FCB Moves into Hip Digs; Schraff Gives Take on Tech Pullback
Orange County’s Hispanic ad shops have been on the move.
Tustin-based al Punto Advertising Inc. recently unearthed the first Spanish-language campaign for Laguna Hills-based Del Taco Inc.
The broadcast campaign,launched April 26 with TV and radio spots,highlights the movie “The Mummy Returns” and is set to run for four weeks in Western regional markets.
The Mexican fast-food chain partnered with Universal Pictures to promote the film’s release last week. The spot encourages customers to peel a sticker from a Del Taco drink cup for a chance to win over 450,000 prizes. Billings for the account were not disclosed.
In the meantime, Irvine-based Casanova Pendrill Publicidad released new promotional work for El Segundo-based DirecTV Inc.
Two new TV spots were launched in top Hispanic markets nationally, according to John Gallegos, vice president and group director on the account.
One of the spots is geared toward a general audience and focuses on the benefits of the DirecTV “Para Todos” service, which offers households Spanish and English programs. The second spot targets men and sports enthusiasts, and pushes service features including more than 45 channels in Spanish and more than 210 in English.
Gallegos called DirecTV’s Para Todos a “truly comprehensive service” that “fills a void for Hispanic households” by offering different generations a variety of programs.
Casanova Pendrill began working with DirecTV three years ago, and through its campaigns began introducing viewers to the “Para Todos” service. While still pushing the service, Gallegos said the latest campaign,for an undisclosed amount,aims to differentiate DirecTV from competitors.
In other Hispanic ad news, Mendoza, Dillon & Asociados Inc., Newport Beach, recently won the Hispanic account for Daewoo Motor America. Terms weren’t disclosed. The account review opened in January and included about 10 agencies. Mendoza prevailed after two rounds of cuts.
Groovy, Baby
FCB Southern California’s new Irvine digs are downright “shagadelic” to borrow a phrase from Austin Powers.
Only this time the inspiration has nothing to do with females and all to do with funky furniture in the shop’s front lobby and throughout the building.
Backless chairs are covered in shaggy, sheep-like hair. So are the backs of neon-colored sofas. The look goes with the new-wave d & #233;cor, complete with metal and moss green, red and orange walls. FCB hired architect Clive Wilkinson, who designed TBWA/Chiat/Day’s Los Angeles office space, to create the edgy feel.
The place isn’t camera-ready yet, but should be complete soon. FCB signed a 15-year lease,valued at about $36 million,for the 100,000-square-foot building and moved in about a month ago.
So far, three FCB divisions are housed there, including McElroy:FCB (the ad shop’s youth division) and Wahlstrom & Co., a directory marketing firm specializing in the Yellow Pages.
In other business, FCB’s Los Angeles office added a new edge to Smokey the Bear public service announcements. To “reawaken” the image of the 56-year-old icon, the agency and the Ad Council launched a graphic campaign mixing crime scenes with camp shots to make its point.
In one spot, 20-year-olds are toasting marshmallows around a fire. The scene then cuts to an urban crime scene, where chalk outlines of victims are animals, not humans. The message: “Every year thousands are senselessly killed by people with no record at all. People like you.” The Ad Council hopes to slow the increase of human-caused fires in the wilderness.
Schraff: Tech Pullback Misguided
Brian Schraff, president of the Schraff Group Inc., Newport Beach, says clients,particularly technology folks,that pull back on advertising during tough economic times are making the wrong move.
“A lot of technology companies are making a mistake by backing off their ad budgets,” Schraff said.
Despite a slump in the economy, Schraff says clients should remain aggressive in order to gain share from competitors who don’t.
Recent shifts in the marketplace have created opportunities for the OC shop, according to Schraff, who says the agency is knee-deep in project work for up to three undisclosed technology businesses in Los Angeles and San Diego. Relatively soon, Schraff expects the companies to hand their accounts to his agency.
Bits and pieces:
A couple hundred people headed to DGWB in Santa Ana to chat, drink and celebrate the grand opening of the shop’s new digs in the old City Hall building. It was a Who’s Who crowd, including Santa Ana Mayor Miguel A. Pulido and Michael Metzler, president and CEO of the Santa Ana Chamber of Commerce, who both gave the agency many kudos for helping revitalize the downtown area.
