Autobytel Inc. in Irvine will outsource the ad sales portion of its business to Jumpstart Automotive Group, a San Francisco-based automotive marketing and advertising company.
Jumpstart, part of New York-based Hearst Corp.’s magazine division, represents various automotive digital publishers and reaches 26 million consumers each month.
Autobytel, which focuses on connecting consumers with vehicle dealers, stands to benefit from expanded advertising revenue opportunities.
“Jumpstart has a great reputation in the marketplace and has built solid automotive brand relationships that should enhance our ability to meet the auto industry’s online marketing and advertising needs,” Jeff Coats, president and chief executive officer of Autobytel, said in a news release. “By outsourcing our ad sales function, we are better able to focus on our core business of delivering high-converting leads to our dealer and manufacturer customers.”
The decision to partner with Jumpstart was fueled by the agency’s portfolio of advertising campaigns for major auto brands, Coats said, adding that the two companies will work together to develop “leading marketing programs.”
Autobytel has a market value of about $66 million.
Asics In for the Long Run
Asics America Corp. continued its long-standing support of the ING New York City Marathon with an array of activities surrounding the Nov. 3 race and a branded line of merchandise developed exclusively for the event.
“The energy that comes to the streets of New York on race day is palpable,” Kevin Wulff, Asics’ chief executive, said in a news release. “This same energy is at the core of ASICS pursuit of competition, camaraderie and continuous improvement. We are honored to have been a sponsor of the ING New York City Marathon for more than 20 years.”
The Irvine-based sports apparel company launched the “We Are Marathoners” marketing campaign in the days leading up to the event. It featured several fan-engagement components.
The “Treadmill Challenge” gave race enthusiasts a chance to experience what it feels like to run at the same pace as Ryan Hall, the fastest American male marathoner, while using custom-built, high-performance treadmills.
The company also updated its “bestselling long distance shoe,” the GEL-Kayano and its “neutral running shoe,” GEL-Nimbus, with marathon branding. And it developed a “head-to-toe limited edition apparel and accessories collection” bearing the marathon logo, according to the news release.
MediaShift Leaps to Canada
MediaShift Inc. said it has expanded its operations to Canada in a quest to develop the “largest audience platform of on-the-go consumers.”
The Newport Beach-based digital advertising technology company sells advertising opportunities aimed at travelers “across all access points in the travel lifecycle.”
It has partnered with Canada-based PurePages, provider of hospitality Internet solutions, and FlightNetwork.com, billed as the second-largest online travel agency in Canada, to develop several mutually beneficial ventures.
“We greatly value our partnerships with PurePages … and FlightNetwork.com … as they further enhance our platform’s reach and provide our advertisers access to a highly desirable audience,” Brendon Kensel, president of MediaShift, said in a news release.
The company, which has a market value of about $72 million, will create revenue streams for PurePages’ Wi-Fi networks via its Advantage Monetization Platform.
The technology enables advertisers to reach travelers using a free Wi-Fi connection provided by PurePages at locales in parts of the U.S. and across Canada.
MediaShift’s audience platform will help the travel agency to “serve relevant advertising placements connecting our highly affluent, transactional audience with high-quality advertisers without affecting the user experience,” according to FlightNetwork’s vice president of digital, Thomas Jankowski.
Bits and Pieces
Looks like Freedom Communications Holdings Inc., parent company of the Orange County Register in Santa Ana, will wait at least a little longer on its deal to acquire the Press-Enterprise newspaper in Riverside for $27.2 million from Dallas-based A. H. Belo Corp.
Early last week, Belo stated in its Q3 report that “Effective October 31, 2013, the Company amended the asset purchase agreement. The amendment effectively extends the transaction closing date to mid-November in return for a non-refundable deposit of $1.0 million to be credited to the purchase price at closing.” The Register is also reporting that Freedom’s negotiations with city of Anaheim to become sponsorship broker for the Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center have fallen through. Aaron Kushner, Freedom’s chief executive, was quoted as saying, “It didn’t look like we were going to put something together that would work well for the city and for Freedom.” … Rogue Stand Up Paddleboards in San Clemente has hired Ty Zulim as its new vice president of sales and marketing. … The Surf Industry Manufacturers Association in Aliso Viejo has agreed to endorse Surf Expo’s trade shows held in Orlando, Fla., for another three years. … TransWorld SURF Magazine, owned by San Clemente-based Grind Media, has teamed with book publisher Weldon Owen in San Francisco to create a 240-page surf-inspired coffee table book, “100 Greatest Waves.”
