J.D. Power and Associates in Costa Mesa hired Pacific Communications Group as the agency of record for its automotive division.
“We talked to many agencies and chose PCG based on their strategic thinking, creativity and automotive experience,” Director of Corporate Communications Geno Effler said in an email. “We believe PCG will help us promote J.D. Power as the most comprehensive, accurate and trusted automotive information source. The auto industry is undergoing tremendous change and customer satisfaction will remain crucial to the industry’s success. PCG will help us expand our position as ‘the voice of the customer.’”
J.D. Power, founded in 1968 and famous for its Power Circle Ratings, conducts independent consumer surveys of product and service quality and customer satisfaction in industries such as automotive, financial services, healthcare, insurance, energy and telecommunications. The company also works on behalf of corporate clients to analyze consumer preference data to help drive and define brand strategies.
There was no incumbent on the account. Former Chiat/Day executive Shane Smith founded Torrance-based PCG in 1995. The agency’s roster of clients includes Honda, Actev Motors, America’s Car Museum and Mercury Insurance.
Star Exposure
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau marked May 4—International Star Wars Day—by donning a pair of socks by Stance Inc. in San Clemente.
Some news outlets mistakenly reported the pair was mismatched, but it was all in Stance’s design.
One sock featured C-3PO and, the other R2-D2. The move created a buzz on social media, to which Trudeau responded on Twitter and Instagram with a close-up photo of the socks and the caption, “These are the socks you’re looking for. #MayTheFourthBeWithYou #GuerreDesÉtoiles.”
‘Summer of Heroes’
“Guardians of the Galaxy—Mission: Breakout!” will open May 27 at Disney California Adventure park in Anaheim. The new ride, which replaces Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, will take guests aboard a gantry lift “to rescue the Guardians of the Galaxy from The Collector’s Fortress.”
They will experience “one of the six randomized scenarios created for the attraction,” all while listening to songs from the ’60s and ’70s, including “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” by Pat Benatar, “Born To Be Wild” by Steppenwolf and “Burning Love” by Elvis Presley.
Disney Resorts is promoting the new attraction as part of its “Summer of Heroes” marketing campaign.
Walt Disney Co. acquired Marvel Entertainment Inc. in 2009 for more than $4 billion.
Media Awards
Irvine-based Obey Clothing artist Shepard Fairey got a nod from the Muslim Public Affairs Council, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting “civil rights of American Muslims, and for the integration of Islam into American pluralism” at its 26th annual Media Awards on May 6 in Los Angeles.
Fairey, who gained national notoriety in 2008 with his design for the “Hope” poster of then-presidential candidate Barack Obama, recently collaborated with the Amplifier Project to develop posters that were widely used during post-election protests throughout the country. One featured a Muslim woman whose headscarf was an American flag. The poster also ran as a full-page ad in the Washington Post on the day of President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
MPAC Media Awards “celebrate authentic portrayals of Islam and Muslims and recognize members of the entertainment industry who are promoting diversity and social justice through their craft,” the Los Angeles-based public service agency said.
Bits & Pieces
The Wienerschnitzel hot dog chain, part of Galardi Group Inc. in Irvine, hired Los Angeles-based Citizen Relations as its new public relations agency of record. Powerhouse Communications LLC in Santa Ana was the incumbent on the account.
