Santa Ana-based Freedom Orange County Information is pushing a new weekly publication,SqueezeOC.
The 52-page magazine and Web site, www.SqueezeOC.com, are set to launch on Aug. 18.
The goal: give readers ideas about what to do around Orange County, including dining, art shows, cool hiking trails and live music events.
FreedomOrange County Information publishes the Orange County Register.
The SqueezeOC Web site will be updated constantly. It’s set to have blogs and a review tool so users can list their own ideas, photos and ratings, said Iris Yokoi, the magazine’s editor, in a release.
The site will include drop-down menus sorted by category, activity, location and price.
Sections in the full-color, tabloid-size magazine include Do It (nightlife and clubs), Feel It (spas and gyms), Get It (shopping and more) and See It (galleries and screen reviews). Readers also can find job tips and postings.
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SqueezeOC prototype: 80,000 circulation for the weekly |
SqueezeOC will appear on Thursdays with a circulation of 80,000, including 60,000 to homes and 20,000 copies at 400 racks across the county.
SqueezeOC is designed to reach “a young, Internet-savvy crowd between the ages of 25 to 44,” said David Threshie, market segmentation director at Freedom Orange County Information, which is owned by Irvine-based Freedom Communications Inc.
The target group includes active singles and couples without kids, the bulk of which are homeowners with disposable incomes, he said.
“When interacting with this audience, we found out they do not want to be told what to do, but rather have several options to choose from on their own,” Threshie said.
Freedom Orange County Information took several routes to promote SqueezeOC.
The publication is being advertised on health club panels, cocktail stirrers, bar napkins, bush shelters, trash cans along the beach and bumper stickers.
A plane is slated to fly a 300-by-100-foot SqueezeOC banner along local beaches the weekend following the launch, Aug. 20-21, and during Labor Day weekend on Sept. 4-5.
Online advertising includes teasers on several Web sites, including ticketmaster.com, surfline.com and weather.com.
To kick off the launch, SqueezeOC also is throwing a big bash at Tentation Ultra Lounge in Newport Beach.
Freedom tapped Costa Mesa-based IPW Experience to promote the event, which is expected to draw about 400 people and include a fall fashion show and live music.
Big Idea
Costa Mesa-based advertising shop Idea Hall recently doubled its staff and moved to new offices.
The two-year-old shop hired five workers after picking up new clients and expanding work with current ones, according to President Rebecca Hall.
The positions were across the board, including a senior account manager, account executives and a senior creative director.
“We get 100% of our business from referrals,” Hall said.
Idea Hall’s clients include Birtcher Development & Investments, Custom Comfort Mattress Co. and BrooksAmerica Mortgage Corp.
Idea Hall also more than doubled its size and moved from a 600-square-foot office to a 2,200-square-foot space in Costa Mesa.
The shop wants some more elbow room for future growth, Hall said.
Idea Hall plans to add one or two more people by the end of this year and about four more in 2006, Hall said.
Who’s Where?
Lake Forest-based Schraff Group Communications recently took over the job of publishing the Orange County Ad Directory.
The annual book lists people and companies from OC that work in the advertising and marketing industry. Schraff will start with the 2006 directory.
The book previously was published by founder Jack Mealer, who launched it in 1995 as a way to bring together the county’s “rapidly expanding marketing communications community,” Schraff Group said.
The directory started out as a small booklet. It’s grown into a 50-page, four-color glossy cover publication, the shop said.
The Schraff Group is making the 2006 edition available online for people who already bought it for $10.
“Online, individuals and companies will be able to complete the directory registration process more quickly than before, and they’ll also be able to update their information as needed,” said Brian Schraff, founder of the Schraff Group.
Surf Scene
Laguna Beach-based Propaganda Head-quarters Inc. was busy doing event advertising for the recent Bank of the West Beach Games held at the Huntington Beach pier.
The shop handled event logos, an ad campaign, posters, postcards and billboards.
