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FreeCreditReport’s Quirky Jingles Hard to Live Down

When people find out Charles Harris works for Irvine-based FreeCreditReport.com, “almost everyone wants to sing the jingle to me,” he says.

The Experian Group Ltd. unit is known for catchy commercials featuring an out of luck band singing about the downside of not keeping up with their credit reports.

FreeCreditReport.com recently started 30- and 60-second national commercials as well a radio and print campaign featuring the band.

The latest commercials, created by Virginia’s Martin Agency Inc., part of New York-based Interpublic Group of Cos., show the band mates playing at a Renaissance fair where their bad credit scores don’t affect them, though they lament having to wear tights.

“The emphasis of the new commercials is fun and educational, but it’s also a little tongue in cheek while referencing the older commercial series,” said Harris, vice president of strategic marketing at Experian Consumer Direct, which oversees reeCreditReport.com.

Experian, which now is headquartered in Ireland with the bulk of corporate operations in London, had been run from Costa Mesa for years when Chief Executive Don Robert worked from here. He moved to London in 2007. Soon after Experian’s “on the books” headquarters settled in Dublin.

The company still has major operations in Costa Mesa and Irvine.

FreeCreditReport.com offers a free credit report with enrollment in the company’s TripleAdvantage credit monitoring service.

The unit originally launched three TV ads featuring the band members working in a crummy job where they had to wear pirate hats, as well as one of the members living in his wife’s parents’ basement and having to settle for a small used car.

The commercials gained FreeCreditReport.com attention but also raised eyebrows at the Federal Trade Commission.

Experian was slapped on the wrist by the commission two years ago for misleading consumers at its FreeCreditReport.com

Web site.

Regulators said the company didn’t make clear to consumers that they would be charged $79 for an annual subscription after they signed up at FreeCreditReport.com.

The down economy has been good for the company as consumers are increasingly interested in their credit scores and how to improve them.

“Credit is certainly one area that is on a lot of people’s minds right now,” Harris said.

FreeCreditReport.com is increasing its interest in online marketing, according to Harris.

At the start of the year, the company launched an online video series featuring a rapping Ed McMahon.

The two online videos were posted at YouTube.com and other video hosting sites.

“We had a lot of fun with Ed and it actually drew a lot of media attention,” Harris said.

Prior to the rapping McMahon spots, the company hosted an online band competition through YouTube.

“The band competition was one of our more successful campaigns,” Harris said. “We had little kids to cheerleaders competing and seeing the impact our commercials have had on people.”


Mission PR

Mission San Juan Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano has hired Huntington Beach-based Juve Creative Inc. as its marketing agency of record.

Juve won the account after a lengthy review with many local ad and public relations shops competing.

The agency will oversee the mission’s public relations and general marketing materials including e-mail blasts to locals and tourists.

The mission sees a lot of tourist traffic, but rarely do locals visit them more than once.

“A big part of what we’re going to be doing is getting people aware that the mission has more than just the swallows,” said Patricia Margosian, director of communications at Juve.


Bits and Pieces:

Irvine-based public relations firm Ames & Associates has been hired by the Los Angeles region of Massachusetts-based Fantastic Sams to provide public and community relations for 161 salons in Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties Irvine-based Star Trac Strength Inc., a leading maker of fitness equipment, was named one of Nielsen Co.’s Top 10 Brands with Product Placement for providing fitness equipment for NBC’s “The Biggest Loser.” The company has provided fitness machines for seasons six and seven, with plans to continue for the next two Newport Beach-based search engine company Yoogli Inc. has a social networking and music playlist Web site called Yooglimusic.com, which lets users create and share custom playlists. Independent artists are able to advertise and promote their songs through the site (see related story, page 10) Irvine-based Ervin Bell Marketing Communications has changed its name to Ervin Ad Integrated Marketing and has a new Web site Newport Beach-based Kovach Group of Cos. has started KM Interactive, an online division of the public relations company. Clients include Shea Homes, part of Walnut-based J.F. Shea Co., and Lennar Urban, part of Miami-based Lennar Corp.

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