Glitzy Upstart Gives Take on Rivals; Del Taco Forgoes Rock
Bates USA West in Irvine is looking to land more technology business.
About six months ago, the Orange County-based ad shop bought for undisclosed terms Atlanta-based Donino, White & Partners, a 10-year-old agency specializing in business-to-business marketing for the tech sector.
Bates folded the company into its new division called DWP//Bates Technology, headquartered in Irvine. DWP, which counts about 100 employees, has changed its name but continues to operate out of Atlanta.
DWP’s obstacle for growth was not having a worldwide network and the resources of a larger agency such as Bates, according to Mark Weinfeld, senior vice president for strategic planning at Bates.
And Bates hopes to leverage DWP’s track record of building brands for technology clients, including chip maker Murata Electronics North America Inc. in Smyrna, Ga., WorldCom Inc.’s UUNET Technologies in Ashburn, Va., and Vernon Hills, Ill.-based CDW Computer Centers Inc., a computer products marketer.
“The technology sector was something that alone Bates USA West had difficulty getting into,” Weinfeld said, adding that the OC ad shop doesn’t have a track record building dominant tech brands,something prospective clients want to hear.
“We definitely have those stories on the consumer end with clients like Pacific Sunwear and Hyundai,” Weinfeld said.
The division, while operational, is in its beginning stages. To start, it will have four dedicated employees, including Weinfeld. Services include advertising, direct marketing and collateral.
But soon it’ll make an aggressive push, Weinfeld said.
“We’ll be out in the marketplace trying to talk to a lot of companies,” he said. “The programs are about building a brand within the technology sector. It’s very much business-to-business.”
Chest Thumping
Is Michael Kong nervous about introducing a new glitzy Orange County lifestyle publication into a market where other titles have a foothold? Hardly.
In a recent e-mail, Kong, who publishes Angeleno magazine in Los Angeles and will launch the new pub called Riviera, gave his take on the competition, which includes Orange Coast, Coast and Newport Beach (714) magazines.
“Orange Coast is not a luxury magazine, so we do not feel that we compete with them. Coast magazine was an excellent and beautifully designed magazine, but the owners sold it to the Register recently and its quality has been declining ever since,” Kong said. “Plus the two most important people at Coast joined Riviera a month ago.”
And 714 magazine?
“714 is a very small newspaper and has never been a concern,” Kong said.
Well, so much for small talk.
Riviera will go after the same audience as the current OC titles, with editorial content including fashion and accessories, beauty, personal services and home design. The 10.5-by-13-inch magazine,subtitled “Luxury Living in Orange County and the California Riviera”,is set to launch in September and be published bi-monthly for a total of seven issues per year (there’s one extra in December).
There is set to be 30,000 copies in the first press run. Of these, Kong said, 25,000 will be mailed to homes in Newport Beach, Mission Viejo, Costa Mesa and nearby areas with assessed real estate values of more than $1 million. The remaining 5,000 copies will be placed in luxury hotels and available on newsstands for $4.95, he said.
Kong decided to create a sister pub to Angeleno after he said advertisers repeatedly asked for one. Kong said advertisers are “luxury brands seeking to reach just the most upscale 10% of the population,” and they wanted a vehicle in OC, “where they feel there is no luxury media to speak of.”
Seth Baker, publisher of 714 magazine, chuckled at Kong’s comments, saying, “714 has been in existence in OC for 16 years, and it’s been very profitable.”
But Christopher O. Schulz, publisher and chief operating officer of OCR Magazines, which publishes Coast, was not amused. He called Kong’s comment on Coast “absolutely untrue and potentially libelous.”
“The truth is that Coast magazine remains absolutely unchanged since its purchase by OCR Community Publications last September,” he said. “The entire management and editorial staff remains intact, as has the magazine’s focus and connection to its marketplace. Coast continues to deliver an outstanding editorial product to a loyal readership of some of the most affluent consumers in Orange County,our mission and commitment to excellence has not and will not change.”
Maynard “Skip” Johnson, executive publisher of Orange Coast, said he’d rather pass on a comment.
Del Taco Notes
Del Taco Corp., Laguna Hills, recently rolled out the latest installment of its Dan the Product Guy ads meant to give it an edge against competitors Burger King and Irvine-based Taco Bell Corp.
To make the statement, Del Taco features slick recording agents in the spot who want to sell Dan an expensive rock ‘n’ roll jingle. The deal goes bust when agents find out Dan has no money.
Tim Hackbardt, vice president of marketing at Del Taco, said that Burger King and Taco Bell use licensed music in their commercials, while Dan’s musical thriftiness underlines Del Taco’s focus on value.
The spot, created by G & M; Plumbing of Santa Monica, will air in various markets, including Los Angeles, San Diego, Bakersfield, Las Vegas and Palm Springs. Two 15-second commercials and a radio spot are also airing throughout California.
