SLICE™ AND TETLEY SIGNATURE COLLECTION TEA
STEEP A PITCH PERFECT BREW OF COMEDY FOR
MSLABELLED’S BROADCAST PREMIERE
Tetley Tea sponsors commercial-free Cable Premiere of Pitch Perfect
paired with special on-air presentation of MsLabelled, December 5 at 9pm
ET/6pm PT on Slice
Continue watching new episodes of MsLabelled at slice.ca/mslabelled
For additional photography and press kit material visit: shawmedia.ca/media
Follow us on Twitter at @ShawMediaTV_PR
For Immediate Release
TORONTO, November 23, 2015 – Slice™ has partnered with TATA Global Beverages (Tetley) to bring
viewers two and a half hours of commercial-free* comedy with the broadcast premiere of the digital series
MsLabelled and the cable premiere of the movie Pitch Perfect. Marking a first for Shaw Media, this
special presentation features the MsLabelled season two storyline woven into all commercial breaks
during Pitch Perfect. The show-within-a-movie domination takes place Saturday, December 5 at 9pm
ET/6pm PT. In addition to this one-time presentation of season two, Slice will present a special 30-minute
broadcast episode, cut from new content and both seasons of MsLabelled, premiering on Saturday,
December 12 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT on Slice.
“Slice’s Tetley partnership brings audiences a unique, premiere viewing experience with this show within
a movie,” said Barb McKergow, Head of Marketing Ventures, Shaw Media. “This exciting on-air
takeover, coupled with Tetley’s in-series integration in MsLabelled, demonstrates our ability to elevate
brands while offering multiplatform integrated entertainment online and on-air.”
The Tetley takeover treats viewers to a special version of the MsLabelled season two story, with 10, three
minute special episodes playing throughout the movie in place of commercials. Promotional elements for
the takeover include a co-branded Tetley/Slice promo driving to the Saturday night movie which will air on
Slice leading up to the movie, and Tetley/MsLabelled co-branded sales bugs which will air during the
movie to remind viewers to stay tuned during the breaks for this special broadcast.
“This exciting collaboration with Slice has enabled us to effectively reach our target market and drive
awareness of our new and unique Tetley Signature Collection line in a new and unique fashion. We hope
the viewers enjoy this creative integration of MsLabelled.” said Joyce O’Connor, Brand Manager, TATA
Global Beverages.
In the Slice and Tetley partnership, created in collaboration with Shaftesbury’s brand agency shift2, tea
brand Tetley and its premium Signature Collection tea featuring drawstring bags, were integrated into the
MsLabelled season two storyline via a design challenge to create drawstring fashions. Tetley’s fall
campaign has been supported by Keep Calm & Sip On – a custom branded video set in the MsLabelled
world featuring series star Sara Hennessey (Just For Laughs). MediaCom Beyond Advertising, the
Branded Content division of MediaCom, developed the partnership with shift2, and created and oversaw
the production of the branded content creation for Tetley.
With over 1,000,000 online views of seasons one and two to date**, MsLabelled has been reshaped to air
as a special 30-minute original broadcast episode comprised of new content filmed with Rebecca Liddiard
(Houdini & Doyle) in addition to season one and two footage on December 12 at 8:30pm ET/5:30 pm PT
on Slice.
New episodes of the scripted multiplatform comedy series continue to be released each Wednesday and
Friday via Slice network’s popular female-focused website Slice.ca and the VervegirlTV YouTube
channel. Set in the high-pressure world of a fashion magazine, MsLabelled follows the adventures of
intern Ella (Liddiard) and designer Anna (Hennessey), who are trying to make their mark in the fast-paced
world of fashion. MsLabelled also stars Shawn Ahmed (Slasher), Marni van Dyk (Reign), and Tori
Anderson (Open Heart). The series extends onto social platforms through Instagram, Tumblr, and Twitter
where fictional and real world fashion vloggers, along with the fans of the series, can share, discuss, and
dissect fashion and fashion trends.
Produced by Smokebomb Entertainment and shift2 in association with Shaw Media and Tetley,
MsLabelled is produced by Steph Ouaknine and Jay Bennett and executive produced by Jeanne Beker,
Christina Jennings and Kaaren Whitney-Vernon. The series was created and written by Alexandra Clarke
(Harriet the Spy: Blog Wars), and is directed by Zoe Robyn (Helix, Gator Farm).
