Toshiba Taps PainePR, Seeks ‘Aggressive’ Shop
Rubio’s Mantra: More-for-Less; Mendoza Touting Spanish Comic Strip ‘Los Kitos’
Marketing & Media
by Jennifer Bellantonio
Irvine-based Toshiba America Business Solutions Inc. has tapped PainePR Inc. to be its public relations agency of record.
The Costa Mesa-based shop beat out 10 Orange County and Los Angeles agencies,and incumbent Publicis Dialog in New York,in two rounds of cuts. The review opened in October, and the business was awarded in December. Billings were not disclosed.
Toshiba said it was looking for a public relations agency that is more “aggressive” and could support an extensive advertising campaign launched last year by Santa Ana-based DGWB Advertising. Plus, Toshiba said it wanted its ad agency and public relations firm to be from the same backyard.
PainePR’s track record was the topper, according to Richard K. Taylor, Toshiba’s senior vice president of sales, marketing and business operations.
“PainePR has an established reputation for being among the nation’s most creative PR agencies,” he said.
The win gives the OC shop a bigger chunk of Toshiba’s business. Since 1996 the agency has handled public relations work for Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc.
PainePR plans to increase Toshiba’s brand awareness and provide publicity for the company’s printing products, including copiers, fax machines, printers, toner products and software. The OC shop also will promote Toshiba’s “Don’t Copy. Lead” advertising campaign, created by DGWB.
New 15-second TV spots,promoting Toshiba copiers,launched on Feb. 11 to coincide with the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City. The commercials are set to air on MSNBC this month and on a variety of sports, news and entertainment channels in March.
Rubio’s Taps PR Talent
Carlsbad-based Rubio’s Restaurants Inc., operator of the 139-unit Rubio’s Baja Grill chain, is using PR Talent to get its name out.
The Huntington Beach-based public relations firm, which matches freelancers to corporate and agency work, recently was tapped to handle Rubio’s ongoing public relations work. No formal review was held. Brice & Associates in San Diego had held the account.
Glenn Delaney, the chain’s vice president of marketing, said one reason Rubio’s chose PR Talent was to maximize its marketing dollars.
The OC agency claims its services cost less than traditional firms because of its low overhead costs,the company doesn’t keep a stable of in-house public relations specialists on staff.
“PR Talent’s unique business model delivers on both fronts. That’s a winning combination for a growing company like ours that must be as strategic as possible with its marketing dollars,” Delaney said.
James Delulio, president of PR Talent, said his firm delivers “more PR punch for less money.”
“Most companies will continue to be cautious with their marketing dollars this year. While at the same time they will demand more results on these lowered budgets,” he said. “More for less is the mantra this year.”
The agency will handle the chain’s new restaurant grand openings, special events, charity tie-ins and media relations campaign.
MD & A; Signed for ‘Los Kitos’
Artist Martha Montoya has signed Mendoza, Dillon & Asociados Inc. in Newport Beach to help grow the franchise side of her globally syndicated cartoon strip “Los Kitos.”
“We will act as consultants for these characters, representing them to a wide variety of clients, everything from ice cream to plush toys,” said Melanie Cyr, account director for Los Kitos.
Los Kitos, an abbreviation for “mu & #324;equitos,” or little dolls, first was published in 1995. The featured comic strip is now found in more than 305 publications worldwide. The characters are being produced for animation in both broadcast and the Internet.
So far, Mendoza, which focuses on Spanish-language marketing, is acting as a consultant and handling some promotions and trade advertising. But the agency expects its relationship with “Los Kitos” to grow in the future.
Bits and pieces
Despite a sluggish economy, the Action Sports Retailer Trade Expo in Long Beach drew a vibrant crowd two weeks ago. Personal marketing was again in full force: girls and guys with multiple body piercings and tattoos; companies giving away stickers, flyers, tank-tops, T’s and yes, even skimpy ladies’ underwear Surfline.com, an online surf reporter and forecast service based in Huntington Beach, recently partnered up with Austin, Texas-based Surgient Networks to improve the quality of its live surf cams. A Web beta test is posted on the site for Surfline subscribers only.
