Redefining
creativity
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In 2024, three major players—Google, Meta, and Amazon—control 74% of digital ad spending in Canada. Google and Meta have seen slight declines in market share, while Amazon has experienced sustained growth over the past two years. The launch of Amazon's video offering in February is expected to accelerate this growth in the coming years. Without delving into all subtypes of digital channels, the combined share of GAFAM is slowly decreasing, though they remain largely dominant.
The digital market is growing faster than the dominant players in Canada, creating some opportunities for local publishers to generate growth, albeit limited. However, competition is diversifying, particularly in the video space, putting additional pressure on many media outlets to reposition themselves.
According to SimilarWeb data, a downward trend in visits to Canadian news sites has been observed since 2022, well before Meta excluded news sites from its platforms in August 2023. Overall, this decline has not accelerated significantly from month to month following Meta's decision. In other words, global data do not indicate a specific impact of Meta on news publishers following Bill C-18. However, journalism content creators are best placed to speak to the effects of this change on them. We reached out to some local publishers to get a sense of the market and illustrate their reality.
The biggest current challenge for Canadian publishers seems to be reaching their audiences across multiple platforms while balancing the use of the "big players'" channels and supporting platforms owned by the publishers themselves. We are in a context of great paradox.
"Despite the fact that news is no longer accessible in Meta's ecosystem, part of the population says they still get their news on these platforms."
From the agencies' point of view, we have observed an acceleration of developments from some media partners since last year, whether in the deployment of new ad products or the increase in technological capabilities.
When asked about their vision for the next five years, the media outlets we interviewed foresee the acceleration of two opposing yet connected phenomena: convergence and fragmentation. Convergence will be driven by social platforms and companies developing artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, which hold the keys to the evolution of information consumption. This evolution could lead to the disappearance of smaller players and harm the quality of information.
"Media is food for the mind and soul, and consuming empty calories carries long-term risks."
This view is echoed by Patrick Salois, Vice President of Sales and Operations at La Presse, who stresses the need to raise awareness among the public and decision-makers about the importance of independent local journalism. He also promotes growth through technological investment and revenue diversification to reduce dependence on advertising revenue.
Fragmentation will partly come from this need for independence, for example through nanomedia, micro-social platforms, and perhaps micro-mags, like those launched by Urbania, to maintain direct contact with readers and offer new subscription opportunities.
The creation of video inventories in all its forms has become a priority, along with the development of ad formats dedicated to digital performance, the integration of "clean room" technologies, the valorization of connected user data, and a renewed approach to campaign measurement. Although the volume of data, access to conversion APIs, and the appeal of video or social platforms continue to give GAFAM an advantage, the efforts of local partners contribute to rebalancing their share in media planning.
The most critical changes to face the future seem to revolve around efforts to raise awareness among Canadian decision-makers and the population about the importance of independent local journalism.
"Another misconception is that Canadian content is less competitive on the international stage, while local media play a crucial role in offering coverage tailored to the realities and needs of the Canadian public."
Redefining the notion of performance is a challenge that all market players have embraced, though not all are ready to support advertisers in this shift. A consolidation of efforts and support from professional associations such as A2C or CMDC aims to promote training and the dissemination of best practices in advertising buying and optimization.
Some media groups acknowledge that they should have anticipated the growth of global digital platforms by investing earlier in solutions to reduce their dependence on these platforms. This evolution, which initially benefited everyone, did not reveal the urgency to act differently. Lessons have been learned, and media outlets are now taking control of their destiny for the next phase of transformation.
"We live in an era where nothing is guaranteed, and everything is changing faster and faster."
Never again will we put our fate in the hands of Zuck or Musk."
Touché! would like to thank Patrick Salois of La Presse, Émilie Filion and Christophe Cluzel of SRC, and Philippe Lamarre of Urbania for their insights and participation in this article.
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In collaboration with Rougemont, the Touché! team is launching Le Pommcast, a branded content series for Les jus Rougemont, developed with LG2 and Radio-Canada. This new series takes listeners into the world of apple-related expressions, legends, songs, and facts, celebrating this iconic Quebec fruit. Hosted by comedian Guillaume Pineault, Le Pommcast features 15 humorous episodes, available as a web series and podcast on ICI TOU.TV and Radio-Canada OHdio. To learn more about this bold campaign, we spoke with Agathe Maviel, group supervisor on the account.
Agathe: Rougemont is proudly a Quebec apple juice brand. Apple season, which coincides with back-to-school time, is a crucial period for us. It’s also a time of year when there’s a lot of advertising noise across all platforms. In collaboration with LG2, our challenge was to create content that stands out in this saturated environment. To break through, the idea of creating a "Pommcast" was born—short, humorous audio capsules developed in partnership with comedian Guillaume Pineault. The goal was to showcase Rougemont’s expertise in apples through entertaining content linked to our brand, capturing our target audience’s attention in an original way.
Agathe: Our primary target was parents aged 25 to 54, who lead active and busy lives. They are dynamic, always on the go, and often have little time for themselves during the day. One of the key challenges was to catch their attention by offering entertaining content that could naturally fit into their routine. Through a media mix regularly consumed by our audience, our strategy was to provide a moment of relaxation with these humorous capsules, giving these parents a chance to unwind and laugh, while demonstrating Rougemont’s expertise in apple juice.
Agathe: To amplify the campaign’s reach, we chose Radio-Canada as our main partner, a media outlet that perfectly reflects Rougemont’s Quebec values. Radio-Canada is a platform our target audience consumes daily and trusts. The campaign was rolled out in September across their full ecosystem, including Tou.Tv, Ohdio, and YouTube. We also added a video component, with capsules available on Radio-Canada’s digital platforms and social media. Even comedian Guillaume Pineault shared the project on his platforms. We’ll also use Rougemont’s TikTok, Meta, and YouTube accounts to make the videos go viral, boosting the most engaging clips. The idea is to reach our audience in environments they turn to for entertainment and information, while maximizing their attention.
Agathe: The key is offering native content designed primarily for entertainment, without making it feel like an ad. Our humorous capsules provide parents with a moment of relaxation, not an interruption in their day. On social networks like TikTok, Meta, and YouTube, our content is part of a fun, entertaining logic rather than direct promotion, making engagement feel more natural and authentic. This way, we position Rougemont not as a brand selling a product but as an ally in parents' daily lives.
Agathe: The collaboration with Radio-Canada was crucial, not only for distribution but also for production. Thanks to their support, a video component was added to the original audio format. SRC offered great creative flexibility, which allowed us to amplify the project. Their openness to innovation made them a perfect partner for this campaign. Their contribution truly allowed us to take this campaign to the next level, seamlessly integrating the brand into our target’s daily life without it feeling like traditional advertising content.