DB&M Media Inc. in Costa Mesa will replace EverythingLA on a marketing contract with the San Joaquin Hills and Foothill/Eastern Transportation Corridor Agencies after the Irvine-based incumbent’s three-year deal expires June 30.
TCA maintains and operates Orange County’s 51-mile system of the 73, 133, 241 and 261 public toll roads.
DB&M beat out three other agencies invited to pitch—Truth and Advertising in Santa Ana, Total Spectrum Advertising in Orange, and Brand Up LLC in Irvine. It received “the highest overall score based on their understanding of TCA’s business, their full-service staffing and corporate structure, their media and creative plans, as well as their cost effectiveness,” according to Lisa Ganz, TCA’s manager for marketing and communications.
The agency will provide “specialized strategic planning, creative and design services, advertising production, planning and procurement of media, account management and administration.”
In its pitch to the agency, DB&M recommended keeping the “Enjoy the Drive” tagline and proposed a “digital-first marketing plan that will work backwards into traditional media to drive awareness, more online searches, more website visits and ultimately more conversions to FasTrak or ExpressAccounts.”
About $910,000 of the $1.3 million annual budget will be spent to purchase media, while agency fees will add up to about $156,000. The rest will go to media planning and “hard costs,” including printing, casting, talent and production management.
The now-defunct Marshall Advertising and Design in Costa Mesa handled the account for nine years before ELA took it over in 2013.
No Sheepishness Here
China-based apparel maker 361 Degrees International Ltd., the parent company of 361 Degrees USA in Irvine, is an official supporter of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
The company is providing uniforms to be worn by volunteers, referees, medical and operational staff. About 2 million items arrived in Rio this month, including jackets, beige pants that convert to shorts, caps, T-shirts, backpacks, and about 87,000 green running shoes.
361 Degrees USA, which launched in 2014, meanwhile introduced a mascot—Sheepa, a cheetah with a sheep’s head that represents its proprietary “fast and soft Qu!kfoam” material.
VidCon-versations
Irvine-based Taco Bell Corp. and Kia Motors America Inc. plan to return to VidCon, which is scheduled for June 23 through 25 at the Anaheim Convention Center. Kia is the main stage, arena and parents lounge sponsor for the fourth year in a row.
“We really value that environment,” said the automaker’s vice president of marketing communications, Tim Chaney. “It’s about understanding the up-and-coming customer, and what motivates them and what they like, and how they communicate in social media, and who their rock stars are, and it’s very, very different from previous generations.”
Taco Bell, meanwhile, will have a booth at the event. The fast food chain last year filmed “Voices of VidCon,” which documented several YouTube influencers at the event.
Bits & Pieces
FOMO THG LLC, The Halal Guys Inc.’s franchisee, has selected KCOMM in San Clemente to provide marketing services and public relations to support opening restaurants in the San Francisco Bay area and greater Las Vegas. … HyperX, a division of Kingston Technology Co. Inc. in Fountain Valley, signed an endorsement deal with Utah Jazz’ Gordon Hayward. The basketball player, who said that video games have always been an escape for him, will exclusively use HyperX gaming headsets. He will be featured in marketing campaigns and stream gaming sessions. … The 33rd Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards, sponsored by the Healthcare Marketing Report, recognized Orange Label Art + Advertising in Newport Beach with a Gold Award in the “magazine advertising/series, cardiology series” category for its work for Dameron Hospital Association in Stockton. … San Francisco-based Goodby Silverstein & Partners won a national Silver ADDY in the Magazine Advertising-Campaign category for its work for the California Milk Processor Board in San Clemente and its Food Loves Milk ads. … Sentrian in Aliso Viejo named Molly Cogan vice president of marketing and communications.
