Partnership includes custom content creation, high-impact media, social distribution and newsletters distributed to hip-hop heads across Canada
August 4, 2020 – The FADER, an award-winning global media company; Initiative, one of Canada’s leading media agencies; Cue Digital, the online media sales agency; and CBC, Canada’s public broadcaster, are collaborating on a robust, trail-blazing paid content partnership to promote a new kind of podcast to hip-hop heads in Canada. CBC Podcasts’ This is Not a Drake Podcast, hosted and co-produced by Ty Harper, is a five-part limited-run series exploring the history and evolution of hip-hop, R&B and Black culture through the lens of Drake, one of this generation’s most influential musicians, 10 years after the release of his first studio album. With the goal of audience development, CBC and The FADER, the definitive voice of emerging music and the lifestyle that surrounds it, are working together on an original campaign that includes custom content creation, social distribution, and newsletters to FADER’s audience.
The paid content partnership amongst CBC, The FADER, Initiative and Cue Digital features: a custom editorial series that provides a deep dive into the podcast topics and narratives through the editorial lens of The FADER, which are amplified across the brand’s social pages and shared with email list subscribers; bespoke social posts across all of FADER’s social platforms announcing each podcast episode, with preview audio snippets and clips; inclusion in the FADER daily newsletter as well as a custom email newsletter; and run of site media adjacent to the custom partner editorial.
“CBC’s marketing collaboration with The FADER and Cue Digital is a perfect fit for this timely CBC Podcast,” said Selina-Rachel Mendez, Senior Communications Officer, Marketing and Communications, CBC. “This new partnership allows us to connect and engage with listeners through meaningful content that resonates and generates excitement for the series.”
Cue Digital has exclusively represented The FADER in Canada since March 2019, while Initiative has been CBC’s media strategy agency of record since 2008. Tasked with driving downloads and streams of the new podcast, Initiative built a robust digital media rollout to draw in both hip hop heads and potential CBC listeners alike, positioning the paid content partnership at the vanguard of the campaign.
“The FADER delivers a powerful yet authentic voice in music and media who gave Drake his first magazine cover back in September 2009,” said David U.K., CEO, Cue Digital. “I’m thrilled we were able to seize this opportunity to pair The FADER with CBC, a truly Canadian company, to create incredible content.”
This is Not a Drake Podcast is hosted and co-produced by documentarian Ty Harper, co-produced by journalists Anupa Mistry and Del Cowie, Dalton Higgins is contributing producer and Josh Bloch serves as showrunner. All episodes are available now on CBC Listen and everywhere podcasts are available.
This is Not a Drake Podcast is about how hip-hop – and its journey to mainstream dominance – produced Drake in the first place. It provides context on the artist’s deep musical roots and his transition from an actor on teen series Degrassi to his top-tier music stardom. The series unpacks rap and R&B’s long, complicated history; dives into the evolution of gender dynamics in hip-hop and the rise of the Nice Guy rapper (episode hosted by Anupa Mistry); and explores how the mixtape revolution made Drake's success with 'So Far Gone' possible.
Check out more content from This Is Not A Drake Podcast now on The FADER.
About The FADER
Launched in 1999 and founded by Rob Stone and Jon Cohen, The FADER is an award-winning, ahead-of-the-curve music, style, and culture global media company and the unofficial guide to what’s next in music. The FADER is credited with giving early exposure to top artists including Kanye West, Bon Iver, Kendrick Lamar, Outkast, The Strokes, Drake and The White Stripes. The FADER brand has expanded in innovative ways, providing a cross-platform reach across print, digital, mobile, and social media, including award-winning film and video, and sought-after experiential events. The FADER's celebrated flagship live music event, FADER FORT, presents some of today’s most innovative programming and emerging artists to fans.
About CBC/Radio-Canada
CBC/Radio-Canada is Canada’s national public broadcaster. Through our mandate to inform, enlighten and entertain, we play a central role in strengthening Canadian culture. As Canada’s trusted news source, we offer a uniquely Canadian perspective on news, current affairs and world affairs. Our distinctively homegrown entertainment programming draws audiences from across the country. Deeply rooted in communities, CBC/Radio-Canada offers diverse content in English, French and eight Indigenous languages. We also deliver content in Spanish, Arabic and Chinese, as well as both official languages, through Radio Canada International (RCI). We are leading the transformation to meet the needs of Canadians in a digital world.
About Cue Digital
Cue Digital is the online media sales agency that audience-first publishers trust to deliver cool and cohesive experiences for brands and the consumers who adore them. Their consumer obsessed philosophy has led to the development of innovative in-house products and solutions ̶ from content creation to amplification and distribution ̶ that are transforming the future of digital advertising. Cue Digital reaches over 16 million unique Canadians across premium publishers each month, including more than 47% of millennials. Find more information about how Cue Digital delivers engagement to the most lucrative consumer audiences at cuedigitalmedia.com.
About Initiative Canada
Initiative is a full-service global media agency within Mediabrands, the global media arm of Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). At Initiative, we understand that advertising avoidance behavior will continue to spread, fueled by new technologies and platforms. This means brands must find new w0ays to connect with audiences through culture. We pride ourselves in being the premiere culturally-focused media agency with a radical creative streak.
Operating in over 80 countries, Initiative employs 3,200 of the smartest and most diverse talent in the industry. With almost $16 billion in global billings annually, Initiative services numerous best-in-class clients such as LEGO, Merck, Unilever and Carlsberg.
