Viet Fashion Week, showcasing designers of Vietnamese heritage, was held over the weekend outside the Westminster Mall. A crowd of about 500 gathered to see the latest collections. Ready-to-wear, evening and wedding gowns, couture, and ao dais—the Vietnamese long dress—were presented by Southern California’s Quynh Paris, Calvin Hiep, Jacky Tai, Christy Pham and Cynthia Bui. Son Luong brought a line from Vietnam and Annie Nguyen from Connecticut.
Roxanne Chow, Asian Pacific Islander adviser to state Assembly member Tom Daly, was mistress of ceremonies, and opera singer Teresa Mai and Justin Nguyen of the Paris by Night music series entertained guests during the program, which was broadcast via VietFace TV in Little Saigon, the event’s media partner.
Other sponsors included Lexor Inc., Bia Saigon, Advance Beauty College, Bio Seaweed Gel, Images Luxury Nail Lounge, ModXchange, Vegan Therapy, DOT Photobooth, Domain Photobooth, Viet Beauty Magazine, Senhoa, Goldlok Vodka, Ultimate Eyelashes By Samantha Dang and DTN.Tech.
Aged Ads
Kawasaki Motors Corp. U.S.A. in Irvine marked its 50th anniversary with a walk down memory lane that included a 1972 pit stop to recognize a “daring advertising campaign” that “perfectly framed the company’s growing product line, its ambition to excel, and the commitment to put its customers ahead of the pack,” said the distributor of ATVs, motorcycles and personal watercraft.
Advertising agency Cunningham & Walsh created the three-year national campaign on “an aggressive $3 million budget” that included the “Come Out Ahead on a Kawasaki” slogan, 30- and 60-second network television commercials, and print ads in Cycle World, Playboy, Motor Trend and Psychology Today, among others.
Kawasaki 43 years later spent $2.6 million on advertising in 2015. It will move into its new headquarters building next month in Foothill Ranch.
Mazda Run
Mazda North American Operations in Irvine signed on as the presenting sponsor of the USA Today Sports Active Alliance, a network of independent marathons and half marathons.
“Our customers tend to lead an active lifestyle and we want to be there to support them in their endeavors, but do it in an organic way,” Russell Wager, the automaker’s vice president of marketing, said in a statement. “Running is one of those passions and we are proud to be part of the USA Today Sports Active Alliance.”
The event lineup includes the California International Marathon in Sacramento, the Portland Marathon, Oklahoma City Memorial Marathon, Oakland Running Festival, Utah Valley Marathon in Provo, Novant Health Charlotte Marathon, and US Bank OC Marathon in Costa Mesa.
Kia’s Play
The Los Angeles Clippers and Irvine-based Kia Motors America Inc.—the Official Automotive Partner of the NBA—plan to give one “lucky and deserving” student a new 2016 Kia Optima LX.
The winning entry will best detail “why the student deserves to win and how winning will help pave their road to success.”
“At Kia, we are true fans of basketball and know that the Los Angeles Clippers have a passionate fan base,” Kia Vice President of Marketing Communications Tim Chaney said in a statement. “Education is a core pillar of Kia’s philanthropic efforts and we look forward to handing over the key to our award-winning Optima to the winning student.”
Kia was also the Official Automotive Partner of the Billboard Music Awards, which was held Sunday at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The show for the second year presented “Kia’s One to Watch” program, which highlights emerging musicians. Troye Sivan was this year’s featured artist, while Tori Kelly was showcased last year. The Kia Sportage CUV and the Optima midsize sedan were displayed on the red carpet and in commercials throughout the broadcast.
Bits & Pieces
QSC LLC in Costa Mesa hired Chris Humphrey as vice president of marketing to oversee the company’s global marketing activities and initiatives for its professional, systems and cinema divisions. … Toyo Tire U.S.A. Corp. in Cypress kicked off a Shutter Space Automotive Photo Gallery Contest. … Point-of-Purchase Advertising International recognized One Source Industries in Irvine with a bronze award for its nail polish bar display in the Hair & Skin Care-Permanent Display category. … Irvine-based Taco Bell Corp., celebrating Cinco de Mayo, launched a Snapchat campaign that turned consumers’ heads into giant taco shells. The campaign got more than 224 million views, a record for the social media app.
