El Pollo Loco Touts BBQ Offering; Prandium Hires Morgan Marketing
The Irvine offices of Porter Novelli Convergence Group recently landed a PR account with Carlsbad-based BioQ, a software provider for pharmaceutical companies. The fast-growing PR firm, which specializes in technology clients, recently moved into new offices in Irvine and has more than doubled its staff to 21 since its January creation in a restructuring by parent Omnicom. The firm has since added several new clients, including PartsAmerica.com, an Internet auto-parts store in Torrance, as well as AirFiber, a telecommunications equipment supplier in San Diego. The company also is handling PR for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation in Newport Beach on a pro bono basis.
The agency was formed following Omnicom’s merger of its Copithorne & Bellows and Porter Novelli units and renamed the technology practice Porter Novelli Convergence Group. Omnicom also operates a general practice with NCG Porter Novelli, following its purchase of Nelson Communications Inc. in Irvine.
New Pollo Loco Campaign
A TV and radio advertising campaign promoting El Pollo Loco’s limited-time barbecued chicken offering was kicked off last month. The Irvine-based chain’s spots,developed by Dailey & Associates in West Hollywood,feature the chicken-dance theme for its general market, while the Hispanic spots by Cruz/Kravetz: IDEAS in Los Angeles show people eating barbecued chicken in amusing ways. El Pollo Loco has 274 units in California, Arizona, Nevada and Texas.
Prandium Taps Morgan
Irvine-based Prandium Inc. has hired Morgan Marketing & Public Relations to handle the PR campaign for the 50th anniversary of its 14-unit Hamburger Hamlet restaurant chain. The gourmet hamburger chain, which features signature soups and desserts, was named after founders Harry and Marilyn Lewis’ love of Shakespeare and entertaining. The PR campaign will include a book signing by Marilyn Lewis of her memoirs, “Marilyn Are You Sure You Can Cook? He Asked.” The PR campaign will be conducted in Los Angeles, Orange County and Washington, D.C.
Bits and Pieces:
Irvine-based HomeBase recently hired Leonard Pearlstein in Los Angeles to create three spots for the launch of its new House2Home concept in September. Former dGWB executives Jim deYong and Dan Ginsberg worked as consultants on the project. The commercials, which featured Loren Dreyfuss (Richard’s brother), were produced at Lyon Studios in Newport Beach Tustin-based Hilary Kaye Associates Inc. picked up a new PR client with Virtual CEO, an online business assessment and planning service in San Juan Capistrano “Crusty Demons,the Next Level” is set to debut on Dec. 8 at 44 AMC Theatres across the country, including the Block at Orange. The motocross film, produced by Fleshwound Films in Malibu, is one in a series of action sports movies released on the big screen by Adrenaline Theater as part of a year-long effort. On Board Entertainment, a youth-oriented entertainment division of Disson Furst & Partners, Huntington Beach, launched the series in July as a joint project with AMC Entrepreneur.com, Irvine, has formed an alliance with Vista.com to provide services for small businesses. It also launched a service called MySite for small businesses to establish a Web presence, and a service called FranchiseZone on its Web site, listing franchise opportunities and other related information The General Sales Managers Council of Southern California Broadcasters Association in Los Angeles gave Jack in the Box Inc. and its agency, Kowloon Wholesale Seafood Co. (really!), its “best spot of the month” award for its 60-second radio commercial, “Fruit Bats” Professional Communications Exchange, a network of independent public relations and marketing freelancers, will hold a small trade show from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Nov. 15 at the Wyndham Garden Hotel in Costa Mesa, featuring 22 vendors, from cartoonists and illustrators to multimedia production services and graphic designers. Admission is $30 for members and $35 for non-members. Information: www.the- communicators.org Home and Garden Television recently aired a 30-minute segment featuring Laguna Beach on its “Vacation Living” program, covering the city’s history, eclectic architectural styles, beaches, art galleries and the Pageant of the Masters, among other attractions Rancho Santa Margarita-based Angel Wing Productions recently handled production of video media for the PeopleSoft convention at the Los Angeles Convention Center Tapping into the recent scooter craze, Tania Calley, a Laguna Niguel mother of two, recently hit local trade shows to market a new line of customized decal kits called Scooter Tattoos that can be stuck onto the two-wheelers. The decals, which sell for $12 in toy and sporting goods stores, feature Hawaiian prints, flames, flowers and army camouflage Winchell’s Donut House conducted its own poll for the Nov. 7 election by selling star doughnuts to Republicans and bar doughnuts to Democrats. The results: 34.6% Democrat, 33.7% Republican and 31.7% undecided Go2 Systems Inc., Irvine, recently signed The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf as a new client on its wireless Internet system. Mobile phone users now can find the retailer’s 60 Southern California locations by punching in go2coffeebean.com or go2cbean.com on their cellular telephones.
