Irvine-based Velocity magazine is looking to become a “digital media company” after ending the print run of the bimonthly regional car buff magazine, according to Publisher David Threshie.
“We’re looking to transform our Web site into something of an interactive TV and car enthusiast site,” he said.
Velocity is planning on developing some interactive TV shows for the Internet, similar to BBC Worldwide Ltd.’s “Top Gear,” a British car enthusiast show, and ESPN Inc.’s Mayne Street, a humorous Web series featuring sports journalist Kenny Mayne.
“I’m looking to those as inspirations of what might be featured on the Web site,” Threshie said.
Originally, plans for Velocity included developing a national cable show featuring Orange County’s car culture.
“I wouldn’t rule it out at the moment,” he said. “But I think the Internet is where media is moving and that’s where we will be focused on.”
The magazine stopped printing in December after a decline in advertising.
“It was on its way to being profitable but stalled right after the mortgage and banking industries collapsed,” Threshie said. “We had to make a decision between suspending it until the economy rebounds or weathering the storm but going into debt.”
Velocity debuted in late 2007 with a circulation of 25,000. The magazine started with ads for auto dealers, auto accessories, collector cars and watches.
“The beginning of the end was when one of our biggest supporters, an auto dealership that been buying two full pages, told us it wouldn’t be able to buy anymore with the way the economy was,” Threshie said.
The magazine could make a comeback, according to Threshie, who used to work at the Orange County Register and was a director at Irvine-based parent Freedom Communications Inc. He’s also the son of former Freedom chairman R. David Threshie.
“We’re looking at a quarterly or biquarterly format similar to something of an on-demand formula,” Threshie said. “There is still a lot of potential with the brand.”
Hispanic Focus
Time Warner Inc.’s Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. is looking to Costa Mesa’s Idea Hall to step up its Hispanic marketing.
In 2008, Warner Bros. hired Idea Hall as its agency of record for its Baby Loony Toons brand and the agency did a promotional sweepstakes in Spanish and English aimed at Latina mothers and expectant moms.
The entertainment company also increased its ad buys in Spanish-language parenting magazines including Iowa-based Meredith Corp.’s Ser Padres.
“The sweepstakes helped in starting a database of consumers interested in the brand and they maintained a conversation with those consumers,” said Marcie Perez, vice president of consumer and multicultural services at Idea Hall.
The current campaign in the works for the brand includes a national Hispanic spokesperson to be revealed in the coming months as well as increasing the brand’s media relations, according to Perez.
“We will be working on its online marketing efforts and events as well,” she said.
Idea Hall, best known for work in real estate, has been making the move into the Hispanic market since last year’s win of San Jose-based Mi Pueblo San Jose Inc., a Hispanic grocery chain in Northern California, and Michigan-based Alticor Inc.’s Nutrilite Health Institute Center for Optimal Health in Buena Park.
“We’re just at the beginning of the talks about Nutrilite because the center in Buena Park has seen a large percentage of Hispanic visitors,” Perez said.
Bits and Pieces:
Freedom Communications, parent company of the Orange County Register, launched a national political Web site called Freedompolitics.com this month. The Web site will feature original political commentary, cartoons, videos and a political blog Newport Beach-based Madeline Zuckerman Public Relations & Marketing Inc. opened a satellite office in Rancho Mirage near Palm Springs. The public relations agency selected Rancho Mirage to be closer to several clients. The agency also was hired by Newport Beach-based Bremer Whyte Brown & O’Meara LLP late last year to handle media relations for the law firm Alternative newspaper OC Weekly moved its offices from Santa Ana to Costa Mesa. The news comes on the heels of the paper downsizing its staff to cut costs amid declining advertising revenue Real estate newsletter publisher San Diego-based Crittenden Research Inc. has moved its Orange County office from Mission Viejo to Lake Forest after its lease expired last year. The publisher also ended the publication of one of its newsletters that covered golf business news. The other newsletters produced by the OC office have gone from weekly publications to bimonthly.
