Kia Goes Hollywood; Beard Boy Pitches Ad Agencies
They keep on coming.
Slow economy or not, new ad agencies and public relations firms continue to stake their claim here. In the past few months, a handful of new firms have opened up in various parts of Orange County.
And others are sniffing around, including Pennino & Partners, a Houston-based public relations firm that’s considering whether to open another location in the area.
In the meantime, Capstone Studios, a marketing and communications firm based in Los Angeles, recently opened a 1,200-square-foot office with seven employees in the Irvine Spectrum.
Principal Jo-Anne Redwood said as “We expand into the Orange County market, we definitely expect this number to grow. We’re always on the lookout for talent in OC.”
The firm chose this area to better serve its OC clients, according to Redwood. Plus, she said, she and principal John Taylor Dismukes both are Coto de Caza residents.
“As residents, it allows us to be more involved in the community as a whole,” Redwood said.
The firm has done work on a variety of campaigns in the entertainment industry, such as “Entertainment Tonight,” “The Lost World: Jurassic Park,” “The Addams Family” and “The Terminator.”
Dismukes specializes in digital art and graphics, which usually blend dramatic imagery with symbolism, colors and lots of detail.
“It’s something I’m known for,” Dismukes said.
Some recent clients that Capstone has developed campaigns for include Adexa Inc., R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Holdings Inc., AT & T; Corp., Pepsi-Cola Co. and Universal Studios.
In OC, Capstone primarily is seeking clients in technology and telecommunications, real estate, pharmaceuticals and hospitality.
“Yet our core competency is problem-solving, so we’re open to working with any type of client,” Redwood said.
Despite an overall downturn in the advertising industry, Capstone didn’t give its expansion into OC a second thought, according to Redwood.
Besides seeing Southern California as a “hotbed of growth and opportunity,” Redwood said recent events and current market conditions have companies reevaluating their expenditures.
“Capstone has garnered its reputation by yielding a better return on investment for its services and clients,” she said.
Sedona in Hollywood
Kia Motors America Inc. went with Hollywood to promote its new Sedona minivan.
The Irvine-based automaker has put characters from DreamWorks LLC’s family movie, “Shrek,” into its latest campaign, which is timed to launch near the Nov. 2 video release of the movie.
The campaign, planned and created by Los Angeles-based davidandgoliath and East West Creative, features television and print ads that will run nationally this month and in November, and an interactive e-mail component to support dealer traffic.
“By incorporating the Shrek characters, we are able to reach the Kia Sedona’s key audience,families,” said Rick Weisehan, Kia’s director of marketing.
The promotional program is designed to build showroom traffic. People who test drive the Kia Sedona between now and Dec. 31 are set to receive by mail a free copy of the Shrek home video.
Also, early shipments of the movie will include instant win cards for the 2002 Kia Sedona. The company plans to give away five minivans.
Pledging Allegiance
Tight times require different moves.
Recently, the Business Journal reported how employees at one OC ad agency traded their personal Honda and Yamaha motorcycles for Suzukis to try to give the shop an edge in a review for a $5 million to $10 million chunk of business from Brea-based American Suzuki Motor Corp.
Now, the folks at Beard Boy Productions, Tustin, are doing their own creative maneuvering with hopes of landing new work.
The radio and television production company developed customized radio spots about,not for,17 Los Angeles advertising agencies. Beard Boy directed the agencies to the spots by e-mail.
Did Beard Boy get any bites? Execs say they got good feedback but it’s too soon to tell.
Bits and Pieces:
Stun Gun, an Irvine-based editorial, design and finishing house, recently completed work on television spots for Heil Brice Retail Advertising, Newport Beach, and their clients IHOP Corp. and the Los Angeles Times. The firm was also tapped by Think Big Marketing, Aliso Viejo, to handle TV spots for the ad shop’s client buy.com Inc., also of Aliso Viejo Don’t dismiss the power of colors. Laguna Hills-based Del Taco Inc. has developed new purple, red and yellow packaging materials that are color-coded to menu items, which the company says makes employee training easier, speeds food preparation and increases order accuracy Newport Beach-based Madeline Zuckerman Public Relations & Marketing Inc. recently was tapped by Giorgio Armani Corp. to launch its new 5,400-square-foot boutique at South Coast Plaza. A grand opening event is set for November.
