Fancy Picks Up Reptile-Care Guides; PacSun Expands to Alaska
Some new vocabulary for the folks at Heil-Brice Retail Advertising: “Rooty Tooty Fresh n’ Fruity.”
The Newport Beach ad shop last week landed the creative broadcast portion of Glendale-based International House of Pancakes’ estimated $20 million-plus advertising account.
The IHOP restaurant chain, whose 1999 system-wide sales were $299 million, operates more than 900 restaurants including franchises in 37 states, Canada and Japan.
The restaurant chain selected the agency following an informal review with several agencies, but would not disclose which shops competed.
Heil-Brice will handle the pancake house’s TV and radio campaigns, brand positioning and in-store advertising materials.
The agency replaces incumbent kb & p; west of San Francisco, which took over the creative portion of IHOP’s advertising in 1998, replacing the former Bozell Worldwide in Costa Mesa (now FCB Southern California). It was unclear last week whether kb & p; will continue to handle print and outdoor advertising. Denver-based Horizon Media continues to handle the majority of IHOP’s media buying, supplemented by several other agencies.
IHOP’s current broadcast campaign launched in September. The series parodies investigative television journalism with a tongue-in-cheek visit “behind-the-scenes” at IHOP.
Meanwhile, the agency is preparing a pitch for the advertising account at South Coast Plaza. The glitzy shopping center recently reported it hired DGWB Advertising in Irvine on an interim basis, but the final decision will follow a formal pitch from the folks at Heil-Brice.
Cold-Blooded Move
Fancy Publications, whose flagship magazines are Dog Fancy and Cat Fancy, recently acquired a 40-title library of reptile and amphibian pet-care books.
“The ‘Green Iguana’ manual has sold nearly 1 million copies,” said Doug Steil, Fancy’s vice president and general manager.
Terms of the sale were not disclosed.
The purchase of Escondido-based Advanced Vivarium Systems does not include the company’s five-person staff; however, the company’s founder Phillipe de Vosjoli will be a consultant to the magazine company. The books are printed overseas and Fancy’s magazines are published in the Midwest.
Fancy Publications is headquartered in Los Angeles, but 175 of its 300 company-wide employees work in its editorial offices in Irvine. The OC operation includes circulation, production and human resources. Fancy also has offices in Chicago, New York and Lexington, Ky.
Land of the Midnight Sunwear
Pacific Sunwear of California Inc. has brought new meaning to the old Beach Boys song “Surfin’ USA.” It seems surfwear is popular in Alaska. Leave it to the Anaheim-based retailer to spread its fast-growing chain of surf-inspired PacSun shops into a state known more for avalanches and snowstorms than surf and sun.
Pacific Sunwear CEO Greg Weaver, speaking to a recent gathering of the company’s shareholders, said people thought he was crazy to suggest the company open stores in Alaska. There are now two stores in Alaska; a third outlet store opens next year. He did not mention whether the stores will be open 24 hours in sun-never-sets Alaskan summer.
Pacific Sunwear, whose trailing 12-month sales were $436.8 million, ranked No. 54 on Business Week’s list of top 100 small businesses in the May 29 issue.
Bits and pieces:
Rodheim Marketing Group, Costa Mesa, will handle marketing and public relations for Irvine-based Innova Engineering, a new company founded by John Cogger to provide online design analysis for industries ranging from medical and pharmaceutical to aerospace and computer-related businesses Script to Screen, Santa Ana, recently completed its fourth infomercial for PureSpin Golf. The commercial features ESPN commentator Jim Kelly, PureSpin president Peter Mertens and golf teaching professional Dean Reinmuth.
