DGWB in Space Crunch; Churm Readies Las Vegas Family Mag
Ericsson’s CyberGenie PC Cordless Phone System hasn’t hit the stores yet, but the company is already getting orders for the virtual office assistant from customers who saw FCB Worldwide’s store window displays in New York last month.
FCB was hired by Brea-based Ericsson this year to handle the estimated $5 million account for CyberGenie that includes creating an advertising campaign, store displays, product packaging, in-store promotions, print and TV advertising.
The full-blown campaign, which will break in January or February, will use a comparison of the work habits of a live office assistant — who does things like throw pencils into the ceiling and otherwise waste time — and the new CyberGenie.
The window displays featured a live actor in the office assistant role.
“The window display created quite an impact for passersby,” said Deidre Fitzpatrick, FCB’s group creative director.
A video version of the store display will be launched at several New York City electronics stores in the next few weeks.
Stockholm, Sweden-based telecommunications provider Ericsson has about 400 employees at its Brea offices, including 96 in the CyberGenie division.
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Sunglasses manufacturer Oakley Inc. has a new manager of public relations. This week, Lance Allega, former senior public relations manager at Wonderware Corp. in Irvine, will step into the vacancy caused by the departure of Rene Law.
The Foothill Ranch-based Oakley is expected to launch some new footwear products and is preparing to launch a new advertising campaign in the spring, aimed at promoting the company’s brand rather than its specific products, which also include watches and apparel.
Newport Beach-based Churm Publishing plans to launch its new free weekly magazine, Las Vegas Family, on Jan. 3. The parent of OC Metro, OC Family and Inland Empire Family opened an office in Las Vegas in September with a staff of four, plus freelance reporters and photographers, who will report to executive editor Craig Reem in Orange County. Greg Blake Miller will be the magazine’s managing editor.
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Mike Yanney stepped down from the board of directors of Freedom Communications Inc. in October when new CEO Sam Wolgemuth replaced Jim Rosse. But the head of America First Cos. Inc. in Omaha, Neb., says he didn’t leave to make way for Rosse to join the board, but because he felt comfortable that the media organization has become a well-managed company.
He said he is planning to retire soon and is shedding responsibilities.
“I resigned from several boards. It has nothing to do with Freedom,” he said. “I think the shareholders at Freedom were fortunate to find Rosse, and management and the family have done an extremely good job of getting Freedom more focused than what they were.”
Opera Pacific’s marketing director, Kevin Chrysler, is seeking to add a new position to his seven-member staff. The new media relations person would begin in January.
The opera has been rebuilding its staff under Executive Director Martin Hubbard, who initially cut positions two years ago to bring the company back into the black. Opera Pacific now has 22 full-time employees, and may hire two or three more.
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The low-budget “Blair Witch Project” made its filmmakers famous, so why not OC’s Rocky Costanzo? The producer and director, who heads up Huntington Beach-based Lifeline Entertainment, recently screened its latest flick, “Godsend: the Evil Decimation,” at the Galaxy Theater in Santa Ana.
The $30,000 flick took about 14 months to complete and was produced entirely in Orange County with the help of production companies such as Media One in Costa Mesa where most of the editing was done. The video release is expected next year.
The next project: “Behind the Orange Curtain.” The film documents the travails of bands on the local music scene.
LoansDirect.com will be having a talk with its WiseGuys ad shop in Pasadena.
The ads created by WiseGuys for the Huntington Beach-based online company have drawn a lawsuit threat from the California Mortgage Brokers Association, which says they unfairly portray brokers as dishonest. LoansDirect.com President Anthony Hsieh says he stands by the message in the ads, but he plans to discuss whether his company will continue to run them.
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Bits and pieces:
Laguna Hills-based Del Taco Corp. is looking for a new vice president of marketing to replace Annette Shehan, who has become senior vice president for marketing for five brands under William Foley’s Santa Barbara Restaurant Group umbrella Caruso Communications, Huntington Beach, helped organize a “Dux in Tux” fundraiser to benefit cystic fibrosis research, featuring the entire Mighty Ducks hockey team. Additionally, Barbara Caruso is working with Edge Communications in Calabasas handling PR for CarsDirect.com Townsend & O’Leary, Irvine, has added venture-capital firm ColumbusNewport Inc. to its list of PR clients Ervin Advertising and Design is now Ervin Bell Advertising. Mike Ervin, president, and Sandra Bell, vice president, have teamed to create the new partnership and have moved offices from Seal Beach to Huntington Beach. The 18-year-old agency’s clients include First American Financial Corp. in Santa Ana, Ropak Corp. in Fullerton and local store marketing for Brook Furniture, Chicago BDS Marketing, Irvine, picked up two new clients, Xerox Corp. and Excite@Home Inc. www.Mymission.org, a new online web site devoted to the California missions, is hoping to raise money to restore all 21 missions with the sale of art work and collectibles. Sheree Clock Cormier heads up the San Juan Capistrano-based company Script to Screen, Santa Ana, received an award for best talk-show infomercial at the 1999 ERA Expo and Conference in Las Vegas, for its TorsoTrack spot featuring Suzanne Sommers.
