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Op, Fender Do “American Idol,” Up-and-Coming Style

Op, Fender Do ‘American Idol,’ Up-and-Coming Style

Jaguar Revisits Luxury Car Gift Giving; Morgan Lands Bubba Gump, Rusty Pelican, Others

Marketing & Media

by Jennifer Bellantonio

If you’re a wannabe rock star, Irvine-based Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp. could be your in.

The surf apparel company? Yep.

Op recently teamed up with Fender Records to hunt for new music talent.

Fender is a newly formed label created by guitar maker Fender Musical Instruments Corp. and Morling Manor Music & Media, which recently was folded into Mandalay Branded Entertainment Inc.

They plan to produce an album tentatively titled Op “Emerging,” which is set to feature up-and-coming, unsigned artists. Spencer Proffer, cofounder of Fender Records and executive vice president of Mandalay, will provide creative direction.

The companies plan to work together to select artists, songs and the look of the album, which is set to be distributed and marketed by AOL Time Warner Inc.’s Rhino Records, according to an Op spokesman.

Michael Marckx, Op vice president of marketing and advertising, said “Emerging” will showcase a diverse selection of musicians whose “personalities and music play to the tastes of today’s multifaceted Op customers.”

The album is an extension of entertainment moves Op already has made in a bid to connect with youth culture.

Others include holding a pay-per-view skate event, known as the Op King of Skate (more “King of” events in other sports are expected to follow).

Op’s not alone in its entertainment fever. A number of Orange County companies, including Wet Seal Inc., Quiksilver Inc. and Volcom, have jumped into the media fray in their own fashion.

Op’s first CD, set for release in late spring, is expected to feature 10 artists, including some unnamed personalities in the action sports crowd.

There’s also a talent search going on via the Web (www.fender.com) to scout out other stars. The search, which began earlier this month, ends Dec. 15.

If artists get discovered through the project, they will be eligible to sign a long-term recording contract with Fender, according to an Op spokesman.

The CD will be sold on fender.com, rhino.com and via Op sites, such as Op.com and Opclassic.com. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to a charity.

And there’s more: Fender plans to make limited edition Op-branded guitars.

A Jag Under the Tree

Jaguar Cars wants to snag more drivers this holiday season.

The automaker, which has its North American headquarters in Irvine, broke a new “Unwrap a Jaguar” campaign this month aimed at getting people to lease a Jaguar for their spouse.

The major fourth-quarter effort, which runs through Jan. 6, is similar to one Jaguar tested last year. The automaker spent about $9 million on that campaign, according to New York-based Competitive Media Reporting. And industry reports indicate this year’s effort may be in the same ballpark.

The campaign includes print and television ads (one TV spot is a carryover from last year), direct mail, online, outdoor and even wrapping paper. Y & R; Cos. in Irvine did the work.

The campaign highlights Jaguar’s X-Type and S-Type cars, among others.

The strategy behind the work?

Y & R; tried to broaden the brand’s appeal to a wider audience and “build overall awareness of the brand by focusing on accessibility,” an agency spokesman said.

Plus, Jaguar is trying to take advantage of the year-end selling period, he said.

“As always, our fundamental goal is to drive traffic towards the Jaguar brand,” he added.

Morgan Gets Batch of Work

Morgan Marketing & Public Relations has been on a feeding fest.

The Irvine-based shop has picked up eight new accounts in the past few months.

The wins include San Clemente-based Bubba Gump Shrimp Co., The Fish Market, a new seafood restaurant in the Irvine Spectrum, and the Local Place Bakery & Cafe, a new restaurant from Torrance’s King’s Hawaiian Bakery West Inc.

Orange County Business Bank in Newport Beach and Rusty Pelican, a 30-year old Newport landmark restaurant, also are among Morgan’s new clients.

A Morgan spokeswoman said the shop picked up the accounts through referrals from current and former clients.

Meanwhile, folks at the Business Journal still are eating their way through a giant Chinese carryout container filled with 500 fortune cookies. The shop sent out the giant container as a way to promote the 500th store opening of South Pasadena-based Panda Express Restaurant Group Inc.

Bits and Pieces:

Ad shops are snapping up the pieces left by Bates USA West in Irvine. Marshall Advertising and Design in Costa Mesa recently hired on Brad Gill as senior art director to work on the shop’s Yamaha and other accounts. Gill, who has 10 years experience in art and design, formerly was at Bates RiechesBaird in Irvine also recently made a new hire. The ad shop tapped Greg Blackband to head business development. He replaces Mark Maricich, who left the company to join his family’s business Newport Beach-based Juxt Interactive just finished a new Web site for Japan’s Shimano Inc.’s promoting its new XTR shifting, braking and drive train component series for mountain bikes. The site, www.shimanoxtr.com, has video clips, product specifications, a behind-the-scenes look at the engineering process and a 3-D look at the shifting and break system, among other things. Juxt picked up the work last summer, as well as projects for other brands, including Samuel Adams, Reef and Kawasaki.

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