Two local companies—Aliso Viejo-based hamburger franchise Johnny Rockets Restaurant Group Inc. and Mazda North American Operations in Irvine—were featured in TNT’s “Inside Job” reality series.
The premise of the show is simple: Four candidates live together for a week and compete for a dream job. But there is a catch: One of them is an “insider” who already works for the company and reports back on his observations, both good and bad, to the management.
Mazda’s episode, which was filmed at its headquarters, aired April 4.
It prominently featured its marketing chief, Russell Wager, and Derek Lindsey, digital marketing specialist, a.k.a. “the insider.” They were looking for a new launch manager to help coordinate the rollout for the 2014 Mazda3. Vanessa Apodaca, who impressed Wager and the team with her creative ideas, got the job.
Johnny Rockets’ candidates for a field marketing manager position had to launch a milkshake “by performing a song and dance” at a restaurant in Laguna Beach.
Eric Hoffman, the restaurant’s general manager, played the role of the “insider,” reporting back to President and Chief Executive John Fuller.
“Johnny Rockets is known for making incredible shakes, and we knew that marketing a new flavor profile would be the ideal test for these candidates,” Fuller said. “And, because fun is one of our core values, I asked them to create an event that was entertaining, interactive and in line with the lively atmosphere we provide our guests every day.”
The episode was filmed in November and premiered April 9.
TNT is part of Turner Broadcasting System Inc., a Time Warner company.
Taking It Online
Boost Mobile LLC in Irvine launched the first installment of its City Passion project.
The series of three-minute documentaries was filmed and edited by Newport Beach-based ChopShop Entertainment Inc. It features artists and musicians from Brooklyn, N.Y., Los Angeles, Atlanta and Houston—Boost Mobile’s key markets—talking about what makes their neighborhoods unique.
It’s currently playing on Vevo digital radio, Vimeo, YouTube, and on the brand’s community Web page.
“This is more geared toward digital space, and we probably will not see this popping into our above line advertising, into broadcast or anything like that,” said Nick Holt, Boost Mobile’s creative director, adding that “as a mobile device carrier, standard broadcast TV is still very relevant, but our customers are on their devices all day long, and this is an opportunity for us to bring that connection to them … and drive deeper engagement. This actually interests them, gets them to come back and check what city we are covering next, and share with their friends on whatever social media platforms they are on.”
Branding, aside from the title page, is minimal.
“We didn’t feel there was a need to continue to drive brand logos and things of that nature down our customers’ throats. We feel like we already got the engagement [on the community page], so it wasn’t necessary to go over the top, like branding as you might see in other campaigns.”
Proof In the Sticker
The California Avocado Commission in Irvine has launched a produce-sticker branding program aimed at identifying California avocados as harvested in California.
Several avocado handlers will be applying the second labels to their avocados in response to the rise in consumers’ interest
in locally grown produce and checking
for country of origin, according to Jan
DeLyser, the commission’s vice president of marketing.
“The California avocado handlers have been open to the research and to the exploration of how to support the (marketing) program,” DeLyser said in a news release. “Adding a second label to the fruit or changing their labeling practices to include the California brand during California
season is no small feat, but they understand the value this information provides to encourage consumers to purchase more avocados.”
Last week, the commission also hosted a series of season-opener live chats on its Facebook page, which has more than a quarter-million fans. On April 14, avocado grower Doug O’Hara discussed the challenges of growing avocados. Registered dietitian Emily Schiller took over on April 16 and chatted with fans about avocado nutrition. Chef Ivy Stark shared her favorite avocado-inspired Cinco de Mayo recipes on April 18.
The events were publicized via the commission’s new blog, The Scoop, an email newsletter, and recurring social media posts.
