Bates USA West Launches New TV, Print Ads for Hyundai
ESPN Zone, a new restaurant and entertainment center in Anaheim, now houses “Up Close,” ESPN’s daily interview program.
The 17-year-old show recently moved from its Hollywood studio to a contemporary set with a live audience in ESPN Zone’s Studio Grill restaurant. During the week, patrons can watch host Gary Miller chat with well-known athletes, such as New York Yankees outfielder David Justice, who appeared earlier this month.
“(Anaheim’s ESPN Zone) has become the West Coast production office for ‘Up Close,'” said Randall L. Baumberger, vice president and general manager of ESPN Zone, explaining that this is the first time ESPN has moved a permanent show to an ESPN Zone (Anaheim is the sixth nationwide). “It really allows our guests to have a unique experience. They can have lunch and actually see celebrities.”
This also is the first time an ESPN Zone has opened in a city like Anaheim. Other complexes are concentrated in downtown areas, including New York, Baltimore and Chicago. This ESPN Zone is now positioned as an Anaheim venue, but future plans may entail expansion into Los Angeles.
The six-person “Up Close” crew, including camera operators, technicians and producers, works from a full-service production trailer. Just feet away sits a radio broadcast booth, home base for ESPN radio AM 1110 personalities Joe McDonnell and Doug Krikorian. The duo broadcast from Anaheim Monday and Friday afternoons from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., while “Up Close” airs Monday through Friday at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN.
In the future, ESPN Zone plans to add live broadcasts for special sporting events.
Bates Debuts New Hyundai Spots
Bates USA West in Irvine pushes a beefy warranty program as an essential element of freedom in new television spots it rolled out for top client, Hyundai Motor America.
The national TV campaign features four commercials: two for the Santa Fe sport utility vehicle, which began airing this month; one for the XG300 premium sedan and one for the redesigned Elantra compact sedan. The ads are set to run on cable, network and spot television, during shows such as “ER,” “West Wing” and “Ally McBeal” and on CNN.
Seven color magazine ads also are part of the campaign, Hyundai’s largest ever, according to Ad Week. The ads began appearing this month in national publications such as People, Entertainment Weekly, Sports Illustrated and Automobile.
Bates, which handles creative and media on the $100 million Hyundai account, uses recognizable songs from Jimi Hendrix and other artists to push the “Freedom” theme. In one spot, dubbed “Carpet,” a logging truck rolls out a carpet through rugged terrain so a Santa Fe SUV can go for a ride. All the while, a voice-over pushes Hyundai’s features: V6 power, full-time, four-wheel drive and you guessed it, the freedom of America’s best warranty.
The campaign hits at a time when South Korea’s Hyundai, which has its U.S. base in Fountain Valley, is actively working to reposition the brand.
Bits and Pieces:
Rieva Lesonsky, editor of Irvine-based Entrepreneur magazine, will write and host a daily informational radio series, which is being recorded, edited and assembled by Creative Media Recording in Cypress for radio syndicator Business Talk Radio. The program is expected to air on major talk stations nationwide Carlsbad-based Rubio’s Restaurants has tapped Team One Advertising in El Segundo to handle its $4 million creative account. The agency beat out Los Angeles agencies Wong Doody and Asher/Gal & Partners, and will replace incumbent agency Vitro-Robertson of San Diego. Meanwhile, Mediaspot in Newport Beach will place the media. A campaign promoting Rubio’s fish tacos and other specialties is expected to roll out this quarter. Rubio’s runs restaurants in Orange County and nearby areas, including Los Angeles and San Diego The Los Angeles Times recently sold the Pasadena Weekly, a 35,000-circulation community newspaper, to Venture Newspaper Inc. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The move is part of the Times’ overall push to cut costs and focus on local and regional coverage. Last year, the paper closed 14 “Our Times” community news sections in OC Irvine-based Lages & Associates recently was named the agency of record for Irvine-based TransDimension Inc., a new technology company. The OC public relations firm, which reported 1999 capitalized billings of about $1.2 million, won the $120,000 to $200,000 account without a review.
