Now that the 54th Cannes Lions Advertising festival has come and gone, a Canadian media leader tells MiC about the continued advancement of media creativity evident at Cannes, and in her industry overall. Read More

Throughout last week's Cannes Lions Festival, MiC reported all the Canadian, and other, winners. But just in case these stories got buried in your in-box, here are links that will take you right to them:

- Final report: Canada has a big pair - of Grand Prix that is (June 23)
- Canada snags its first Grand Prix at Cannes Lions 2007 (June 20)
- The Cannes report: Media, Outdoor, but no Radio (June 19)
- First Cannes Lions winners announced (June 18)

Bell has launched an interactive online community, RealChampions.ca, in a bid to get athletes generating content and connecting with Canadian fans. The marketer (and exclusive telecom sponsor for Vancouver 2010) launched the site one day before June 23, which is International Olympic Day - the

The site gets Canadian athletes telling personal stories of their Olympic and Paralympic journeys by uploading photos, video, stats and diaries from their travels. So far, the site hosts profiles by more than 300 athletes, including Bell champ and freestyle ski Olympian Steve Omischl. In partnership with Samsung Canada, Bell will give athletes handsets that allow them to upload content from the road.

Sports fans can post messages to athletes, rate content, and upload content. Visitors to the site will help select weekly content highlights, which will be made available on Bell Mobility Phones and Sympatico.MSN.ca.

CTV's Tuesday night got better with a chart-topping homegrown juggernaut, while House is officially gone from the Top 10. Read More

Clad in branded gear to match cans of GURU, zippy sampling teams will roam streets, parks and events demonstrating the beverage's purported power. Read More

All but 2% of Canadians are now searching the Internet to purchase products and services, according to a new report from Google Canada and research partner Media-Screen. These searches are part of the nearly five hours a day we spend on the Internet from Monday to Friday.

The research also shows that the average Canadian broadband consumer is slightly younger than their US counterpart, with those aged 18-24 making up 15% of the broadband user population, compared to 9% of the same grouping in the US broadband demographic. Internet use in Canada differs from that in the US. Canadian broadband users are less likely than those in the US to spend their spare time online (39% vs. 47%).

The 1,002 adults (18 or older) who were surveyed online were required to have researched or purchased a product or service online, and to have broadband connection.

Budweiser is set to roll out a multi-faceted media campaign to support its new partnership with NASCAR. The Budweiser VIP Weekend Contest gives race fans a chance to win a trip for two to the Montreal race of the NASCAR Busch Series, which will air live on TSN at 3 pm ET on August 4.

The campaign features 30-second on-air promotional spots and billboards during TSN's NASCAR broadcasts and on the weekly syndicated radio show Raceline Radio. The contest will also get mention in 90-second updates. Print ads will hit Sun Media papers in Toronto and Ottawa, as well as the Inside Track Motorsport News magazine.

Fans get entry cards by picking 'em up at East Side Mario's restaurants across Canada until July 8, when the contest closes and winners are announced.

See MiC's Jan. 15 coverage of TSN's rights deal for the NASCAR Busch Series.