Brand stewardship of local toll roads has switched hands but remains in Orange County after Irvine-based ELA Advertising’s clean sweep in a recent bid for the business.
ELA won a three-year contract with the San Joaquin Hills and Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agencies. The account is worth an estimated $7 million to $10 million and will include general market and Spanish-language campaigns, along with media planning.
“ELA’s biggest task of fiscal year 2014 will be to help us communicate The Toll Roads’ conversion to all-electronic tolling,” said Lori Olin, media relations representative for the TCA, commonly known as the Toll Roads. “With the Toll Roads going cashless in 12 months, ELA will be instrumental in helping us educate drivers. This will include (radio and digital) ads, (print) collateral, promotions and social media initiatives.”
In 1986, the California Legislature formed TCA to plan, finance, construct and operate Orange County’s 67-mile public toll roads system, which includes state routes 133, 241 and 261. It is funded with bonds sold to private and institutional investors. TCA’s annual budget is about $292.3 million.
Marshall Advertising and Design in Costa Mesa handled the account for the past nine years.
The Toll Roads invited 802 ad agencies throughout the U.S. to participate in a bidding process for the account, according to ELA Chief Executive Andre Filip.
“It’s really exciting that they chose us,” he said. “I think [the decisive factor] was our ability to connect to the consumer and cut through the clutter.”
Compensation “is not-to-exceed $1.819 million for fiscal year 2014,” said Olin, while “the not-to-exceed amounts for fiscal years 2015 and 2016 will be determined prior to their commencement.”
Marshall made it to the final selection round. The selection panel, comprised of four TCA board members, gave ELA a score of 369 out of 400—a 25-point margin over the next-best contender.
“The panel favored ELA’s in-house Hispanic outreach staff and turn-key marketing plan that was creative, innovative and exciting,” Olin said. “They particularly liked ELA’s idea of creating the first-ever spokesperson for The Toll Roads to help better communicate complicated messaging.”
ELA hired actress Natasha Lloyd to play “Layne” the spokesperson. Lloyd has been featured in commercials for Budweiser, Volkswagen and Doubletree Hotels & Suites, among other brands.
“A road is an inanimate object, we had to bring life to it,” Filip said. “We have to find someone that will connect to the Orange County and Southern California consumer.”
Lloyd debuted on advertising materials 30 days after ELA took over marketing on July 1 and was well received, Olin said.
ELA’s overall marketing efforts will focus on increasing ridership on the toll roads, as well as FasTrak account sign-up. FasTrak is the system’s electronic toll collection device that allows drivers to pass through designated lanes without stopping.
The agency will start with some challenges: Tolls were increased on most segments of the system last month, and the network’s ridership hit a two-year low at the end of last year.
ELA also will promote TCA’s efforts to reach the Spanish-speaking population, as well as plans to extend the 241 toll road.
The ad agency had about $140 million in capitalized billings for 2012. Its other clients include Intel Corp., Asus, Obagi Medical Products Inc., Warner Bros., Verizon Wireless, Walt Disney Co., Milani Cosmetics and the NFL.
