Al Punto Pitches Doughboy to Hispanics; OC’s Big Ad Spenders
Irvine-based DGWB Advertising is one of five ad shops competing to replace Asher & Partners in Los Angeles to head up a $45 million anti-smoking campaign planned by the California Department of Health Services.
The other agencies,Dailey & Associates, West Hollywood; Deutsch/LA and Ground Zero, both in Marina del Rey; and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in San Francisco,were among 20 competing in the initial round for the five-year contract. Asher & Partners, which has held the account for the past three years, did not make the short list.
The state’s anti-smoking efforts are funded by a 25-cent increase in tobacco taxes approved by voters in a 1998 ballot initiative to fund healthcare projects.
“Most significantly, it was to conduct an aggressive anti-smoking campaign,” said spokesman Ken August of the California Department of Health.
A decision on the ad contract is expected in August.
Pillsbury Passes Work to al Punto
Diageo PLC’s Pillsbury Co. has tapped al Punto Advertising Inc. in Tustin to handle its regional Hispanic advertising and promotion assignments. The agency will launch several new products in Pillsbury’s refrigerated baked goods line in California markets. The work includes television, radio, outdoor, direct-to-home, community and retail promotions. Also, other Pillsbury brands, such as Progresso Soups, plan to tap the agency for advertising in several U.S. markets.
The ad shop competed with several agencies including the Bromley Group in San Antonio and Luna-Bacardi Group in Santa Monica. This is the second big win for al Punto which won a Hispanic marketing account of Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. in April.
Volvo Evolves in OC
Roger Ormisher has been appointed director of public relations for Volvo Cars of North America in charge of establishing a new communications base for Volvo on the West Coast. The move is in preparation for the company’s arrival in Irvine in September 2001. Ormisher, a former press officer for the UK’s Automobile Association, moves from Volvo Cars UK where he helped re-establish the PR department; subsequently the Volvo brand was ranked No. 1 in 1998 by the UK Motoring Journalist’s survey.
OC’s Big Spenders
Five Orange County-based companies were listed among Advertising Age’s recent list of the nation’s top 100 megabrands with a combined $861.2 million in 1999 spending.
Irvine-based Taco Bell Corp. ranked 42nd with $206.5 million in 1999 advertising spending, up 1.6% from the previous year. The Mexican fast food restaurant chain’s advertising is handled by TBWA/Chiat/Day in Playa del Rey.
Next is Mazda North American Operations in Irvine at No. 48 with $186.2 million, down 6.7% over the previous year with the bulk of the shift in print advertising where spending dropped 49.2% to $43.1 million last year. Doner, Newport Beach, handles the automaker’s advertising account.
Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America in Cypress ranked No. 49. Advertising spending was up 6.3% to $185.7 million with a shift to TV, up 17.6% to $147.4 million, print was down 61.4% to $10 million. Deutsch, Los Angeles, is Mitsubishi’s ad shop.
Lincoln Mercury, Irvine, was ranked No. 58, increasing its spending by 37.6% last year to $167.5 million. TV was up 34.4% to $94.5 million and print was up 46% to $71.1 million. The Irvine offices of Y & R; Advertising handle the account.
Finally, at No. 92, Fountain Valley-based Hyundai Motor America grew 43.5% last year to $115.3 million in ad spending with a 54.2% growth in TV spending to $94.4 million and print spending growth of 1.1% to $17.9 million. Bates USA West in Irvine handles the account. Also, Irvine-based Kia Motors America Inc. ranked No. 132 with spending up 64.8% to $92.8 million.
Post-Agency Wins Kia Campaign
Kia Motors America in Irvine recently chose Newport Beach-based Post-Agency Advertising to handle its 2001 Model Year Accessory Merchandising campaign following a review that included five other ad shops from the Southern California area. The agency, whose clients include Diedrich Coffee and Sorrells Pickard Gourmet Peanut Butter, will handle in-store advertising and other collateral materials such as brochures for the South Korean automaker and will be in stores by August.
Bits and pieces:
Yamaha Corporation of America, Buena Park, is launching a new promotion with Atlanta-based EarthLink Inc. this month that gives away a package of 50 recordable compact discs worth about $80 to new Internet subscribers who also purchase a Yamaha CD-RW recorder. The Ponzi Group, Trabuco Canyon, has picked up a new PR account with Irvine-based Del Mar Medical Systems, designer and distributor of Holter monitoring products. Home improvement warehouse retailer HomeBase Inc., Irvine, has hired Ketchum in Los Angeles to handle the September launch and PR for its newest House 2 Home retail concept Hamburger Hamlet Group Inc., a 14-unit full service restaurant chain and subsidiary of Prandium Inc. in Irvine, last week launched a new summer dinner menu called “Hamlet at Night.”
