Astral Radio rebrands RockDétente, its largest radio network in Canada
Montreal, August 18, 2011 - Astral Radio, the country's largest radio broadcaster, today announced the launch of the new Rouge fm brand in Quebec. As of 4 p.m. today, the RockDétente network, which broadcasts on nine stations in Quebec, has been rebranded Rouge fm and will continue to offer music-oriented content to a target audience of adults aged 25-54.
The new station branding stems from Astral Radio's mission to innovate and evolve its various brands over time. It is a direct response to its audience's new reality.
“Our new brand identity focuses on our network's core asset—the audience,” explained Chloé Boissonnault, Senior Director, Communications & Marketing at Astral Radio. “The rebranding was designed with the audience in mind and was based on the results of recent CROP surveys of our listeners to create the ideal radio station. This attention to listeners will enable Rouge fm to retain RockDétente's current audience while attracting new listeners who will be able to discover all the vitality of the new image and new programming.”
The network's new brand identity brings with it new programming, which will continue to offer the widest musical variety in Quebec. Listeners can look forward to the return of favourite hosts such as Marina Orsini, Ricky Dee, Joël Legendre and Nathalie St-Pierre, and enjoy new headliners such as Normand Brathwaite and Claudine Prévost. Some hosts' shows have been rescheduled to enable listeners to discover them in whole new ways.
Rouge fm will be aimed at the same target audience and will thus continue to be an effective tool for advertisers and agencies looking to reach adults aged 25-54.
“We are delighted to continue offering the same distinctive service Astral Radio is known for, while at the same time revitalizing the content and image of one of our brands,” said Mario Cecchini, Senior Vice President, Sales and Marketing at Astral Radio. “Listening to the needs of our audience and advertisers is essential to the network's success and Rouge fm will continue to have the same flexibility, agility and trust to reach a single objective: to guarantee the best possible results on the market.”
Rouge fm's brand identity and visuals were created by Bleublancrouge—a creative agency that also provided the design and artistic direction for the communication campaign publicizing the new network image.
“The new brand opens up a world of opportunities for our clients,” explained Mario Cecchini. “It will be possible to exploit it in terms of programming, marketing and promotion. Agencies and advertisers will be able to draw inspiration from the new image to create innovative campaigns in collaboration with our creative department.”
A launch event will be held at the Bell Centre in Montreal at 7:30 p.m., as part of the Super party de la rentrée—a special show featuring Girls wanna have fun, IMA, Sylvain Cossette and cult band Glass Tiger. Rouge fm is inviting 5,000 of its listeners to this special evening celebrating the launch of the new brand. Representatives from the music and live entertainment industries, as well as clients, agencies and media outlets will also be on hand for the occasion.
About Astral Radio
Rouge fm is a member of the Astral family. Astral is one of Canada's largest media companies. It operates several of the country's most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties. Astral plays a central role in community life across the country by offering diverse, rich and vibrant programming that meets the tastes and needs of consumers and advertisers. To learn more about Astral, visit astral.com.
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