Australian Music Site Takes Cues From Local Firm

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Global Onslaught Ltd., a Melbourne, Australia-based website that promotes startup rock bands, has hired Mayo Communications in Canoga Park to publicize its U.S. launch.

The site charges a fee to member bands for uploading songs, photos and announcements. Global Onslaught also records interviews with bands and distributes them as sound bites to radio stations and as podcasts.

A launch party is set for July 28 in Hollywood that will include appearances by bands Overspill, Throwdown Syndicate and Lemay. The bands will then tour with dates in North Hollywood, Long Beach and elsewhere in the western United States.

Mayo has a double assignment to promote the bands and the Global Onslaught site.

George McQuade, general manager at Mayo, said he won the account because he represents Kristen Faulconer, a Van Nuys singer who was nominated for several music awards earlier this year. Global Onslaught executives saw McQuade’s press releases about Faulconer and hired him based on that material.

McQuade plans to contact his network of music writers, radio programmers and Internet bloggers to promote the launch of Global Onslaught in the United States. He said the music industry is changing so quickly that an online presence is fundamental.

“I’ve heard artists say they don’t need a record label anymore,” he told the Business Journal. “But the Internet and new technologies like music video games and viral videos are the keys to success.”

Car Music

This summer, Acura is working with rock band Metric in a celebrity marketing deal orchestrated by ad agency RPA in Santa Monica.

The agreement includes invitation-only concerts in five cities where selected Acura owners will hear the band perform songs from its new album before release to the general public. Also, the promotion features a contest on Acura’s and Metric’s Facebook pages. The winners can download an exclusive song from the band.

To put the deal together, RPA worked with Mirrored Media, another Santa Monica company that specializes in the music industry. Mirrored works with the band while RPA works for the Acura brand. The collaboration is designed to promote the launch of Acura’s ILX compact sedan among buyers in their 20s and early 30s.

Caddy Commercials

Director Scott Weintrob recently switched from TV shows to commercials for an 11-spot web campaign for the 2013 Cadillac XTS luxury sedan.

Based at his downtown L.A. production company, Limey, Weintrob just finished an automotive pilot called “American Muscle” for cable channel AMC and is the executive producer for the car-themed MTV2 series “Dub Magazine Project.”

The Cadillac spots feature spokesman Gunner Wright in a series of high-performance adventures. One of Weintrob’s favorites shows a Cadillac on a racetrack speeding straight at another parked Caddy. The car stops in time to avoid a collision thanks to its braking power.


Global Networking

Rachel McCallister, chairwoman of Miracle Mile PR firm MPRM, has been re-elected vice president of Public Relations Organisation International, a partnership of independent public relations consultancies.

McCallister serves as vice president for the Americas region. Her agency is the L.A. member of the network, which has 120 companies in 40 countries. The agencies meet at least twice a year to get to know each other and then collaborate on projects that require a PR presence in multiple cities around the world.

Agencies & Accounts

Tellem Grody PR in Malibu has added three new clients: cancer testing laboratory Rational Therapeutics in Long Beach, Marina Plastic Surgery Associates in Marina del Rey and fire protection firm Guardian Safety Solutions International in Dallas. Tellem will manage media relations and social media for the clients. … Marketing event company Filter Creative Group in Los Angeles will produce Toyota’s Creation Station tour this summer. Filter will set up temporary car showrooms in malls. … Digital marketing agency SocialVibe in Los Angeles has hired John Capano, former senior vice president of digital strategy at Wunderman. Capano will serve as chief marketing officer with responsibility for signing new clients. … Beverly Hills PR agency Blaine Group has signed PFL Transmedia as a client. PFL runs website PopFictionLife, which shows movies in short episodes or fragments. Blaine Group plans to implement a national campaign of on- and offline media relations and promotion for the site. … Global Icons, a brand-name licensing firm in West Los Angeles, has signed an agreement to represent Powerhouse Gym. Icon will market the Powerhouse name for apparel, fitness equipment and other merchandise. Powerhouse is a Highland Park, Mich.-based chain of about 300 gyms in 39 states.

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

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