How do you build a business in the middle of a marketing industry meltdown? One veteran is promising clients that if he doesn’t get results, they’ll pay cost only.
Michael Migliozzi, former partner at downtown L.A. ad agency Cesario Migliozzi, is going solo with Forza Migliozzi LLC, which will forego all creative fees for any campaign that doesn’t increase sales by 10 percent.
“Whether a client comes with a full account or one project, we will produce it, the client will approve it, but we will be responsible for the results,” said Migliozzi. “While persuasion is not an exact science, I am confident that Forza Migliozzi will not lose any fees under this offer.”
The client will still be responsible for production costs and media costs to buy time on TV or the Internet. Creative fees typically run about 15 percent of an ad campaign’s total cost.
Migliozzi said he went solo to pursue his vision of advertising, which focuses on finding unconventional ways to grab consumers’ attention. The new agency, located in Hollywood, has a staff of five people and offers creative, media-buying and PR services.
Migliozzi has a history of wacky campaigns. He once used the devil as an anti-spokesperson to rebrand the Prayer Channel; another time he used film clips of Cuban leader Fidel Castro to construct an endorsement of the New Yorker Hotel. (Castro had once stayed there.) In December Migliozzi created Super Bowl Glory, an attempt to get eight advertisers to share a 30-second spot during the big game; that project never materialized, however.
Artists’ Cafe
Nestle USA in Glendale commissioned four Latino artists to paint nostalgic scenes of Mexico in U.S. cities as a retail promotion for NesCafe Clasico, a coffee brand aimed at Latino consumers.
The original paintings are murals in Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston. The images will also appear on four mugs that Nestle will give away as a set through a mail-in coupon redemption promotion.
“Notably, it will all begin with a ‘cafecito’ a small cup of coffee,” said Elizabell Marquez, Nescafe Clasico marketing manager.
Local artist Silvana Paredes was commissioned by Nestle to paint a mural in Los Angeles.
Ford en Espa & #324;ol
Kate del Castillo, a Mexican actress with starring roles in several telenovelas on L.A.-based Univision, is the new spokeswoman for the California Ford Dealers in Spanish-language ads.
She will appear in TV and radio ads this year that target the state’s Latino population. Each ad will begin with del Castillo saying, “The next role I want to play is ” After naming a role cowgirl, mother, etc. she will describe the Ford vehicle that suits the character.
Although Ford has a long history of advertising in Spanish, until now the pitches have emphasized machinery instead of people.
“Kate del Castillo’s international popularity will bring a new dimension to our marketing campaign,” said Tom Grill, Ford California marketing manager.
Castillo enjoys high recognition among Latino TV viewers. She starred in two of Univision’s most popular series, “Muchachitas” and “La Mentira.” Her telenovelas have aired multiple times in more than 100 countries.
Agencies & Accounts
Syd Yallen, founder and chairman of Inter/Media Cos. in Encino, has died of a stroke, the company announced. Yallen was 85. He started as an office boy at KFWB-AM (580) before starting Inter/Media, a direct marketing agency with billings of $450 million. L.A. ad agency 72andSunny has launched its “Men vs. Women” campaign for Nike in Europe. The ads direct runners to a Web site they can use to keep track of their times during training. Hispanic Public Relations Association is celebrating 25 years helping L.A.-area PR professionals advance in their career. The group’s board includes President Ivette Zurita of Edelman’s Miracle Mile office; Vice President Lourdes Rodriguez of VPE Public Relations in Pasadena; Secretary Albert Proctor with the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s L.A. office; and Treasurer Mario Flores, managing director of West L.A. firm Sportivo. Rob Souriall has joined Davie Brown Entertainment in West Los Angeles as senior vice president for music and gaming. He will identify sponsorships for clients of Davie Brown, which specializes in celebrity endorsements and product placement deals. Previously, Souriall worked at Disney Music Group’s Hollywood Records. RedLever, a Santa Monica digital studio, will produce a Web series called “Shop Girls of Madison Lane” for sponsor TreSemme, an Alberto-Culver Co. hair-care brand. The soap opera details the lives of four designers working at a New York fashion house. MarketShare Partners, a West L.A. marketing analytics firm, has appointed Jim Stengel, former Proctor & Gamble chief marketing officer, to its advisory board. … It Girl Public Relations in Venice has landed a big, green client. It’s Lou Ferrigno, the body builder who played the Incredible Hulk in the 1980s TV show.
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.
