Toronto, Ontario, Nov 26, 2019 – Leading consumer research firm BrandSpark International announced today that it has entered into partnership with the publishing arm of St. Joseph Communications (SJC) to promote the winners of its two consumer-voted awards: the Best New Product Awards and the BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards.

Robert Levy, President and CEO of BrandSpark, said that the partnership’s aim is “to combine the quality content and engaged reach of the SJC media titles with BrandSpark’s research-based awards that are highly trusted by brands and Canadian consumers.” Levy explains that “Canadian consumers continue to be interested in trying new products and finding out which products are really worth their dollars, and consumer-voted awards remain to be one of the most influential drivers of awareness and purchase, closely following recommendations from friends and family. When you couple the influence of our credentials with the reach of St. Joseph’s publications, we are extremely confident in our ability to support brands better than any other consumer product awards program in the country.”

Earlier this year, SJC became Canada’s largest magazine publisher by acquiring all of Rogers Media’s print brands including Chatelaine (English and French), Today’s Parent, HELLO! Canada and Maclean’s, as well as its digital properties FLARE and Canadian Business. These iconic titles were added to St Joseph’s existing roster of award-winning media brands that includes Toronto Life, FASHION Magazine, Ottawa Magazine, Quill & Quire, Weddingbells and the Where Group of Magazines in Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto.

“We are excited to launch this new partnership with BrandSpark that will deliver value to our readers and inspire new integrated content opportunities with some of the country’s top consumer brands,” says Sarah Trimble, Executive Vice-President of SJC Media.

The partnership will include editorial features of the winners in print and digital formats across multiple SJC titles, targeted communications to readers and unique high-value advertising opportunities for brands anchored by the magazines’ content.

BrandSpark’s Best New Product Awards program has extended its entry deadline until Tuesday, December 3, 2019. Any beauty, health, personal care, household, kids, pets, food and beverage products launched after January 1, 2019 are welcome to enter. Winners – to be announced in January – will be featured in BrandSpark’s high-reach multi-platform media and PR campaign and earn the right to include the trusted Best New Product logo in their own marketing and communications.

For more information or questions about this year’s awards, contact Kim Diamond, Vice President, BrandSpark Canada at KDiamond@BestNewProductAwards.com or Adam Bellisario at ABellisario@BrandSpark.com.

-30-

About BrandSpark International

Founded in 2001, BrandSpark International (www.BrandSpark.com) uniquely combines real world consumer insights with marketing credentials and services. BrandSpark Insights gets at the heart of WHAT consumers think, WHY they act the way they do, and HOW marketers need to respond in order to successfully grow their business. BrandSpark Marketing Services runs major awards programs Best New Product Awards and BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards. As well, BrandSpark has created Shopper Army, a new consumer site which helps Canadian shoppers find great products and save money with cash back on purchases made on Amazon.ca and 100+ other retail partners, as well as a shopper community of product testers providing honest ratings and reviews.

About St. Joseph Communications

St. Joseph Communications is Canada’s largest privately owned print, media, and communications company. Whether the channel is mobile, online, print, bricks-and-mortar, or all of the above, SJC creates integrated cross-platform content solutions that deliver a seamless brand experience. The company brings its 60+ years of award-winning expertise to leading retailers, publishers, cataloguers, and financial corporations in North America. SJC also owns and publishes some of Canada’s most iconic and celebrated media brands including Chatelaine, Toronto Life, FASHION, Weddingbells, Today’s Parent, Maclean’s, HELLO! Canada and the Where Group of Magazines in Vancouver, Calgary, Ottawa and Toronto. SJC is a 2019 Platinum Club winner of Canada’s Best Managed Companies, marking 16 consecutive years of recognition.