Direct-response agency ID Media has won the Round Table Pizza account. Although based in New York, ID Media will handle its pizza client through the Los Angeles office.
The first ID campaign will start this month and will involve 140 company-owned restaurants.
In the competitive pizza market, Round Table has tried to avoid the low-cost sales pitch by positioning itself as a place where busy families can get together for a meal. The company calls its pizza “a dining option the whole family can agree upon.”
ID plans to deliver that message with a mix of newspaper and direct mail. The ads will target families and emphasize new menu options and the diversity of Round Table’s offerings to satisfy both adults and children.
Renae Scott, chief marketing officer at Round Table, said she selected ID because of its analytical skill at maximizing business on print ads and thus “delivering the best possible return on media investments.”
Funding Fanfare
Fanfare Media Works in Valencia has secured a $5.3 million investment from BIA Digital Partners II, a private fund in Virginia.
Fanfare ranks as a major player for local in-store advertising. It manages plaques on grocery carts and coupons printed on the back of cash-register tape. It also sells space on in-store billboards and publishes free in-store magazines.
In conjunction with the investment, BIA Managing Partner Lloyd Sams will assume a seat on the Fanfare board of directors. Other BIA investments include the alternative weekly newspaper Creative Loafing and recruitment ad publisher Job News.
“We are very excited about our new partnership with BIA Digital Partners given their experience in providing financing to advertising-based businesses,” said Brendan Ross, president of Fanfare. “We look forward to leveraging their network of industry contacts and strengthening Fanfare’s leading market position.”
Africa Campaign
M & C; Saatchi LA won an award from the International Association of Amusement Parks & Attractions for its campaign on behalf of San Diego Zoo’s Journey Into Africa tour.
While the client obviously had name recognition among nature-lovers, what made the campaign stand out was its geographical targeting to the north.
“A unique aspect of this year’s campaign was advertising that appeared on city buses in Los Angeles,” said Bob McClure, director of the San Diego Zoo’s Wild Animal Park. “These wraps created buses that were moving billboards for the Journey Into Africa tour.”
The campaign included TV, radio, print and transportation ads.
On the creative side, the campaign poked fun at the extreme efforts of people to get close to wildlife. One series shows two guests disguised in a wildebeest suit who find themselves caught in a stampede.
UPP Swaps Clients
Entertainment marketing agency UPP in Los Angeles has finalized a strategic deal with Engage Marketing in Chicago that allows both companies to work with each other’s clients.
UPP specializes in product placement, game shows and events. The clients it brings to the table include Nintendo, North Face and Motorola.
Engage works with sports sponsorships, events and promotions for clients such as Crocs, Wilson Golf, Hooked on Phonics and Shea Homes.
Gary Mezzatesta, president of UPP, said sports sponsorships will be a big advantage.
The deal “affords us the chance to grow our clients’ presence beyond the traditional film, television and general entertainment environment,” he said.
Kevin Adler, president of Engage, said the partnership would be valuable for his clients, too.
“For any brand looking to weave itself into the fabric of popular culture, or whose consumer is influenced by celebrities, UPP’s services are a must-have,” Adler said. “As the large agency holding companies preach integration and best-in-class service offerings, this partnership represents the best of two independently owned agencies coming together to better serve their clients and the market at large.”
Agencies & Accounts
MMW Group in Irvine is the new public relations agency for L.A.-based Asolva, a maker of software for hospital management. The geography of the partnership makes sense, according to MWW Chief Executive Michael Kempner, because “Irvine and Los Angeles are quickly becoming the West Coast hubs of the biotechnology sector, which means that the companies there increasingly need to differentiate themselves.” Hollywood trailer-maker CMP Entertainment Group has acquired graphic design firm Deadline Advertising. CMP Chief Executive Craig Murray calls his new company “an innovative leader in the growing online arena.” Pacific Research & Strategies in Long Beach won 12 MarCom Awards, presented by the Association of Marketing & Communications Professionals. Clients for the award-winning work include the Foothill Oaks Casino and the San Manuel Band of Mission Indians. It Girl Public Relations in Los Angeles has won the account for Optimal Nutrition. The client delivers customized door-to-door organic meals for the busy professional, superstar celebrity or athlete. Dick Wilson, the L.A.-based actor who played Mr. Whipple on “Don’t Squeeze the Charmin” commercials, has died. Wilson appeared in more than 500 TV spots for the tissue brand, owned by Proctor & Gamble.
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at
[email protected]
, or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.
