Cypress-based Mitsubishi Motors America Inc. is trying hard to get some buzz for its redesigned 2006 Eclipse sports coupe.
The struggling Japanese automaker has a sleek photo of the car on its Web site and recently came out with an online game to push the Eclipse.
The game, called “Thrill Ride Challenge,” is a race on one of six roads from around the world, according to a recent Advertising Age report.
It’s being promoted through Aug. 15 on Yahoo and other sites, including ESPN.com, Edmunds.com, KellyBlueBook.com, MSN and Gamespot.com.
Whoever gets the best time each week could win a Mitsubishi flat-panel TV or an iPod, according to Ad Age.
Omnicom Group’s San Francisco-based interactive shop Organic created the promotion. It worked with sibling BBDO North America of New York, Mitsubishi’s creative shop, which launched a national ad campaign to push the Eclipse last month.
The car already has some buzz,but not the good kind. The automaker launched the car in May three weeks ahead of schedule.
But within days, it had to stop selling the Eclipse and fix a problem with the vacuum brake booster, which could lead to brake failure, according to a May 25 report on ConsumerAffairs.com.
The automaker had to fix about 1,200 cars: 400 were in dealerships, 44 were sold to consumers (Mitsubishi technicians went to homes to check the cars) and the rest were in transit. Sales since have resumed.
Mitsubishi is counting on the Eclipse to jumpstart sales. Parent Mitsubishi Motors Corp. recorded a net loss of $4.4 billion for the fiscal year ended March 31.
U.S. sales have been a downer. The automaker’s May U.S. sales fell 25% from a year earlier to 11,380 cars and trucks.
The bright spot: May sales were up about 23% from April.
The two-door Eclipse is one of three cars Mitsubishi plans to launch this year.
BBDO’s ad campaign for the Eclipse plays up a new tagline, “Driven to Thrill.” The campaign features Japanese pop culture imagery. Sixty- and 30-second TV spots have shots of the Eclipse and rhythmic sounds from Japanese drums. Print, outdoor and point-of-sale materials also are inspired by Japanese pop art culture.
“The advertising recognizes the influence of Japanese pop culture on American popular culture,” said David Lubars, chief creative officer of BBDO North America.
Plus, the shop wanted to play up Mitsubishi’s Japanese roots, “which is reflected in the music, design, structure and animation of the campaign,” Lubars said.
The campaign also includes direct mail and billboard and print ads that are running in Esquire, Vibe, Wired and other publications.
Al Punto Promoting Pepsi
Pepsi Bottling Group Inc. in Somers, N.Y., tapped al Punto Advertising & Promotions to target Hispanics.
The 2-year-old promotions division of Tustin-based al Punto Advertising Inc. will handle work for Pepsi’s brands, the shop said.
“We have a tremendous opportunity to grow our brands with Hispanic consumers in Southern California,” said David Orr, Pepsi’s director of field marketing. “Directly reaching these consumers will be the key to our success.”
Orr said he’s “confident in al Punto’s knowledge of the Southern California market and their experience developing creative programs for Hispanic consumers.”
The Orange County shop had an in with Pepsi. Peggy Goff, al Punto’s co-president, said she had worked on the brand early in her career in Hispanic marketing.
“I know first-hand the challenges and rewards this dynamic account can bring to al Punto,” she said.
Al Punto had been on the hunt for a beverage client, according to Eduardo Bottger, co-president and executive creative director.
“It’s a natural fit to our portfolio,” he said.
The Hispanic shop’s other clients include Irvine-based Kia Motors America Inc., InterContinental Hotels Group and College Loan Corp.
Once Big Man, Now FrontGate
Laguna Hills-based FrontGate Creative, formerly Big Man Creative, recently wrapped up some projects.
The shop created a Web site for movie theater chain Krikorian Premiere Theatres LLC. It also updated Krikorian’s logo, redesigned tickets and passes and created a presentation folder.
FrontGate Creative also handled print marketing for a 26th birthday fund-raiser thrown by Saddleback College’s KSBR FM jazz radio. Work included advertising, sponsorship kits and the event program.
The shop also recently renewed its contract with Lake Forest-based Del Taco Inc. for Web work. FrontGate Creative has worked with the Mexican food chain for five years.
Scott A. Shuford, FrontGate Creative’s president, said the shop changed its name to better reflect its creative philosophy and services.
The shop has offered print and Web design since 1998, and as of late has expanded into commercial and video production.
“The ability to make creative work in print, Web and other mediums is going to continue to increase,” Shuford said. “Print is not necessarily leading the campaign anymore. It is more often an integrated part of the overall campaign.”
FrontGate Creative added search engine marketing to its Web services and sees that as a big “growth category,” Shuford said.
