51.5 F
Laguna Hills
Thursday, Mar 28, 2024
-Advertisement-

Burton Taps Hollywood Consultant, Gets Playboy Gig

Expect more Hollywood types to be dropping by the Irvine office of Burton Snowboards, which has several of its snowboarding clothing and shoe lines here.

The Burlington, Vt.-based snowboard maker recently signed on Sun Valley-based Norm Marshall and Associates Inc. to handle product requests and get its garb worn by the right people in the right movies.

Bryan Johnston, Burton’s senior vice president of global marketing, said its Irvine public relations department already works closely with Norm Marshall.

Burton folks have “made frequent trips back and forth for stylists to do fittings for film characters out of our showroom and for other meetings in the Hollywood community,” he said.

Norm Marshall plans to help Burton sift through product requests it gets from movies and TV shows and to figure out which of its brands would be a good fit.

That includes Burton’s OC brands, which share space in Irvine: Gravis Footwear, Analog snowboarding jackets and clothes, Forum Snowboarding, Four Square Outerwear and Special Blend Outerwear.

“Since each brand in the Burton family of brands is unique, Norm Marshall will consider which of the brands is appropriate for specific opportunities,” Johnston said.

By signing Norm Marshall, Burton expects to have “a more strategic plan in place” for product placements, Johnston said.

“In taking this part of our business to an agency, we will be able to make the most of each opportunity that comes our way,” he said.






Bunny slope: Burton rider Shaun White, stars of “The Girls Next Door” in Vail

An example: Playboy Enterprises Inc.’s “The Girls Next Door” reality show recently called Burton and asked to borrow some snowboarding garb for Hugh Hefner’s girls to wear on a snowboarding lesson.

Norm Marshall turned it into an event where Burton snowboarder Shaun White went to Vail, Colo., with the girls, who wore Burton clothes. People watching the event could buy the garb online.

“Basically, we turned a basic product request into an opportunity to educate the girls and their audience about snowboarding,” Johnston said. “That is our ultimate goal,to build awareness for the sport.”

Burton didn’t hold a formal review to sign on Norm Marshall. Instead, the company “made inquiries within the entertainment community to find out who has a good reputation with the studios and with celebrity publicists,” Johnston said.

Burton isn’t the only action sports brand to focus on Hollywood.

Several Orange County surf and skate companies have made their own moves, including Costa Mesa-based Volcom Inc., Huntington Beach-based Quiksilver Inc., which has its own entertainment division focused on book and movie deals, and Irvine-based Billabong USA.


Second Stint

Irvine-based Specialized Marketing Services Inc. just hired someone to expand its business.

The marketing shop named Doug Sprague vice president of business development.

It’s a homecoming of sorts for Sprague, who previously worked at Specialized Marketing as a strategic development executive before joining DMS Marketing.

Sprague will head Specialized Marketing’s sales team and growth bid, which includes increasing work with current clients.

The shop’s roster includes airline Deutsche Lufthansa AG, Japan’s Canon U.S.A. Inc. in Irvine and Pleasant Holidays LLC, part of Costa Mesa-based Automobile Club of Southern California.

Specialized Marketing focuses on several industries, including technology, travel and leisure, healthcare, food and medical devices. Sprague also plans to go after new markets, the shop said.

“We are thrilled to have Doug back at SMS during this exciting time,” said Gloria Robbins, SMS chief executive, who returned after a brief leave for family health reasons. “We continue to expand our product and service portfolio and continue to exceed the needs of our diverse client base.”


Del Taco Online

Lake Forest-based Del Taco Inc. says an online campaign helped the Mexican fast-food chain sell more than 1.5 million shredded beef tacos and burritos since mid-April.

The company is offering three menu items with shredded beef and is pushing the change through an advertising campaign, which includes TV and radio ads and a big online push.

Del Taco is offering online coupons, which have helped get customers in the restaurants. People can go to www.deltaco.com and print coupons, including one for $1 off a shredded beef combo burrito.

Want more from the best local business newspaper in the country?

Sign-up for our FREE Daily eNews update to get the latest Orange County news delivered right to your inbox!

-Advertisement-

Featured Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-

Related Articles

-Advertisement-
-Advertisement-