Visit Anaheim, the destination marketing organization for Anaheim and Garden Grove, hired online content publisher FOODBEAST in Santa Ana to create videos showcasing the area’s “diverse craft brew and local dining scene.”
The first of 18 videos was released in time to mark National [India Pale Ale] Day and featured Noble Ale Works craft brewery in Anaheim. The FOODBEAST crew plans to stop by four other breweries and six restaurants, asking each to present “a fan-favorite menu item as well as create a new menu item.”
“Our goal with this program was to create digestible and entertaining content that authentically captured the energy of the local brew and food scene,” Visit Anaheim Senior Vice President Marketing Charles Harris said in a statement. “FOODBEAST has mastered the art of food & beverage storytelling reaching an audience of loyal followers. Understanding our story was key to help us build a series that was able to reach visitors directly and get them excited about our dining and entertainment scene.”
The video featuring Noble Ale Works was displayed prominently on the FOODBEAST website. Visit Anaheim declined to disclose its media spending on the campaign. The nonprofit’s Visit Anaheim Rebrand recently received a Silver Award in the best media relations campaign category from Bulldog Reporter, a Hackensack, N.J.-based publication that focuses on the public relations industry.
Cuba Stance
Stance Inc. in San Clemente partnered with VICE Sports LLC to sponsor a production called “Patinadores,” a two-episode documentary series featuring the skateboarding scene in Cuba. The feature followed the sock manufacturer’s team skaters, Andrew Reynolds, Ishod Wair and Lucien Clarke, to the island nation’s best spots to skate—public parks, empty fountains, marble monuments and staircases. It also highlights local riders—Reinaldo Vicet, Orlando Rosales and Miles Jackson—who struggle with things most skaters around the world take for granted, including the ability to buy skate supplies.
The company’s branding was hardly noticeable throughout the documentary—all pro athletes wore Stance socks, and that’s about it.
Hi-Chewin’
Irvine-based Morinaga America Inc., distributor of Hi-Chew candy for Japan-based parent Morinaga & Co., launched a “major new marketing campaign” designed to “support sales through a wide variety of new and expanded distribution channels,” the company said.
The effort, developed by EvansHardy & Young Inc. in Santa Barbara, includes TV and digital ads, event sponsorships, a sampling program, and a summer sweepstakes. It’s running in several major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York.
“Hi-Chew has experienced exceptionally strong sales growth in recent years,” Chief Operating Officer Norio Otsuki said in a statement. “The new marketing campaign represents a major investment by Morinaga to support our retail business partners in the United States. Both this campaign and our new factory in North Carolina show that Morinaga has made a permanent commitment to America. We are in it for the long haul.”
Bits & Pieces
Ten-X in Irvine hired Maureen Waters as chief marketing officer of its commercial division. … Holyland Marketplace, an e-commerce retailer of Christian and Jewish products, hired FrontGate Media in Rancho Santa Margarita to develop its branding and advertising campaigns.
