and connection to the next level, especially with younger generations. Despite the majority of Canadian emoji users reporting they haven’t used custom emojis yet, 42% already see value in using them for personal expression and fostering inclusion."

Turo opens the door to the extraordinary!

Turo, the world's largest car-sharing marketplace recently launched their ‘Open the Door to Extraordinary’ campaign, inspired by the zeitgeist of the metaverse, as seen in shows like “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness”, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and “Rick and Morty”. Turo’s latest campaign video showcases the extraordinary experiences of Turo guests through cutting-edge production technology and emphasizes the connection between Turo hosts and the guests renting their cars.

This is the first North American campaign from Turo that includes Quebec localization as well as assets in English and French. Coming at a time when international travel resumes and more people are planning visits to see family and friends over the holidays, further emphasizing the importance of car-sharing services in communities around us.

Open the Door to Extraordinary (Launched Nov 2022): Leaning into magical realism to showcase magical guest experiences s

· The North America-skewed campaign is supported by a mix of YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, as well as OTT 30-second spots running digitally to drive exposure for content.

· The campaign is amplified as a brand stunt that builds off of the momentum of Turo’s inaugural Find Your Drive campaign first launched in Fall 2021

Pluto TV Debuts in Canada with 110+ Unique Free Channels

Pluto TV, the world’s leading FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) service made its debut in Canada December 1, streaming more than 20,000 hours of free programming to Canadians. This marks Pluto TV’s most robust content at launch offering to-date, introducing a diverse lineup of over 110 thematic and single-series channels curated from a library containing thousands of titles from Paramount and global media partners.

Through a partnership with Corus Entertainment Inc., Pluto TV now offers Canadian audiences a wide spectrum of free programming including iconic TV and film franchises across popular genres such as drama, comedy, lifestyle, kids, movies, around-the-clock news and more.

“I am thrilled to officially introduce Pluto TV to Canadian audiences, bringing them a fantastic lineup that combines the best of Corus’ Canadian content, Paramount’s deep library and more than 100 third-party partners. The union of Pluto TV and Corus delivers the best of both worlds, debuting a free streaming destination for fans, and creating opportunities for advertisers, offering a premium inventory in a brand safe TV environment,” said Olivier Jollet, Executive Vice President & International General Manager for Pluto TV. “This year has marked tremendous growth for Pluto TV, having expanded to the Nordics in May and now to Canada. As we are now in more than 30 countries and territories, we are one step closer to our mission to entertain the planet.”
“The debut of Pluto TV marks the next evolution of streaming in Canada, as Corus celebrates the launch alongside Paramount Global as partners in both content and ad sales,” said Troy Reeb, Executive Vice President, Broadcast Networks, Corus Entertainment. “Corus is home to Canada’s biggest portfolio of original content in the food and lifestyle space, and the stories that connect with Canadians where they live through Global News. Our strategy has always been rooted in placing more content in more places, and Pluto TV further advances this goal. We are also thrilled to expand our offering for advertisers with the addition of Pluto TV’s huge inventory of premium video.”

Canadian viewers will also have access to around-the-clock local Global News channels from Toronto, Montreal, B.C., Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Kingston, Lethbridge, Okanagan, Peterborough, Winnipeg, Regina and Saskatoon. National news channels are also now streaming on Pluto TV Canada, including Global News National, together with international news channels like CBS News and Cheddar News.

Matte PR to Represent Ladurée Canada

Toronto’s own Matte PR is now representing French luxury patisserie Ladurée Canada.

Founded in Paris in 1862, Ladurée is a world-renowned global bakery offering premium products such as high-end pastries, macarons, teas and a brunch service. In 2016, Ladurée entered the Canadian market. The brand now has two locations in Toronto and three in Vancouver.

Ladurée’s limited edition Christmas collection is out now.

How Tangerine created 250+ customized videos in Ads Creative Studio

Tangerine needed to find a cost-efficient way to keep its many video assets relevant and updated, especially as interest rates fluctuate and financial services evolve. In collaboration with PHD (media agency) and john st. (creative agency), the company leveraged Ads Creative Studio to easily swap messaging throughout their campaign, to adapt to fluctuations.

Last year, Google introduced a beta version of Ads Creative Studio as a destination for creative and media professionals to make more effective ads at scale. The platform is now globally available with more features to help teams collaborate, create and customize display and video ads. Users can create multiple or even hundreds of versions of a single display or video ad. They can be customized for different audiences, locations, languages or contexts. Simply tell Google what element of the ad creative — like a product image, superimposed text or sound — you want to set as ‘swappable’ and provide different versions of that element based on a set of rules you create. The rules include the audiences you want to reach or contexts you want to match.

With the ability to set creative elements as swappable in Ads Creative Studio, Tangerine was able to make over 250 videos. The team updated their interest rate offer two weeks into the campaign with limited support from creative resources. This enabled them to go to market with highly customized video ads at scale and at a fraction of the cost. It also enabled the agency to deliver high-quality personalized ads while keeping creative costs down. In addition to creating 250+ videos, the cost per loyal customer was down -58% compared to the industry benchmark.

Compiled by Emma Whiten, Editor of Marketing News Canada