Back to School 2020 with Groupe Média TFO: Inspire, Create and Learn in the Era of a New Digital Boom

Educational mandate meets digital reality: Groupe Média TFO transitions to an omnichannel model and refreshes its brands to better reach kids in the new era of digital education.

TORONTO, Aug. 25, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The disruption of the labour market heralded by the Fourth Industrial Revolution is already being felt across the digital world, which is undergoing a deep redefinition. Ahead of the upcoming back-to-school season, Groupe Média TFO has confirmed its commitment to teaching employability skills¹—the skills kids will need for the jobs of tomorrow. With a focus on education, the vitality and influence of Ontario and Canada's Francophonie, Groupe Média TFO has renewed its branding to better serve Francophone and Francophile audiences amidst ever-changing content consumption patterns.

"At Groupe Média TFO, this passion for the company's mission and mandate encourages us every day to adapt to digital changes and to continually seek new, innovative ways of aligning our content's public value with the needs created by the Fourth Industrial Revolution. This new positioning will help us create content to reflect the current diversity of the Ontarian Francophonie and equip kids with the employability skills they will need in an ever-changing world," says Eric Minoli, General Manager and Chief of Operations.

Ahead of a very unusual back-to-school period, TFO will offer all its audiences L'Écho, its first animated short, an allegory about education and citizenship values, which addresses the importance of pursuing and believing in your dreams. Through its new brand signature, "Enlightening tomorrow," TFO reminds audiences that its role is to support students, educators and parents with high-quality and trustworthy French-language content. Families are encouraged to watch L'Écho together.

"The idea of L'Écho is the authentic expression of our educational values: diversity and inclusion, non-judgement and self-confidence. Renewing our brands has been the result of exceptional collaborative efforts alongside Juniper Park/TBWA. The collaborative and creative transformation was led by David Toto and his team, whilst keeping our audiences at the heart of our vision. We are very pleased with the final result, which is fresh, rekindled and connected to our audiences across Ontario and Canada to foster their curiosity and desire to learn in French," says Carole Nkoa, Chief Marketing, Communications and Philanthropy Officer.

"TFO is a jewel of the Ontarian and Canadian Francophonie, an institution that plays an essential role in the growth of Canadian communities. Undertaking this exciting project for such a media company and its unique innovative model has been a delight over these past few months. Refreshing TFO's visual identity, reorganizing its brand portfolio and relaunching its communication strategies has been a collaborative, memorable experience for the Groupe Média TFO and Juniper Park/TBWA teams. It's been a great personal pleasure to participate," says David Toto, President, Juniper Park/TBWA.

Building an omnichannel media company: the power to drive content

From the very beginning, Groupe Média TFO has always seized digital opportunities to fulfill its mandate as an educational and cultural public medium and a showcase for the many faces of our Francophonie. In the quest for new and better ways to serve its audiences, Groupe Média TFO started its digital renewal last year to better understand its consumers and their habits, and to quickly adapt its content despite a shifting landscape.

The change towards becoming an omnichannel media company seemed to be the most organic solution: driving TFO's content in accordance with audience interests, across interconnected channels on TV, web platforms and apps, and meeting its consumers on their terms, wherever they are. 

"This evolution in our visual identity happened completely organically with our traditions. Our audiences can now recognize themselves in our new niches: the MiniTFO brand for children up to 8 years of age, FlipTFO for preteens aged 9-12, and PlusTFO, our new informational and cultural niche, which also includes ONFR+, our news franchise for Francophone Ontario. The IDÉLLO platform by TFO will continue to serve teachers and students. This new omnichannel approach will better leverage our audience preferences in our decision-making processes," says Nadine Dupont, Chief Content Officer.

This renewed and optimized vision is focused on an ambitious strategic plan with an emphasis on education and employability skills. It will enable the company to create stories to design our collective tomorrows, by supporting new generations of Canadians.  A special focus will be on promoting the French Fact. It was an opportune moment to modernize and grow the company's vision of learning to foster a love of education and curiosity in the light of global competencies becoming a priority in learning. With TFO, every day, children and teens develop their knowledge, human values and social consciousness.

About Groupe Média TFO
Groupe Média TFO: stories that shape our tomorrows
Groupe Média TFO is a Franco-Ontarian public media company offering an interconnected discovery experience across its educational, cultural and news content in French. Audiences lie at the heart of Groupe Média TFO's omnichannel mission and vision; they can see themselves growing alongside TFO's innovative and award-winning creations. By its educational mandate, on television, on digital platforms and through its initiatives and applications, Groupe Média TFO puts knowledge within arm's reach. At the forefront of digital learning, the company reflects the vitality and diversity of the community it serves and prepares the next generation for the world of tomorrow.

Contacts and interview requests: Carole Nkoa, Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, [email protected] | 416- 606-5113 (incl. texting); Mélanie Grenier, Corporate Communications Manager, [email protected] | 416-527-2212 (incl. texting)