The Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim is putting up a massive marquee alongside the Orange (57) Freeway and has signed on two advertisers for billboard-style exposure from the sign.
The 95-foot marquee is going up and is set to debut in June. It’s in the northwest corner of the Pond’s parking lot on Katella Avenue and Douglass Road, next to the freeway.
The marquee, which has a 24-foot by 35-foot color display, is set to promote Mighty Ducks games, other sporting events and concerts.
Toyota Motor Corp. and the Orange County Register have signed on for two of four ad panels on the sign. Deals are in the works for the other two, according to the Pond.
Officials with the arena declined to say what advertisers are paying. The ad panels are 12 feet by 31 feet.
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Pond marquee: $1.5 million, set to be done in June |
The Pond started the project in February after working with Anaheim officials on the design for the past year. Once the Pond got approval from the city and the California Department of Transportation, the marquee was a go.
The Pond worked with South Dakota’s Daktronics Inc., a maker of electronic scoreboards and video displays, and Orange-based CenSource Inc. on the sign.
The sign cost about $1.5 million. The Pond, which expects to keep up the marquee with ad revenue, said it hopes to catch the eyes of some 64 million drivers up and down the freeway each year.
The sign is the arena’s latest marketing move under Broadcom Corp.’s Henry Samueli, who bought the Mighty Ducks last year and previously acquired Anaheim Arena Management LLC, which runs the Pond and the hockey team.
Anaheim Arena Management spent the past year marketing the team and rebuilding staff after losing some workers during the hockey lockout, which ended in 2005.
More than 70 workers were hired or promoted throughout the operation, including in graphic design, telemarketing, media buying and sales.
The Pond also signed a booking deal with Beverly Hills-based Live Nation Inc. to bring more concerts to a slimmed down, 7,000-seat section of the arena dubbed the theater.
So far, Live Nation, which has been working with the Pond for several years, has signed two shows: The Strokes, which performed in March, and Rob Thomas and Jewel, which are slated for July 1.
In other news, the Pond has signed on Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. as the soft drink sponsor for the arena, as well as for the Ducks and Anaheim Ice, the Duck’s training facility a few miles away.
Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated had been the arena’s soft drink supplier.
Pepsi started selling drinks in March. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. The Pond said the agreement includes upgraded fountain gear, marketing and promotional support and signs inside the arena.
Y & R; Win
Irvine’s Young & Rubicam Brands won another account under its new chief.
The ad agency beat out nine others to be named agency of record for Portland, Ore.-based Knowledge Learning Corp., which offers childhood education and care under various brands, including KinderCare Learning Centers and Children’s World Learning Centers.
“From the beginning of this agency review process, we were impressed with the ideas and strategy that Young & Rubicam Brands brought,” said Dan Frechtling, Knowledge Learning’s senior vice president of marketing and business development.
The review was handled by Zyman Group in Atlanta.
The national account is set to be led out of Y & R;’s Irvine office and will include a range of marketing, such as advertising, interactive, promotions and direct marketing.
Billings weren’t disclosed.
This is the second win for Y & R; under Rick Eiserman, who took over the Irvine operation earlier this year, replacing David Murphy. In February, Y & R; picked up the Los Angeles Dodgers.
DGWB Wins AutoNation
Santa Ana-based DGWB Advertising & Communications picked up a new account.
The shop was named agency of record for AutoNation Inc.’s California region, which includes Power Automotive Group in Southern California and AutoWest Automotive Group in Northern California.
DGWB is set to handle strategic planning, advertising, media planning and buying, interactive campaigns, and Hispanic marketing.
Tom Valasek, AutoNation’s director of marketing for California, said the company wants to be the “first place” people think of when buying a car.
DGWB “brought very creative, strategically-driven insights that will elevate our brand,” he said.
DGWB’s Ed Collins, who has worked in senior management positions for 20 years on various automotive accounts, such as Infiniti and Lincoln Mercury, is set to manage AutoNation’s business.
El Pollo Loco’s Dollar Push
Irvine-based El Pollo Loco Holdings Inc., which filed to go public last week, recently broke an advertising campaign pushing its expanded $1 menu.
The fast-food chain commissioned 15- and 30-second TV spots in English and Spanish promoting the additions, including a $1 salad and $1 taquito with avocado salsa.
Through June 25, El Pollo Loco is offering Tacos al Carbon for 25 cents each (limit of four) when you buy a family chicken meal.
The restaurant chain plays up the changes at its stores through banners, window signs and drive-thru ads.
El Pollo Loco launched the $1 menu last year to celebrate its 25th anniversary. Since, the company said it has sold more than 36 million $1 menu items, surpassing expectations.
