Ford Motor Co.’s Jaguar Cars in Irvine recently handed its $100 million advertising account to Euro RSCG/Fuel.
Young & Rubicam Brands in Irvine had the work before and was dropped from the review.
Euro RSCG/Fuel is set to handle the work from its New York headquarters and London office.
“The decision to conduct an agency review was part of our strategy to refocus our market positioning and external communications on Jaguar’s unique values,” said Bibiana Boerio, Jaguar’s managing director, in a statement.
The automaker, part of Ford’s Irvine-based Premier Automotive Group, is looking to jumpstart slumping sales and rejuvenate its image.
The automaker started its ad review in November, shortly after naming a new global marketing director.
Jaguar and Euro RSCG/Fuel said they are working on themes and ideas presented during the review. They plan on starting a campaign later this year.
Jaguar’s shift leaves just one automotive account for Young & Rubicam, which still handles advertising for Ford’s Land Rover North America.
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Del Taco’s crispy fish taco: big in Yuma |
On the Down Low
Vince Salazar, a sales representative for Nike Skateboarding, doesn’t go with loud marketing to pitch his line of skateboarding shoes.
Instead, Salazar, who works from his home in San Clemente, said the division of Nike Inc. uses print ads in magazines such as Primedia Inc.’s Skateboarder Magazine in San Clemente.
“We don’t need to be in people’s faces,” Salazar said. “If they hear about and want our stuff and we’re doing our job on the marketing stuff, then they’ll come to us.”
Nike SB, as the unit is known, works with Irvine-based DB Studios Inc., better known as the Display Boys, for marketing displays at stores and trade shows.
DB also works with a slew of OC apparel and action sports brands, including Irvine-based St. John Knits International Inc., Irvine-based Stussy Inc. and Costa Mesa-based Volcom, which always causes a buzz at Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo shows.
Crispy Sales
Lake Forest-based Del Taco Inc. says it’s getting a lot of buzz about its crispy fish tacos.
Joe Senger, the Mexican fast food chain’s vice president of marketing, said Del Taco sold more than 3 million of them in two months,making the taco the company’s hottest product launch.
The tacos sell for $1.59 each.
“This is historically unprecedented,” Senger said. “Outlying markets are selling better than projected.”
The taco is the third most ordered item on the menu, outsold only by the regular taco and the 79 cent chicken soft taco, according to Senger.
The chain’s Yuma/El Centro restaurant sells the most,more than 500 a day, Senger said.
“The product tested at 85 a day (per store),” he said. “We now sell well over 200 a day” at each of the company’s some 430 restaurants.
Not everybody is pleased though.
“We have received five comments that the taco is too small for the price,” he said.
Del Taco has been pushing the tacos through radio and television commercials featuring Cindy Margolis, Wayne Newton and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
G & M; Plumbing in Los Angeles handled the spots.
There also are Web site and restaurant promotions, including one where you tell the best fish tale. Then there’s a game where you pound a fish with an animated fist. Get 20 hits in 30 seconds and you advance to the second round. (I didn’t make it.)
Developer Aid
Irvine-based Morgan Marketing & Public Relations LLC recently landed work.
The shop picked up Accretive Reality Advisors Inc. in Newport Beach after a month-long review with several undisclosed shops.
Morgan Marketing has been helping Accretive handle public relations and media inquiries regarding Providence Center, a project being planned near St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton. The design, which includes condos and offices, last week was rejected by Fullerton’s Redevelopment Design Review Committee.
Bits and Pieces:
Huntington Beach-based BJ’s Restaurants Inc. has been promoting its newest location: a 7,000-square-foot restaurant and brewery in Moreno Valley that opened last month DGWB Advertising in Santa Ana rolled out work for client Wienerschnitzel, part of Newport Beach’s Galardi Group. The TV and radio spots push the restaurant chain’s pastrami dog, which was tested for three months prior to the chainwide rollout.
