J.D. Power in Costa Mesa formed a partnership with China-based automotive website BitAuto Holdings Ltd. to “build the most efficient automotive big data center and artificial intelligence platforms serving China’s automotive industry.”
J.D. Power plans to publish its model-level vehicle ratings and scores across various BitAuto platforms. The two will also “work together to digitalize new research subjects and methods” to “help automakers navigate and understand the latest market trends and disruptions.”
BitAuto Chief Technology Officer Zhu Lei said in a statement that, “Our partnership is a win-win and an impactful one. J.D. Power is one of the most influential and respected market research institutions globally, known for its methodology, independence and integrity. BitAuto, after 18 years experiencing fast growth in China, possesses abundant data resources and technology capabilities. In teaming up, both parties will ensure effective and efficient data services and intelligent solutions development.”
J.D. Power was founded in 1968 and sold in 2016 to Hong Kong-based investment firm XIO Group. The sale by S&P Global Inc. to XIO came during a flurry of Chinese investment in foreign companies—$217 million, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report. Despite questions about who the private-equity investors in XIO were, the Committee on Foreign Investment approved the deal.
J.D. Power conducts independent consumer surveys of product and service quality and customer satisfaction. It works in the automotive, financial services, healthcare, insurance, energy, telecommunications, and other industries.
The Art of Falling
Gallegos United in Huntington Beach launched a new video segment of the Bones Love Milk campaign it developed for the California Milk Processor Board.
“The Art of Falling” follows pro snowboarder and former Olympian Trevor Jacob as he learns how to fall from various experts, including MMA fighter Johnny Mercurio, parkour enthusiast Andrew Cavuto, and the Cheer LA squad.
“We were looking for somebody that people knew and could connect with … and Trevor really fit the bill,” said Chief Creative Officer Harvey Marco. “And he’s pretty much broken every single bone in his body. The team came up with the concept of the art of falling—had Trevor known this info conceptually before, this may have helped him with some of his more disastrous falls. It’s a little bit tongue in cheek, but there’s a lot of truth.”
Jacob, who will share the series on his social media channels, said he’s been “a very serious milk drinker since he was born.”
“I was super stoked to work with Bones Love Milk,” he said. “I am very selective about who I work with and the brand message that they are portraying is informational and helps educate future generations that are getting into action sports to approach it in the best way possible.”
The San Clemente-based nonprofit organization, best known for its long-standing “got milk?” advertising campaign, is funded by the state’s milk processors and overseen by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. It recently consolidated advertising efforts with Gallegos, which worked only on Spanish-language ads.
What’s for Dinner?
Santa Ana-based advertising agency Amusement Park developed the True to Food marketing campaign for LG Electronics’ Signature Kitchen Suite brand. The campaign “examines specialists’ roles in the preparation of extraordinary cuisine—from the butcher, baker, farmer and fisherman to the creators of high-precision kitchen appliances.”
Co-Creative Director Steve Harbour said, “Being true to food means knowing where your food comes from, appreciating what it takes to bring it to your table and making sure it is prepared in the best way possible—a promise that is at the heart of the new Signature Kitchen Suite brand.”
Bits & Pieces
Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman is the narrator in MacGillivray Freeman Films’ America’s Musical Journey. The Laguna Beach-based company’s newest 3-D documentary for IMAX and giant-screen theaters opened in select theaters on Feb. 16. It celebrates “the rich cultural diversity of America as seen through the story of its music.” … Fountain Valley-based HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Co. Inc., signed on as the official peripherals sponsor of the PGL PUBG Spring Invitational. The four-day esports competition is scheduled for March 22 to 25 in Bucharest, Romania, and features 16 teams from around the world competing for a $100,000 prize pool. … PR News Group named Hyundai Motor America Inc. Public Relations Manager Lori Scholz to its list of the Top Women in PR. The annual award recognizes “female executives who have made bold advances in managing crisis, developing brand messages, protecting and building brand reputation and creating content for digital platforms.” The Fountain Valley-based automaker partnered with Bryan Herta Autosport to create a factory-sponsored race team. The racing group will “fine-tune two versions of Hyundai’s i30 N TCR racecars currently available to customers in Europe and develop all aspects of the race team, from vehicles and technicians to drivers, coaching and team management,” Hyundai said. The vehicle will compete in the 2018 Pirelli World Challenge Touring Car Racing class.
