Claim to fame

‘I’m a big country music fan, so I’m proudest of the November tour for Rascal Flatts because I wasn’t expecting it to do so well,’ says Langley. ‘We took a really aggressive strategy and sold out quickly, which I thought was pretty impressive because Toronto and country music don’t typically mix.’ Media included ads in the entertainment sections of Toronto alt pub Now, the Toronto Sun and Metro; eight flights of radio on country music stations across the GTA; and three successful flights of ads on country music site cmt.ca.

Background

Langley was studying biology at Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. when he decided on a different direction. In 2001, he went to Toronto’s Humber College to take the media foundation program and followed up with the two-year media sales program. His first job was with Echo Advertising in 2004; he then moved with the Live Nation business to Genesis Media.

POV:

What campaign do you think brilliantly engaged the consumers it targeted?

The Coors beer ads. Maybe it’s stereotyping, but I’m a guy, I’m a beer drinker, and the first time I saw one of the outdoor ads that went something like ‘Colder than Jen when you called her Susan’ and there was a picture of the cold beer – I thought any guy could look at that, laugh it off, and really relate to it. It’s so engaging that when I’m out with friends we always end up pointing them out to each other. I love when companies use a bit of humour to engage their audience.

What would you love to build into a plan, but haven’t been able to yet?

Bluetooth technology. They position little docks around the city and if you have a cellphone that’s Bluetooth enabled, as you walk by it sends messages to your cellphone. It could be ads or coupons or anything. For (Live Nation) this would be ideal because it has short turnaround times.