South Coast Plaza Offers Free-Lunch Lure; Point B Changes Name
Registered Representative, an Irvine-based monthly magazine for retail stock brokers that is owned by NewYork-based Primedia Business Magazines & Media Inc., recently said it will close its 2,000- to 3,000-square-foot local office and move to New York.
Editor in Chief Dan Jamieson said 12 of the magazine’s 14 employees were laid off. The publisher will move to New York and at least one salesperson will remain on the West Coast in another Primedia office, he added.
The change is part of an overall reorganization at Primedia prompted by a rough advertising environment and tight economy. The company recently reported a third-quarter net loss of $292.9 million, compared with a loss of $56.3 million, in the same period a year ago.
But, Jamieson said, Registered Representative has been holding its own.
“Our business is down like everybody, I suppose, but I don’t think it was a case of poor financial performance,” Jamieson said. “I think they’re thinking more of building it up, getting some new initiatives and some new products and services and basing that in New York, the financial capital of the world.”
The company recently created a Financial Services Group, lead by Warren Bimblick, that includes several financial trade publications, including Registered Representative. The group will launch new offline and online media products, according to a company press release.
Registered Representative will continue to be published, though it’s likely that it will undergo some changes, according to Jamieson.
“They’ve got a new editorial director. Exactly what they’re going to do there I couldn’t say,” he said.
SCP’s Free Lunch
South Coast Plaza recently sent out a direct-mail piece to 10,000 addresses touting a one-free-lunch-per-table coupon that can be redeemed at 15 of its restaurants.
The plaza’s newest restaurant, Z’Tejas Grill, which opened about five weeks ago, welcomed the buzz.
“We needed it. I definitely think it’s done a lot to drive traffic,” said Russ Klop, operating partner of the Southwestern restaurant. “We’ve gotten 50 to 60 (coupons) back just at this location.”
Klop said that “South Coast has done what they can to put their money down and try to drive some traffic for the local retailers.”
Just like other retail centers, South Coast Plaza felt a pinch in sales immediately following terrorist attacks on New York and Washington, D.C.
The plaza paid for the mailer and will share the cost of the promotion with participating restaurants Klop said.
“(South Coast Plaza) obviously recognized the fact that we needed some tools to motivate and drive the traffic through the plaza. They’re doing the best they can to try and help us with that,” he said
State Re-Ups With LM & P;
Newport Beach-based Lawrence, Mayo & Ponder recently nabbed a $3 million chunk of business from the state of California.
The agency was awarded the READ California contract by the governor’s office of the secretary of education for the third consecutive year. The statewide program promotes daily reading among youngsters.
In years past, Lawrence, Mayo & Ponder helped drill the message home with marketing that includes English and Spanish television spots featuring skateboard legend Tony Hawk. Other promotional tactics include print ads in English and Spanish, mall kiosks, billboards and theater slides.
Sideshow Offers Online Newsrooms
Sideshow Network Inc. is looking to butter up reporters by designing easy-to-navigate online newsrooms,a new service it will provide its clients.
The Tustin-based interactive marketing and communications firm will rely on Vocus Inc., a Maryland firm that developed the interactive newsroom technology, to power the service, but plans to design its own “e-newsrooms.”
“Nine out of 10 reporters say they don’t find what they are looking for at a typical Web press room more than 75% of the time,and when they don’t find it, they are less likely to follow through on a story lead,” said Sean McGill, Sideshow’s executive vice president of business development.
He said the new technology integrates products PR folks already use: clipping services, media databases, editorial calendars and contact management software.
Point B Becomes Blvdwest
Newport Beach-based Point B Inc. has changed its name to Blvdwest to reflect an overall change in its strategy, according to the 10-year-old healthcare advertising agency.
Stacey Howmann, one of the agency’s three principals, said that the past few years the 22-person agency has been hiring employees with senior-level experience and phasing out traditional entry-level positions to meet increasing demands of its customers. Clients include TLC Laser Eye Center, Newport Beach, Jostra Bentley, Irvine, and Ossur, Aliso Viejo.
She said the competitive healthcare industry is facing several challenges: marketing and sales managers are trying to achieve higher sales goals and accelerate product adoption and market share growth with smaller marketing budgets.
