Salon City, a magazine intent on making the jump from the hair care category to mainstream stardom, will launch an advertising campaign this summer at Los Angeles International Airport.
Kiosks and light boxes at LAX will feature the July issue with actress Ashley Scott on the cover. Between 12 and 15 airport stores operated by Hudson News and Crews of California will host the ads at three LAX terminals.
For a new publication like Salon City, the traveling crowd represents a prime target audience. The magazine has existed for six years in Hollywood but now seeks a larger market presence. Its editorial formula combines beauty with positive-living messages, making it a sort of celeb version of Reader’s Digest.
The magazine essentially re-branded itself starting with the February issue. Recent cover girls include Hillary Duff, Fran Drescher and Raven Symone. In conjunction with the re-launch, its parent company went public. Its shares sells over-the-counter, and management holds a conference call for investors every Thursday.
“We want to make sure that our readers understand our mission and our publication,” said Steven Casciola, chief executive officer of Salon City Inc. “Hundreds of thousands of travelers go through LAX on a daily basis. That they are now going to see Salon City in such a visible manner signals the marketplace that our publication is coming of age.”
‘Internet Killer’
What better platform for an original horror yarn called “The Internet Killer” could there be than the Internet?
Entertainment packager Ubiquity Partners has brokered just such a deal with Twisted Pictures, the production house behind the “Saw” movies, and Break.com, an entertainment Web site for men.
“Killer” will post online this summer. The 30 Webisodes will include “engaging opportunities for users to create their own content,” according to Ubiquity. The episodes will add up to a full-length horror movie between 70 and 90 minutes long, said Keith Richman, chief executive of Break.com.
Advertisers can get in on the gore, too. The project will follow the TV business model of free content in exchange for viewers’ advertising attention. However, for now Ubiquity declined to name any specific advertisers supporting the project.
“Digital media companies are eager to bring the skills of the established creative community to their sites, helping to build traffic and loyalty,” says Eric Carlson, founding partner of Ubiquity.
Launched early this year, Ubiquity brings together established production companies, online distributors and brand advertisers.
The Twisted/Break.com deal follows Ubiquity’s pact between Metacafe.com and Steven Bochco Productions that resulted in nearly four dozen original Webisodes of the online program “Cafe Confidential.”
Gorilla’s Huff
Political gab blog the Huffington Post has teamed with Gorilla Nation Media, the Marina del Rey Internet rep firm, to broaden its appeal to advertisers.
The deal represents something of a departure for Gorilla Nation, which specializes in exclusive rep agreements with show biz-related sites. In this case, Gorilla Nation will work as “a strategic complement to the Huffington Post’s direct sales efforts,” according to the rep firm. Gorilla Nation will have exclusive coverage for accounts originating from Texas, Southern California, Detroit, Canada, the United Kingdom, and “certain entertainment and automotive advertisers.”
“This will be more of a nuanced sale to a select group of leading advertisers who appreciate the value of this highly educated, influential audience,” said Brian Fitzgerald, president of Gorilla Nation. “We’re looking forward to presenting the Huffington Post in a new way that underscores both the quantity and quality of their audience and the unique opportunities this environment presents for contextual integration.”
The Post has 3 million unique monthly visitors. “We are positioned squarely at the intersection of news, politics and entertainment,” said James Smith, chief revenue officer for the Post.
News & Notes
Movie Experience, an L.A.-based cinema advertising agency, has signed a deal with Screenvision, the biggest movie screen advertising agency in the country. Under the agreement Movie Experience will add its California screens to Screenvision’s 15,000 total nationwide. MJA Advertising has launched Velvet Rope, a new sponsorship and brand integration division. The unit will specialize in associating brands with celebrity events and venues such as the Shrine Auditorium, Morongo Casino Resort & Spa, and the Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival, which comes to Los Angeles in December. Inter/Media Advertising won four trophies at the 2007 Videographer Awards, judged by the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals. The Encino-based shop took home awards for TV spots on behalf of Storage Barn, Good Sam VIP Insurance, It’s Just Lunch and the Bret Saberhagen Make a Difference Foundation.
Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at
[email protected]
, or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.
