San Clemente-based Internet Marketing Association drew big names from the online advertising industry at its annual conference and award ceremony last month in Las Vegas.
T.J. Marchetti, senior vice president of digital marketing at Walt Disney Studios; Guy Yalif, head of global product marketing at Twitter Inc.; and Frederick Vallaeys, a former thought leader at Google Inc., were among the speakers at IMPACT13, which highlighted best practices and techniques to build market share and spur business growth.
Some 600 attendees had a chance to network and explore the latest digital marketing tools and trends.
“IMPACT13 exceeded our highest expectations, and the post-event feedback has been uniformly glowing,” Sinan Kanatsiz, the trade association’s chairman, said in a news release.
Several Orange County businesses and institutions were acknowledged for their innovative Internet marketing programs.
Microsemi Corp. in Aliso Viejo was recognized for having the best email marketing program and quarterly newsletter, while Nitto Tire U.S.A. Inc. in Cypress took home awards for a social media campaign and the best website.
Chapman University in Orange was praised for its social media campaign in the integrated strategy category, as well as channel strategy on YouTube. In addition, the university’s Huell Howser Archive was noted as one of the best blogs in the community engagement category.
The University of California, Irvine’s Irvine OpenCourseWare Initiative and NuVision Federal Credit Union in Huntington Beach were noted for effective use of a microsite, and Consumer Credit Counseling of Orange County in Santa Ana was recognized for its monthly email newsletter. Newport Beach-based marketing shop CAKE Inc. took the honors for website aesthetics.
Publisher Consumes Cigar & Spirits
Irvine-based I-5 Publishing LLC, which owns more than a dozen special interest titles, has added Cigar & Spirits Magazine to its roster.
The bimonthly publication will relaunch next month under Top Hat Media Group LLC ownership, a joint venture between I-5 Publishing; Cigar & Spirits founder Lincoln Salazar; and his business partner, Micky Dhillon.
“Cigar & Spirits is one of the fastest growing publications in the country and our plan is to help build on that momentum,” Mark Harris, chief executive of I-5 Publishing, said in a news release. “We’re thrilled to be part of the future of this exciting publication and all it brings to our affiliates and to a unique audience.”
The print relaunch will be followed by a digital edition set to roll out in January, free of charge to print subscribers.
“When my team and I started Cigar & Spirits, we were thinking of a small niche publication,” Salazar said. “But it kept getting bigger until it became bigger than all of us. Affiliating with quality personalities, companies, and advertisers has helped us grow. Now partnering with a quality publishing company will help us reach even greater heights. How far can we go? I guess we’ll see.”
Bits and Pieces
HKA Inc. Marketing Communications in Tustin added Irvine-based national recruiting firm Decision Toolbox to its client list. … Idea Hall in Costa Mesa is tasked with developing brand awareness in the commercial real estate industry for Stream Realty Partners L.P. in Irvine. … Marshall Advertising in Costa Mesa hired Maria Graziano as its new operations and accounting manager. Graziano worked in a similar role at the Draftfcb and Doner advertising agencies, where she served clients in the automobile, food and apparel industries. … Blue C Advertising in Costa Mesa was hired to do event brand development for Progressive International Motorcycle Show, owned by Santa Monica-based Advanstar Communications Inc.
