A Few Less Entrepreneurs; Shakey’s Shifts Ad Shops
Hispanic ad shop al Punto Advertising Inc. has been tapped by Washington, D.C.-based Total Compass Entertainment LLC to promote a new circus targeting Latinos.
Tustin-based al Punto beat out 12 other undisclosed shops nationally to win what it called the seven-figure marketing account. The agency is handling national media planning and placement, and the show’s creative work, which includes TV, radio, print and outdoor ads as well as posters and Web design.
“We competed against the best in Texas and Miami and we were able to keep it here in Orange County,” said Eduardo Bottger, president and creative director at al Punto.
Eric Holmlund, vice president of Total Compass, said al Punto’s knowledge of Hispanic consumers and the agency’s insights into Latino entertainment were key.
Total Compass plans to announce the name of the circus as well as other details at a press conference in Los Angeles this week. The show will launch in September at an undisclosed spot in Southern California and travel throughout the U.S., including Texas, Chicago, Miami and New York, according to Bottger.
To coincide with the grand opening, Bottger said al Punto also plans to launch its first campaign for the circus in September. The work will target Hispanics that are English and Spanish speakers, according to Bottger.
Magazine Slims Down
The tight economy recently touched down at Entrepreneur Media Inc. in Irvine.
The magazine laid off 17 employees, mostly art and editorial staff, and one at Entrepreneur.com, according to Rieva Lesonsky, senior vice president and editorial director.
“It’s like everybody else in the industry,it’s a little bit of a tougher year than general. And we have always liked to run as lean and mean as we can here,” Lesonsky said. “It’s a reaction to the times.”
Slower ad sales have meant fewer pages, which lead to some changes, according to Lesonsky. She said Entrepreneur looked to cut positions that could easily be covered by other employees and “wouldn’t affect the quality of what we do.”
Entrepreneur did the same at its other offices in New York and San Francisco where three other positions were cut.
Lesonsky said Entrepreneur isn’t in a “doom and gloom scenario” or “under some companywide freeze or anything” (the New York office is looking to hire a senior level ad exec, she said).
The magazine “is already starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel,” Lesonsky said.
“We’re pretty positive about the future,” she said. “We figure by the first or second quarter (of 2002) things are going to be, not booming, but back up.”
Surf’s Up
The who’s who of the surf industry recently gathered at the posh St. Regis Hotel in Dana Point for the 12th Annual Waterman’s Ball held by the Surf Industry Manufacturers Association.
The event drew more than 800 attendees, with top execs from Billabong, Quiksilver, Hurley, Volcom and Rusty (just to name a few) rubbing elbows with elite surfers, such as Kelly Slater. The group raised about $250,000 for the environment.
After mingling around an auction with some cocktails, the sleekly-dressed crowd christened a ballroom at the St. Regis with dinner and an award ceremony. Pioneering surf filmmaker Bud Browne was given the 2001 Waterman Achievement Award for his contribution to the sport.
Others acknowledged: Donna Frye (who received the Environmentalist of the Year award) and Mike Parsons, Peter Mel, Ken Collins and Brad Gerlach, who wowed the world in January and conquered 60-foot waves at Cortes Bank, which is part of an underwater mountain chain about 100 miles off the Orange County coastline.
Shakey’s Shift
Garden Grove-based Shakey’s Inc. has tapped Big Imagination Group in Culver City to handle branding, identification and trade advertising for a new line of products.
The move created some speculation about Shakey’s future with agency-of-record GFDM in Los Angeles. Sean Flynn, Shakey’s president, said the company is reviewing the relationship and will decide by early October whether the dealer-funded portion of Shakey’s account will go up for review (Big Imagination’s work is funded by corporate).
Flynn said Shakey’s tapped Big Imagination because the ad shop is more in tune with the company’s needs. Shakey’s is currently undergoing an overhaul, including a management shift, expansion plans and store renovations.
“For a project of this magnitude and potential significance to both the future of the Shakey’s brand as well as franchise growth, we, as a franchisor, felt it was in the brand’s best interest to retain the services of Big Imagination Group,” Flynn said.
Neil Naroff, senior vice president at GFDM, said the ad shop is “not surprised” or “concerned” about the re-evaluation.
“It’s not unusual, when new management comes in, for them to review everything that goes on in a company,” Naroff said. “I’m sure that they’re investigating all of their relationships.”
Shakey’s will be presenting new menu items and prototypes of new restaurant designs on Sept. 11 at the restaurant chain’s Annual Franchisee Conference, which will be held at the La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad.
