Al Punto Soups Up Progresso for Hispanics; A Columnist Switch
Marie Callender Pie Shops Inc., Orange, has tapped Duke Creative Marketing Solutions in New Orleans to handle its estimated $10 million to $20 million advertising account, replacing incumbent agency Mering & Associates in Sacramento.
Duke Creative won the account without a review in part because of its work for longtime client Ruth’s Chris Steak House, said Laura Tobin, an agency spokeswoman. Duke Creative has held the Ruth’s Chris account since 1976.
The ad shop will handle TV, radio and some print with a launch expected in the first quarter. The 52-year-old Marie Callender’s chain counts annual sales of $325 million and operates 170 restaurants in 11 states, mostly on the West Coast and in Mexico. New York-based investment fund operator Castle Harlan Partners III LP bought Marie Callender’s last year for $150 million, becoming the restaurant chain’s fifth owner since 1986.
Progresso South of the Border
Al Punto Advertising, Tustin, is gearing up to launch its first Hispanic marketing effort on behalf of Progresso Soups, a division of Diageo PLC’s Pillsbury Co. unit. The work, set to launch in Chicago and Houston in January, is the first Hispanic effort for Progresso. The agency plans to create spots for TV, radio, outdoor and consumer promotions. Al Punto is sending a team to cast and film a TV spot in Mexico this week, said Peggy Goff, co-president and director of strategic planning.
Additionally, al Punto is putting together a campaign for a February launch that seeks to boost organ donation among Hispanics for client Southern California Organ Procurement Center. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently awarded a $500,000 grant to fund the advertising campaign after a consortium, including the ad agency, the organ procurement center and Strategy Research Corp. of Miami, applied for the funding to target Hispanics.
Al Punto is set to handle the strategy, creative development and media planning and placement, while Strategy Research plans to measure any increase in awareness and changes in attitude among Hispanics, Goff said.
Register, Times Lose Circulation
The latest circulation figures for the Orange County Register and the Los Angeles Times from the Audit Bureau of Circulations show that both papers saw readership slip in what is traditionally a slow period for newspapers.
For the six-month period ended Sept. 30, the Orange County Register reported its average daily total circulation dropped by 101 copies to 358,654 for the Monday through Saturday edition. The Register’s Sunday circulation fell by 1,681 copies to 417,247 for period.
The Los Angeles Times, whose Orange County circulation figures were not broken out in the report, said its average daily total circulation dropped by 44,787 copies to 1,033,399 for the period. The newspaper’s Saturday average circulation fell by 28,049 copies to 938,615, while its Sunday average circulation grew by 17,369 copies to 1,379,564.
Joint Venture a Winning Combo
A recent column item about new accounts won by Laguna Beach-based Open Minds didn’t mention that the agency co-pitched the business with the Ponzi Group, Trabuco Canyon. The two firms have jointly won several accounts this year with up to $13.5 million in annual billings for Allied Domecq PLC brands Callaway Vineyards, William Hill Winery and Clos Du Bois.
The Ponzi Group also co-pitched and won the business of Santa Barbara-based Pacific Capital Bancorp with Open Minds, a deal worth some $4 million in annual billings. The Ponzi Group also worked on an account with Japanese beer maker Kirin Brewery of America, for whom it conducted Southern California focus group research on new creative concepts. Under the joint relationship, Open Minds handles creative duties while Ponzi Group handles market research, media planning and buying. Both firms collaborate on strategy.
A Changing of the Guard
When I took over the marketing and media column from Peter Brennan two years ago, Orange County’s advertising community still was seen as a stepchild to larger rivals in Los Angeles and elsewhere. My first assignment was to write a story about how OC had lost a slew of big name accounts,Qualcomm Inc., Taco Bell Corp. and Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc.,to agencies outside the area.
A lot has changed in the past two years. Young & Rubicam set up offices in Irvine to handle its Lincoln-Mercury account. Doner established offices in Newport Beach for Mazda North American Operations. And even Taco Bell came back to OC, with FCB Southern California in Costa Mesa now handling the Mexican fast-food chain’s account.
In the past year alone, OC’s ad industry has seen sizable growth. This year, the county’s top 10 agencies reported $2 billion in annual billings and 1,013 employees, up from $1.1 billion in annual billings and 612 employees a year ago.
But now it’s time for me to pass the reins to a new Business Journal reporter, Jennifer Bellantonio. The change will give me more time to focus on the retail and apparel beats that I have also covered for the past two years or so. Jennifer joins us from Outdoor Retailer in Laguna Beach where she has worked for the past two years.
