Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. has signed a marketing partnership with Ken Block, a rally driver and star of the “Gymkhana” extreme driving videos. Block switched his tire choice from the Italian Pirelli & C. SpA in the “Gymkhana Eight,” video that aired Feb. 29 on Ford Motor Co.’s YouTube channel. He drove a Ford Fiesta equipped with Toyo’s performance tires.
“Block shares our All or Nothing attitude at Toyo Tires, and we look forward to making more incredible content with him over the years,” Amy Coleman, senior director of marketing, said in a statement.
The Cypress-based company recently expanded its sponsorship of the Anaheim Ducks to become the official tire sponsor of the team. Its name has been added to the marquee outside the main entrance of Honda Center and on the new video board in the center of the arena as a part of the new multiyear agreement. That’s in addition to existing logos on dasher boards around the ice rink and Zambonis fitted with Toyo truck tires.
Nekter’s Farmhouse Style
Nekter Juice Bar Inc.’s location at South Coast Plaza, scheduled to open this month, will showcase its new “appealing, warm and inclusive modern farmhouse design,” which was developed by Valerio Architects Inc. in Los Angeles.
Valerio, which has completed various retail projects for designers Louis Vuitton and Vince Camuto, eateries including Starbucks, Le Pain Quotidien, Chipotle and Tender Greens, and for apparel manufacturer Oakley Inc. in Foothill Ranch, transformed Nekter’s restaurant look “to better convey the essence of the brand, its vision and its healthy menu offerings,” according to the company.
Santa Ana-based Nekter, which has 52 locations in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Colorado, said it plans to open 300 franchise and corporate locations during the next five years.
Sponsor for ‘Inside OC’
“Inside OC with Rick Reiff,” a weekly half-hour public affairs program focused on Orange County, picked up MemorialCare Health System in Fountain Valley as its silver sponsor. The program, which features interviews with public officials, community leaders and newsmakers and runs on Costa Mesa-based PBS SoCaL, has Aliso Viejo-based FivePoint Communities Management Inc. as its gold sponsor.
“MemorialCare was a sponsor of my former show, and I’m delighted to have them back as part of the ‘new’ Inside OC,” said Reiff, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, four-time Golden Mike winner, Emmy nominee and the Business Journal’s editor-at-large, in a statement. “A big thanks to Chief Executive Barry Arbuckle, Vice President of Business Development Cathy Capaldi and their colleagues.”
BlueCava+Qualia
Irvine-based BlueCava Inc. merged in January with Qualia Media in New York. The deal enables the companies to combine their technologies and help marketers track consumers across mobile, desktop and tablet screens. They also will be able to tie data on individual consumers’ online purchases with their viewing of relevant ads on their devices.
Qualia Chief Executive Kathy Leake took on the same role at the combined entity, which continues under the Qualia name. BlueCava Chief Executive Phil Myers moved into a board role at Qualia.
Myers said the merger with Qualia was “an intuitive fit for us …With so many faulty modeling approaches in the marketplace, they uniquely understand why a household device matching approach is the best and most precise way to go. Our joint proposition now delivers on the promise of a human-driven, device-specific, closed-loop solution, and is not reliant on the inaccuracy of the picture provided by a cookie and IP alone.”
Bits & Pieces
Vans Inc. in Cypress plans to release a 10-piece “Checkered Past” collection on March 16 to commemorate its 50th anniversary. … Real estate auctioneer The LFC Group of Cos. in Newport Beach launched NNNbid.com. … David Meltzer, chief executive of Sports 1 Marketing in Newport Beach, received this year’s Unite4:Humanity “Sports Humanitarian of the Year” award for his involvement with about 100 charitable events and foundations annually. … The California Avocado Commission in Irvine appointed Carolyn Becker as its retail marketing director for the northwest region and promoted Zac Benedict to online marketing director. … The Hass Avocado Board launched LoveOneToday.com and Spanish-language sister site SaboreaUnoHoy.com, encouraging consumers “to include fresh avocados in everyday healthy eating plans and to love them each day,” according to the Mission Viejo-based nonprofit group. … Italian motorcycle apparel brands Dainese SpA and AGV SpA signed on as “Official Safety Partners and Supporting Partners” of the 2016 MotoAmerica AMA/FIM North American Road Race Series put on by MotoAmerica in Costa Mesa.