*”Commercial-free” Tetley sponsored all available commercial time during the film Pitch Perfect. This sponsorship
does not include Shaw Media network promos.
**Source: Total YouTube and Adobe Omniture Site Catalyst 03/24/15 - 10/31/15
- 30 SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
Website: slice.ca/mslabelled
Twitter: @slice_tv, @MsLabelledShow, @MsLabelled, @MMOnTheWall
Facebook: facebook.com/slice, facebook.com/MsLabelledShow
Instagram: @slice_tv, @MsLabelled
Tumblr: mslabelled.tumblr.com, mslabelledshow.tumblr.com
Slice is a Shaw Media Network
About Shaw Communications
Shaw Communications Inc. is a diversified communications and media company. Shaw serves 3.2 million
consumers and businesses through a reliable and extensive fibre network. Shaw provides consumers
with broadband Internet, WiFi, Digital Phone and Video services. Shaw Business provides businesses
with Internet, data, WiFi, telephony, Video and fleet tracking services, and ViaWest provides collocation,
cloud and managed services. Shaw Media provides Canadians with engaging programming content
through one of Canada’s largest conventional television networks, Global Television, and 19 specialty
networks, including HGTV Canada, Food Network Canada, HISTORY® and Showcase. Shaw is traded
on the Toronto and New York stock exchanges and is included in the S&P/TSX 60 Index (Symbol: TSX –
SJR.B, NYSE – SJR). For more information about Shaw, please visit www.shaw.ca.
About Smokebomb Entertainment and shift2
With offices in Toronto and Los Angeles, Smokebomb Entertainment and shift2 are the digital studio
and brand agency arms of Shaftesbury, focused on driving consumer engagement for brands through
world-class scripted storytelling and innovative social media campaigns targeting millennials. Branded
entertainment projects include the hit U by Kotex-funded series Carmilla, with 35 million views on
YouTube; fashion-focused multiplatform series MsLabelled, produced in partnership with Shaw Media
and the Tetley tea brand; and lifestyle series I Do, funded by Cotton Incorporated.
A co-venture between millennial agency Youth Culture, Shaftesbury and Smokebomb, shift2 is an
innovative agency that helps brands explore their millennial voice using scripted series and social media
to drive measurable results. Smokebomb Entertainment, Shaftesbury’s award-winning digital studio,
produces convergent experiences for television and groundbreaking original projects including branded
entertainment. Visit us online at http://www.smokebomb.ca and www.shift2.ca.
About Tetley
Tetley, Canada's best selling tea, offers more than 50 different flavours and formats, including a wide
variety of pure and natural green teas, herbal teas, specialty flavoured black teas, red teas as well as its
original orange pekoe tea and new Signature Collection line of premium teas. For more information on
Tetley please find us on Facebook at facebook.com/TetleyCanada or visit our website at www.tetley.ca.
About MediaCom
MediaCom is the “The Content + Connections Agency”, working on behalf of its clients to leverage their
brands’ entire system of communications across paid, owned and earned channels to step change their
business outcomes. MediaCom delivers not just individual channel silo efficiencies but also connected
communications system effectiveness, by developing and optimizing all content – defined as any form of
consumer messaging – as the fuel that drives high-performing systems. MediaCom measures and
quantifies communications systems across paid, owned and earned through their unique Connected
System Audit. MediaCom Beyond Advertising, is the Branded Content division of MediaCom.
MediaCom is one of the world’s leading media communications specialists, with billings exceeding US$33
billion (Source: RECMA 2015). It employs 6,000 people in 125 offices across 100 countries around the
globe. Its client roster includes Tetley, P&G, VW Group, Dell and Universal. In 2015, MediaCom have
been awarded Media Agency of the Year in the US by AdAge and Adweek, in the UK by Campaign, and
Network of the Year in APAC by Festival of Media. The agency captured six Media Lions at the 2015
Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, making it the top performer among all global media
agency networks.
MediaCom is a member of WPP, the world's largest marketing communications services group, and part
of GroupM, WPP’s consolidated media investment management arm.
For more information, visit www.mediacom.com.
For media inquiries, please contact:
Meg Campbell
Associate Publicist
Shaw Media
416-966-7220
meg.campbell@shawmedia.ca
Emily Claire Afan
Shaftesbury, Smokebomb, shift2
416-363-1411 x177 or 905-783-5753
eclaire@shaftesbury.ca