Santa Ana-based Corinthian Colleges Inc. is shifting part of its marketing away from print publications to the Internet and social networking sites.
The vocational schools operator, one of the few businesses doing well in the downturn, always has used a mix of TV, print and online ads to attract prospective students.
Daytime TV remains a staple for the company as a way to reach people who may be out of work and receptive to job training.
But with readers of major newspapers falling, Corinthian is shifting that portion of its spending to the Web, according to Bill Buchanan, chief marketing officer.
The move comes despite big drops in prices for print advertising, he said.
“Our targeted search engine marketing has given us a strong return on investment,” he said.
Corinthian has been expanding into social network marketing with pages on MySpace.com, Facebook.com and others.
“It’s helped to build credibility with the newest digital generation,” Buchanan said. “It’s actually generated a fair number of leads for us.”
Corinthian has started hiring people to help get the word out to prospective students through the various Web sites.
It uses a combination of its own marketing department and a couple of undisclosed Los Angeles-based boutique advertising agencies.
The company declined to say what it spends annually on marketing.
Corinthian underwent a management shift last month as Peter Waller took the reins from former Chief Executive Jack Massimino.
Waller had been president and chief operating officer since 2006.
Massimino is back to the chairman’s spot he left in 2004 to help turn around the school operator.
Matthew Ouimet, who headed Walt Disney Co.’s Anaheim operations in the middle of the decade, took Waller’s former position as president and chief operating officer.
Freedom Pact
Irvine-based Brand Affinity Technologies Inc., which looks to hook up celebrities and athletes with advertisers, has struck a pact with Irvine-based Freedom Communications Inc., parent of the Orange County Register.
Brand Affinity is the latest from local technology startup veterans Ryan and Chad Steelberg. The company aims to automate celebrity endorsement deals for advertisers looking to target local markets.
It essentially runs a database that advertisers and marketers can tap to hire celebrities and athletes for endorsements.
Brand Affinity has spent the past six months since its inception building alliances with national and local players including Microsoft Corp. and Centro LLC, a Chicago online media planning and buying company.
Allie Savarino Kline, vice president of marketing at Brand Affinity, called Freedom “our hometown partner.”
Brand Affinity hopes to help Freedom sales representatives set up a system for offering online celebrity endorsements to local and regional advertisers.
“The primary driver is that as we were selling more and more interactive ads to our customer base as well as new customers,” said Doug Bennett, president of Freedom Interactive who oversees Freedom’s digital business.
Freedom has been working to attract advertisers to the Web by adding a self-service ad system for local businesses on the Register’s site and others.
The company also has formed its own ad agency to help smaller advertisers that can’t afford their own agency, according to Doug Bennett, president of Freedom Interactive.
“In most cases they are smaller retailers, so on the online side we now create and develop ads for our advertisers from a library of creative,” Bennett said. “It’s one of the reasons the partnership with Brand Affinity is the perfect fit for us.”
Burger Chain Movie Deal
Lake Forest-based Johnny Rockets Group Inc. kicked off a promotional pact with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. and Lakeshore Entertainment to promote “Fame,” the upcoming remake of the 1980s movie.
The movie chronicles students at the New York City High School of Performing Art.
The Americana burger chain began a public relations and advertising campaign to promote the “Fame National Talent Search,” in which contestants compete for a chance at a $5,000 cash prize and to be featured on the “Fame” DVD.
The campaign is tapping print and the Web, including social media sites—Johnny Rocket’s usual marketing mediums.
There also will be a marketing push inside the restaurants with counter displays and other marketing.
This isn’t the first movie tie-in the chain has been part of. It did a similar campaign for and even had a cameo role in the Owen Wilson comedy “Drillbit Taylor.”
The burger chain selected incumbent Lake Forest-based Northten Inc. last month to continue its marketing duties after a five-month advertising review.
