The Register’s New Front Page Includes Ad Space; ASG Renaissance Opens OC Office
Advertising movers and shakers wined, dined and celebrated on Saturday at the Orange County Ad Club Awards at the Santa Ana Performing Arts Center.
For the fifth consecutive year, the night was a sellout, with more than 500 industry and creative attendees, including representatives from top OC ad agencies, including Young & Rubicam, DGWB, Doner and Casanova Pendrill Publicidad.
There were 620 entrees,a record number,and 24 gold and 46 silver awards were given out. Top winners: FCB Southern California in Costa Mesa, DGWB Advertising in Santa Ana and Casanova Pendrill Publicidad.
FCB walked away with the Best of Show Broadcast award for its “Clear” spot for client Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A.
DGWB earned the Best of Show Print award for its newspaper campaign for client Wienerschnitzel and Casanova Pendrill Publicidad won the Best of Show Non-English award for its “Punos Network” work for client DirectTV Inc.
Other highlights: Cochrane Chase, considered the father of advertising in Orange County, walked away with a Lifetime Achievement Award and Dan Hirt, president of Primary Color, won the Orange County Silver Medal Award,two of the highest individual awards for commitment and achievement in the marketplace.
Ad One
The Orange County Register’s redesign has another lure for advertisers: front-page ad space.
Douglas E. Hanes, senior vice president of sales and marketing, said the paper created the ad space and a few others,including a spot on the bottom of page 3,for consumers who said in focus groups they wanted more utilitarian value out of the paper.
“One item that was high in their minds was advertising, thus the idea of having the coupon on the first page,” Hanes said.
Of course, revenue had a little to do with move, too. The 1-inch by 3-inch front-page ad in the bottom corner costs $2,000 weekdays and up to $2,300 on Sundays for a 13-week commitment. And so far Hanes said the response has been “outstanding” from advertisers like Smart & Final, Albertson’s and Pizza Hut,just a few companies that have secured positions.
“It’s hard to determine in the economy we’re going through because you don’t know how much of that becomes diluted or is transferred revenue,” Hanes said, of the overall revenue he estimates will be generated by the new ad space. “But we can definitely tell that the front page coupon has been all incremental.”
The Register has no plans to create more front-page ads, and has placed strict guidelines on the ones that run now.
The Register isn’t alone in its move. The Orange County Business Journal, the San Diego Business Journal and USA Today are a few papers that run ads on the front page.
When asked if there’s been any negative feedback from the move,which some reporters frown upon in fear of comprised editorial integrity,Hanes said: “It can be perceived by some that we’re now placing an ‘ad’ on the front page, but if you look back historically at newspapers, even our paper 50 years ago,there was advertising on the front page.”
Plus, Hanes said that newspapers started out as shoppers about 200 years ago with plenty of front cover ads.
“We don’t look at it as an ad as much as a value added for the consumer,” he said.
Bits and Pieces:
Michigan-based ASG Renaissance, a woman- and Hispanic-owned communications firm, has set up a new business and shop in Lake Forest called Renaissance Creative Group. The OC shop specializing in technical and communication services houses employees from ASG and Santa Ana-based Back Bay Communications, which recently was acquired by ASG. Clients include Ford Motor Co. and Lincoln Mercury The Los Angeles Times plans to cut all four Valley edition columns, with two writers being laid off and two others reassigned, according to insider.com. Other editors and reporters also reportedly will be transferred to the paper’s downtown headquarters. The news is the Times’ latest move to pull back on local coverage and focus on stories of wider interest. No confirmation from the Times Mini-me? The OC Metro is noticeably smaller now that its been trimmed down by an inch in width and 1.5 inches in height. Publisher Steve Churm, in one his recent columns, said “contemporary size” is easier to read on the go and fits better in your hands, among other pros. It also saves the paper money, which it says it will use to boost circulation.
