Subway Campaign Goes Deep for Japanese Chain

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Dentsu America Los Angeles has driven its client Famima underground.


But that? a good thing: The agency has placed Famima-friendly messages on all the billboards, benches and every other available space at the Seventh Street Metro station in downtown Los Angeles.

Dentsu Los Angeles, a division of the Japanese giant ad agency, installed the campaign for Famima, a Japanese-owned chain of neighborhood convenience stores and restaurants that now has 17 locations in the L.A. market.

The campaign carries the tagline ?ou?l be surprised at what you discover,?an expression of the sense of adventure the chain hopes clients feel when they walk in the store.

?hen someone visits a Famima with something in mind ?say getting a turkey sandwich or sushi ?they invariably discover something new and unexpected and leave pleasantly surprised,?said Mike Parise, general manager of Dentsu America. ?his campaign captures that experience, as the station takeover is a cool surprise.?

Famima is owned by Japanese retailer FamilyMart.


Bilingual Social Networking

VPE Public Relations, a Hispanic agency in South Pasadena, has opened a division for Latino social media.

In addition to maximizing exposure on sites including Facebook and LinkedIn, the unit will help clients grow their online visibility by providing Web site design, digital press kits and Internet research. To communicate specific messages, the group will use blogs, message boards, viral marketing campaigns and news groups.

?ith the growing influence of social media among Latinos, we knew we had to tap into other areas where dynamic conversations about brands and our clients can occur,?said Patricia Perez, VPE partner. ?egardless of whether they access content in English or Spanish, we?e now going to reach them.?p>The agency plans to use viral marketing for the launch of McDonald? menu items. It will also use social networking sites to promote shows on KCET-TV and ?ommy blogs?to reach Latina mothers on behalf of consumer goods clients.


Mammoth Humor

M & C; Saatchi Los Angeles has developed a primitive strategy to promote the San Diego Zoo? Elephant Odyssey, the biggest exhibit in the zoo? history.

Television and radio spots feature two mammoths who humorously confront the difficulties of life in Southern California 12,000 years ago. In one spot, the two mistake a tar pit for a mud bath; in another they tease a saber-toothed cat.

Print and outdoor ads complete the story of how the mammoths come back to California in modern times in the form of elephants in the exhibit.

?eing able to use humor with a serious subject like extinct and endangered animals is a challenge,?Ted Molter, marketing director at the zoo, said in a statement. ?ut M & C; Saatchi hit just the right tone.?p>


Agencies & Accounts

Sensis, a downtown L.A. interactive Hispanic ad agency, earned third place among the 2009 Inner City 100, a ranking of the fastest-growing businesses in inner-city locations nationwide. From 2003 to 2007, Sensis recorded 1,324 percent revenue growth and increased its employee base from four to 21. More than 5,000 businesses competed to appear on the list, which is published by the Initiative for a Competitive Inner City. ?MPRm Public Relations has landed two new event-based accounts. The entertainment-focused L.A. agency will handle promotion for Outfest 2009, the gay and lesbian film festival in Los Angeles, and for the Orange County Super Fair. ?Malena Cruz has been promoted to chief financial officer at the Inter/Media Group of Cos. in Encino. She has worked for the company since 1994 and previously held the title of controller. ?Bay Harbor Podiatry Group in Torrance is the new client of Bob Gold & Associates, a Torrance-based public relations shop. Gold will promote the clinic? new laser treatment for toenail fungus. ?Government Solutions Group in Pasadena, an agency that specializes in connecting state parks and brand advertisers, reached its goal in the Reforest California campaign, which raised money to plant 1 million trees by turning soft-drink purchases into tree fund donations: When a consumer purchased $10 of Coca-Cola at a Stater Bros. market, the bottler donated $1 to the fund.


Staff reporter Joel Russell can be reached at [email protected] or at (323) 549-5225, ext. 237.

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