‘Tomb’ Time at Taco Bell; Lawrence, Mayo & Ponder Campaign a Real Lulu
The game of musical agencies continues as RiechesBaird in Irvine recently hired three employees who left competing ad shops amid downsizing or reorganization.
Erika Price, now director of PR, joins RiechesBaird from Shafer Advertising and Public Relations in Irvine. A few months back, Shafer cut down as the economy cooled, and also shifted some employees to NeoBrands in Costa Mesa, another agency founded by Chip Shafer.
Meanwhile, Mindy Johnson joins RiechesBaird as media director. She comes from Nine Dots Advertising and Marketing in Irvine, which recently let go of an undisclosed number of employees. And, Kristal Babbs, formerly of FCB Healthcare West in Costa Mesa, comes to RiechesBaird as brand leader.
The division of FCB Worldwide closed its satellite office in OC late last year due to the loss of a major client, among other factors. Of the 20 or so employees, some were shifted to the healthcare headquarters in San Francisco (as were remaining accounts), others began working at FCB Southern California in Irvine and an undisclosed number were laid off.
So what’s RiechesBaird’s secret to growing at a time when other shops are trimming back?
President Ray Baird said that the agency was able to predict some of the conditions facing the industry today and prepare.
“For us, that meant significant restructuring and committing to a narrow focus. We are no longer an advertising agency,” Baird said. “We have branded ourselves as (business-to-business) experts, and then hired the best B2B specialists in the industry to lead our departments. RiechesBaird is very fortunate, in that 18 months ago this talent was absolutely not available, at any price.”
However, now Baird said “economic factors have loosened things up a bit” and “the smart companies are the ones who take advantage of these opportunities.”
‘Taco Bell Teams for ‘Tomb’
Irvine-based Taco Bell Inc. recently partnered with Paramount Pictures to promote the June 14 “Tomb Raider” movie release and drive customers in the door.
The in-store promotion, created by Wunderman, a division of Young & Rubicam formerly known as Impiric, involves game pieces that are peeled or matched for instant prizes, which range from food and music to $405,000 in cash, a trip to historical sites in Eygpt or a sport-utility vehicle.
The campaign also includes two 30-second commercials created by FCB Southern California, which will air through July 8, and a movie tie-in Web page.
The Web site is supported by in-store merchandising created by Wunderman and produced by FCB. This promotion involves tray liners, window decals and other items with scenes from the movie.
Financial details on the “Tomb Raider” promotion were not disclosed.
‘SCDRG Delivers Big Picture Again
Irvine-based SCDRG Inc., an advertising and marketing shop that specializes in the cable, entertainment and telecommunications industries, recently finished up work for client Time Warner Communications.
This month, the agency launched the newest Big Picture customer appreciation campaign,a program it developed three years ago.
“This annual campaign serves as a way for Time Warner to highlight the company’s divisions (publishing, music, networks, studios, etc) and say thanks to customers,” said David Robertson, SCDRG president. This year, Time Warner will send a winning customer and a guest to Brisbane, Australia, for the Goodwill Games.
The campaign involves a special edition magazine and a coupon sheet with special offers, which were sent to Time Warner customers in Los Angeles. Other regions will follow later this year, according to Robertson.
‘Bits and Pieces:
Lawrence, Mayo & Ponder in Newport Beach recently racked up several top awards at the 55th annual Lulu Awards, sponsored by the Los Angeles Advertising Women. Among the honors: best of show print prize for a marketing campaign developed for client Fatburger. That work also led to a gold Lulu statue and certificates for excellence Newport Beach-based Sturgess Co., a medical marketing, advertising and public relations firm, has added three new clients to its roster: Cypress-based Focus Technologies, Triage Medical and Strata Medical, Carlsbad Wienerschnitzel in Newport Beach is giving away,you guessed it,hot dogs (well, chili dogs) from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Tuesday, July 3 in celebration of its 40th anniversary. The company also will donate 4 cents for every chili dog given away to City of Hope National Medical Center and Beckman Research Institute.
