CanWest MediaWorks launched a massive multi-city and multi-tiered teaser campaign yesterday aimed at introducing Canada to the E! brand, and pushing its fall primetime shows. The campaign spans out-of-home, radio and print, and hits the streets with a teaser that leads to a ‘full reveal’ timed to coincide with the official launch of E! on Sept. 7.

CanWest MediaWorks SVP marketing Walter Levitt says the campaign is a multi-layered approach to promoting the fall season of Global’s sister station, currently known as CH.

‘We obviously need to establish the brand in Canada, and we need to establish that a channel position that has been one thing is changing on Sept. 7,’ he says. ‘Beyond the brand-building, there’s a layer beyond that that’s more tactical in nature, and is about driving audiences to specific shows, with different programs featured in different ways.’

Shows including Bionic Woman, Deal or No Deal, E! News with Ryan Seacrest, The Simple Life, Dr. 90210 — which are core to building the brand — are part of the ‘domination’ campaign. Promotion for some other new shows, including Cashmere Mafia, won’t feature as prominently at this time due to later premiere dates.

Out-of-home creative will kick off with a teaser and sneak-peek campaign, highlighting the net and its primetime franchises, running through Sept. 6. In Toronto, the E! teaser campaign will take over downtown tunnels at York St. and Yonge St. starting Aug. 27. Subway ‘domination’ — in which a campaign takes over not only billboards but also non-traditional elements of an environment, such as stairs or turnstiles — will be on view at the Eglinton and St. George stations, launching Sept. 3.

The transition to the ‘full reveal’ of the net and its programs will hit all creative locations on Sept. 7 — E!’s official launch date. Other outdoor executions in Toronto include taking over the Sears board at the Eaton Centre, digital and static boards along the Gardiner Expressway, and hundreds of billboards across the GTA.

The campaign’s print executions will include ‘wrapping’ the Toronto Star with E! creative on Saturday, Sept. 8 and dominating the free daily Metro throughout the Toronto International Film Festival.

E!’s marketing department in Calgary developed all creative and media plans.

From Media in Canada