Rolex helped watch retailer Baron & Leeds celebrate the reopening of its 2,100-square-foot boutique at South Coast Plaza with a photo and video exhibit showcasing Rolex Awards for Enterprise recipients in the Costa Mesa-based shopping center’s Jewel Court.
The store opened in 2007 as the first Rolex-only boutique in the U.S. It now offers a private shopping suite and an “environment inspired by the sea … with rolling, gently curved walls throughout the space leading to an illuminated aqua panel sculpted with a softly undulating wave motif.” Materials used in the redo included American walnut, bronze, marble from Andalusia, taupe leather tabletops and paneling, and two handmade Venetian crystal chandeliers.
Rolex, meanwhile, grants $100,000 each to “extraordinary individuals who possess the courage and conviction to take on major challenges” in support of “a new or ongoing project anywhere in the world.” About 130 people have received Rolex Awards for Enterprise in the past 40 years, including Barbara Block, marine sciences professor at Stanford University; Arctic explorer and climber Lonnie Dupre; and Kevin Hand, planetary scientist and astrobiologist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, who attended the exhibition’s May 25 opening.
Beachy Do
Billabong USA in Irvine partnered with John Frieda, a brand owned by Cincinnati, Ohio-based Kao USA Inc., to launch a line of haircare products that appeal to the action sports apparel maker’s core female customer.
“The Billabong woman lives for days filled with perfect waves, sandy skin, and new adventures and the John Frieda Beach Blonde product line shares that same attitude,” Cathey Curtis, global vice president of marketing for the Billabong Women’s division, said in a statement. “Bringing these two brands together is the perfect way for us to give women everything they need for their beach-loving, surf-inspired style.”
The marketing effort will include bicoastal events held throughout the summer, social media posts, and “a series of behind-the-scenes video vignettes that will give fans an up-close look at the lives of some of their favorite, inspiring female surfers,” the statement said.
Brand-Name Sports
Taco Bell Corp. is rooting for the underdog during the National Basketball Association finals this week and next. The Irvine-based fast food restaurant chain kicked off a “Steal a Game, Steal a Taco” promotion, and will be giving away Doritos Locos Tacos on June 15 from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. if the traveling team wins any of the first three games in the finals. Taco Bell customers also will score free Doritos Locos Tacos on June 21 if the same happens in any of the last four games.
“Taco Bell is famous for its innovation, irreverence and creativity when it comes to promotions and we are thrilled to partner with them on an NBA-themed campaign during the finals,” Kerry Tatlock, the NBA’s senior vice president for global partnerships, said in a statement. “Stealing a game on the road in the finals is a tremendous accomplishment, and with ‘Steal a Game, Steal a Taco,’ fans across the country can share the win.”
Taco Bell ran a similar promotion with Major League Baseball during the 2015 World Series, when it gave away A.M. Crunchwraps after Lorenzo Cain of the Kansas City Royals stole second base in the sixth inning of game one.
