Audiofly Pty. Ltd., an Australian headphone manufacturer with North American headquarters in Laguna Hills, named Blue C in Costa Mesa its global advertising agency of record.
“This is beyond exciting,” said Eric Morely, a cofounder of the agency.
Blue C will market a line of headphones under the “Club Life by Tiesto” brand—a collaboration with world-famous electronic dance music DJ and producer Tiesto.
“I was blown away by the way they look, the way they sound … and I was like, I want to work with these guys,” Tiesto said during the brand’s launch at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month. “I’m really proud of the product that we made together.”
Blue C will also promote Audiofly’s professional line, which includes in-ear sound monitors used by musicians performing on stage, and it will handle marketing to online and brick-and-mortar retailers such as Best Buy and Amazon, as well as directly target music enthusiasts.
“We will create two different campaigns and an umbrella message that connects both campaigns through our infusion marketing process,” Morely said.
His team of 18 is working on brand messaging, strategy, visual presentation and execution across multiple advertising channels, including digital and print ads.
The Audiofly account was previously handled by advertising agency Braincells, which is based in Australia.
Billings weren’t disclosed, but Morely said the account isn’t the Blue C’s biggest.
It also handles advertising for BMW’s MINI car brand, Vectrix Electric Scooters, Irvine Company and Monster Beverage Corp., among others. Blue C had $22 million in capitalized billings in 2012.
Audiofly is privately held and doesn’t disclose financial data.
Audiofly is also sponsoring the 2014 OC Music Awards, a series of live concerts at venues across the county that kicked off Jan. 7 at Yost Theater in Santa Ana. The winning band will receive a gift card and professional products from the headphone company and social media marketing support from Blue C.
SUP, Tommy Bahama-Style
Suplove Inc. in Huntington Beach is partnering with Seattle-based Tommy Bahama Group Inc. to launch the “Tommy Bahama by Suplove” brand of stand-up paddleboards.
The marketing deal will provide “amazing synergy,” Suplove Chief Executive Matt Johnston said in a news release.
“Both companies are dedicated to promoting active, outdoor lifestyles and providing products in the pursuit of this belief,” he said. “Premium quality is core to the products of Suplove and Tommy Bahama, as is building a family of engaged customers who belong to a larger community.”
The boards will be hand-finished at Suplove’s Orange County headquarters and sold at select Tommy Bahama stores, including the Newport Beach and Laguna Beach locations.
The financial terms of the branding partnership weren’t disclosed.
Domain Dollars
SEOP, a digital marketing agency in Irvine, has acquired the DigitalMarketing.com domain name for “below the initial expected price,” or roughly $750,000.
“This purchase is a major step to better represent the breadth of our talents, services, and proprietary technology, and reinforces our leadership position in every facet of digital marketing,” Eric Schiffer, founder of SEOP, said in a news release.
The company plans to switch to the new domain in March. BI Worldwide in Minneapolis previously owned the domain.
Bits and Pieces
Late martial arts icon Bruce Lee appears in Mazda North American Operations’ new commercial for its 2014 Mazda 3 compact model, which raked in more than 1.5 million views on the Irvine-based automaker’s YouTube channel in just the two weeks since its release. … Concordia University Irvine’s School of Business hired Echo Media Group in Tustin to help build its brand and name recognition. … Buena Park-based Yamaha Corp. of America promoted Athan Billias to director of strategic product planning and named Dave Jewell marketing communications manager of its Customer Sales and Marketing Group, both new positions. Nate Tschetter is the new marketing manager for its Music Production, Pro Audio and Combo Division.
