El Torito Passes on T & O;, though Firm Picks up Xplor
Tustin-based Hilary Kaye Associates says it has been holding its ground and then some during a tough time for public relations firms.
President Hilary Kaye says the shop, which specializes in technology, has seen a 33% increase in revenue from October through the second quarter vs. the year-ago period. The firm has added 10 public relations clients, bringing its roster to 14, according to Kaye. Since January, it also has added three new employees (two filled newly created positions), bringing its staff count to nine.
“We see no signs of our growth slowing, despite what is happening around us,” Kaye said.
Growth may be easier to come by at Hilary Kaye, one of the county’s smaller PR shops. The firm ranked No. 31 on the Business Journal’s July 23 list of the largest PR firms with $900,000 in fee income for the 12 months ended March 30.
Still, Hilary Kaye is swimming against the tide. According to the Business Journal’s list, growth among the largest firms slowed to around 16% for the 12 months ended March 30, vs. 26% in the year-ago period. There were also a number of firms (14 of the 37 on the list) that cut back on staff due to the slowing economy.
Kaye attributes her firm’s gains to a focus on business and financial media relations, which she said is “particularly important during an economic downturn.”
“Our publicly held companies must maintain a positive image, not only with their shareholders but with the entire investment community,” Kaye said. “Our private companies frequently need to acquire new investors and may be looking to be acquired or enter into a merger.”
In both cases, Kaye said, “Positive press is crucial.”
In a slowing economy, Kaye said her clients “look to us as an extension of their marketing departments.”
The firm, which relies on PR as its primary revenue source, picks up work from clients that outsource marketing projects they don’t have the expertise to handle in-house, Kaye said. Plus, the shop helps companies with corporate identities, sales kits and sales training strategies.
“These additional services generally are not revenue producers for us, but they help our clients prosper and, in turn, keep us with a healthy roster of clients,” Kaye said.
The firm’s clients include San Jose-based Photon Dynamics Inc., which has a division headquarters in Aliso Viejo, Folsom-based Acorn Technologies Inc. and San Diego’s Advanced Marketing Services Inc.
El Torito Goes with Perceive
Perceive/Los Angeles, a creative shop in Long Beach, beat out 17 other agencies, including Irvine-based T & O; Group, to win Mexican restaurant operator Acapulco Acquisition Corp.’s ad account for its 76-unit El Torito chain.
The review went on for 90 days. There were four rounds of cuts before Perceive emerged as the victor. Other finalists in the review: Campbell-Ewald Advertising, Kovel/Fuller and G/F/D/M, all in Los Angeles. Impiric, a division of Young & Rubicam Inc. in Irvine previously handled the reported $3 million to $4 million account.
While El Torito was happy with Impiric’s work, according to Ira James, senior vice president of marketing for El Torito, he said Perceive fit El Torito’s needs better, as both run “lean and mean.”
James said the ad shop presented a strategic view of how to target El Torito’s audience that was “fresh and insightful.” A date hasn’t been set for the launch of Perceive’s first campaign.
“They showed commitment to our success by devoting their executive team to our account, and by being nimble and flexible in doing what it takes to get results,” James said.
There are 13 El Torito and five El Torito Grill restaurants in OC. The Mexican restaurant chain was sold last year by Prandium Inc., Irvine, to Long Beach-based Acapulco Acquisition.
“We’re eager to help El Torito revitalize its brand image,” said Nathan James, Perceive’s vice president and director of account services. “It’s a strong restaurant concept that’s been in business almost 50 years, so there’s a lot of equity to build on.”
Lose One, Win One
Irvine-based T & O; Group recently was tapped by Xplor International, a worldwide electronic document systems association, for interactive services. Billings were not disclosed.
T & O; already handles Xplor’s advertising. Its interactive division incorporated the agency’s recently launched “Blink and You Will Miss It” print campaign into the site.
“We selected the T & O; Group, not only due to their skills in the interactive area, but also because of their ability to understand our needs and create a fully integrated program to address them,” said Paul Enghauser, Xplor’s vice president of marketing.
In the future, T & O; Interactive will also incorporate rich media and streaming video e-mail into Xplor’s campaign.
Bits and Pieces:
San Diego-based Mail Boxes Etc. recently tapped W.B. Doner & Co. for its $20 million account. The company reportedly will use the agency’s Irvine and Southfield, Mich. offices. Doner will break its first campaign in the fourth quarter and plans to handle field marketing for Mail Boxes Etc.’s 4,300 retail locations Tustin-based Beard Boy Productions has been writing and producing work for several clients, including Carl’s Jr. and Bel Air Camera Superstore. The shop also produced a 60-second TV spot for Blue Cross of California senior health plans and recently finished an infomercial for the Indy Racing League, which holds the Indy 500 and other sporting events. The infomercial educated viewers on Indy Racing’s Northern Light Series races with hopes of boosting attendance.
