Standard Time, a Santa Monica advertising agency offering its services to West Coast retailers, is counting down to a recovery in the retail sector.
Co-founders Michael Sharp and Amy Demas met while working for a Minneapolis agency on the Target account and decided to form their own agency about two years ago, lining up clients for the launch earlier this year. The agency now has 20 employees.
Sharp, the chief executive, selected the L.A. area for the headquarters because of its abundance of freelance talent, and he saw opportunities to help clients with his expertise in retail and design.
The agency’s goal is to give clients a visual consistency, similar to the way Target has included the red bull’s-eye in every form of communication. The name Standard Time refers to the system developed by 19th century railroads to coordinate train schedules across time zones.
Retailers “have to make sure the campaign inside the store looks like the campaign on TV,” Sharp said. “It makes the whole campaign look bigger to consumers.”
The agency also has expertise in getting merchandise brands to share the costs of advertising, or so-called co-op marketing.
Standard Time’s biggest current client is CVS pharmacy. The agency also has done work for Williams-Sonoma, DC Shoes, Monster Energy and L.A.-based fashion label Seneca Rising.
Sparks’ Team Charity
Los Angeles Sparks women’s basketball team has selected Allison & Partners as its public relations agency. Allison will concentrate on philanthropy and community outreach for the team.
Scott Pansky, founding partner of the Santa Monica office, will supervise the account for San Francisco-based Allison.
Until now, the WNBA team has focused its philanthropic efforts on organizations involved with health, education and women’s advocacy. The annual “Downtown Dribble” is one of the Sparks’ biggest events, a games competition to encourage kids to get outside and exercise.
Allison will bring a “cause marketing” and media relations mentality to the Sparks efforts by dispatching its social impact team to the account.
“Our partnership with the Los Angeles Sparks will allow us to use our expertise in public relations, strategic philanthropy and social media to elevate the Sparks presence both regionally and nationally,” Pansky said in a statement.
Scion’s Summertime Drive
Scion, the automotive brand owned by Toyota Motor Sales USA in Torrance, has launched a marketing contest that uses the talents of three local agencies.
The contest mixes real-world and virtual driving to promote the tC sports car. Each player signs up at the Web site and takes a virtual eight-week, cross-country trip to Los Angeles. Along the way, players compete by customizing a virtual tC. To pay for the upgrades, players earn virtual money by recruiting friends into the game.
After the eight weeks, four finalists will be flown to Los Angeles for an Aug. 14 real-world driving competition. The prize is a 2011 Scion tC.
The three local agencies handling the campaign are Haley Miranda Group in Culver City, Rogers & Cowen in downtown Los Angeles and American Pop in Burbank. Haley developed the contest and the website. Rogers & Cowan is in charge of media relations and social media agency American Pop is doing online network promotions.
Agencies & Accounts
Marketing consultancy Siegel+Gale in Westwood has rehired Kathleen Kindle as strategy director. She will supervise two accounts, Qualcomm and Microsoft. Kindle returns to Siegel+Gale after 10 years at TBWAChiatDay in Playa del Rey. … Scott Wensman has joined Team One, a marketing agency in El Segundo, with the title of group media director. He most recently was digital group director at OMD Los Angeles, and previously was vice president of media strategy for IPG’s Emerging Media Lab on the Miracle Mile. … Levine Communications Office in Los Angeles has signed actress Natalina Maggio as a client. She appears in “Get Him to the Greek” and in “Killers.” LCO’s mission is to get her more coverage in magazines and other celebrity-focused media. … Macy & Associates in Playa del Rey is the new PR agency for Ocean West Capital Partners, a Santa Monica real estate consulting firm. Macy will design sales materials, a Web strategy and media relations program for the company. … Amy Levy Public Relations in West Los Angeles has added two new clients: audio postproduction house AnEFX and personal training center Legacy Gym. The agency will handle media relations and philanthropic promotions for both clients. … Appssavvy, a New York-based social media agency, has opened an office in Westwood. The four-person branch will focus on entertainment industry clients. … Advertising firm Added Value has appointed Steve Diller as senior vice president of brand development in its Studio City office.
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.
