June 16, 2009 — Corporate Canada Aligns Brands with the Important Youth Market through Authentic & Relevant Engagement
June 06, 2009
Toronto, ON: Excitement is mounting as the Miss Teenage Canada (MTC-W) pageant, which takes place on July 25th, 2009 in Toronto, approaches. The Agency of Record, dkpr public relations inc. and EnCourse Strategic Marketing and Communications (EnCourse), have secured more major sponsors contributing to this year’s competition, the largest search of its kind in Canada. MTC-W representatives recently completed the final leg of the search, with the final provincial search that ended in Quebec.
Secured Sponsors to date include: Faze Teen Magazine, Canada’s largest publication for teenage girls, is the exclusive teen magazine media sponsor. Event and Category Sponsors include: www.beinggirl.ca, Elmer Olsen Model Management, Balmshell, Goody, Foxy Original Jewelry, In Plus Foot Care, Secret Pantyhose, Via Brazil Swimwear and for KAO Brand Jergens and John Frieda. Canadian designer Wayne Clark will provide a gown for the 2009 winner. Kitchen Orange, www.shopkitchenorange.com, a Montreal-based design company that exclusively featuring Canadian designers, is providing the dresses for the contestants for the opening musical number as well as supplying a wardrobe for the new MTC-W 2009 winner. The Yorkville Club will also provide a membership for the winner and the Toronto Academy of Acting for Film & Television is providing a scholorship. Girls aged 13 – 19 from across Canada will be eligible for the largest prize package awarded in a Canadian teen competition. In total, over $25,000 in cash, prizes, and scholarships will be awarded to talented, aspiring teens.
Each sponsor is fully integrated into marketing and PR initiatives through the social marketing campaign using vehicles such as Orato, blogging initiatives and the new Miss Teenage Canada website. Each on-line component is designed to feature sponsor names but also create links that will drive readers to their respective corporate websites. There are also opportunities for videos on-line that fully integrate sponsors as branded content. Additional benefits include:
Exclusivity
- Rights to use the MTC-W logo and images
- Logo and name recognition on-line, on-site and in the media
- Promotional opportunities on site and throughout the preliminary week
- Inclusion in select media events and photo-ops
- In house program ads and credit
- on-site access through signage
- Sampling
- Hospitality packages
The Title Sponsor will also have their logo featured on the winner’s sash to be worn at the Miss Teen World 2010 Competition in Houston, Texas as well as at all of the upcoming regional competitions for next year’s search for Miss Teenage Canada.
“I am thrilled at the level of sponsorship coming through the door especially in a tough current economic climate. Fortunately, we are seeing a huge spike in interest as we get closer to the event date,” says Michelle Weswaldi, Executive Director of Miss Teenage Canada Inc.
EnCourse, together, with dkpr public relations inc. have created a strategic word-of-mouth, social marketing and PR campaign, relevant to the youth market. It actively engages all the finalists and their communities through extensive social media networks such as Twitter and Facebook. There is also the full contingent of finalists’ blogging as The Blog Squad, about their experiences leading up to the event. The general public has the opportunity to engage with the finalists, judges and sponsors on-line at the official website: www.missteenagecanada.com.
It’s a firsthand look at the competition as it progresses, as well as the opportunity to connect with Katie Starke, the 2008 MTC-W winner. As July 25th, 2009 quickly approaches, on-line voting will be available shortly on the website.
This strategy has been the driving force in securing many sponsors in a short period of time. The 57 contestants are participating in the social marketing efforts by blogging about their journey up to the finals. They will also blog about their experiences with all of the brands throughout the week of the competition. This part of the program will create one of the strongest social marketing campaigns ever, targeted at teen girls aged 13 -19, and will allow each of the brands to engage with this market on a whole new level.
The Search for Miss Teenage Canada has travelled from coast to coast holding regional competitions in the search for the 57 finalists who will compete for the coveted title of Miss Teenage Canada on Saturday, July 25th, 2009, at the Metro Convention Centre, John Basset Theatre. This is the only competition that goes to each province to search for contestants and has the rights to send the winner to the Miss Teen World 2010 Competition.
This year, “Be Your Own Kind of Beautiful” is much more than a slogan. MTC-W provides the opportunity to be an ambassador for Canada and its mandate is to empower youth to take a leadership role in their communities. The girls will develop new interests, become a positive role model, and contribute to projects in their community by raising funds for FREE THE CHILDREN, the official partnering charity for The Search for Miss Teenage Canada.
Each national delegate is required to raise $400 within their communities for FREE THE CHILDREN. The fundraising initiative is a prerequisite into the National MTC-W Competition. The competition’s goal is to raise $20,000 by July 25th, 2009. The event is at 8:00 p.m. on July 25, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre at the John Bassett Theatre and is open to the public.
dkpr public relations inc., celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year, is one of Toronto’s best known entertainment and lifestyle PR agencies with expertise including a strong marketing and sales application to the planning and development of national PR campaigns.
EnCourse Strategic Marketing and Communications is Toronto’s newest brand and marketing boutique agency providing customized marketing, brand and sales strategies that are relevant to today’s consumer markets.
Marketing and Sponsorship Contact:
EnCourse Strategic Marketing and Communications. Ellen Smith, Principal ellen@encourse.ca
For more information please visit: http://www.missteenagecanada.com | http://www.freethechildren.com
-30-
Media Contacts:
dkpr public relations inc. Deborah Knight, Principal or Chris Binet, Publicist
tel: (416) 363-1255 email: dknight@dkpr.ca or chris@dkpr.ca | http://www.dkpr.ca