MediaPost | MAD LA

CallFire To Seed Fund Dreams

Fri, 11 Jul 2014 15:05:00 -0400

CallFire will soon roll out the Spark My Mission campaign to support entrepreneurs looking for help to fund initiatives. The winner receives $5,000 seed money to fulfill a dream that starts with a vision. Entries are open to all, from small business owners to independent contractors, as long as they meet certain criteria.

KPI Boutique Ad Agency Launches With Performance Model To Reduce Payment Term Worries

Thu, 10 Jul 2014 14:14:00 -0400

Former leads from WPP, Publicis and inVentiv Health will launch a Los Angeles-based boutique agency to give an old business new life and rein in how clients pay for campaign performance. The updated operational model makes fixed bids, hourly rates and huge retainers a thing of the past.

LA County Looking To Replace Some Old Billboards With Digital

Thu, 03 Jul 2014 12:37:00 -0400

The city council in Santa Clarita, Los Angeles County, has approved an agreement with Edwards Outdoor Advertising to remove 47 of its billboard structures around the city -- including 22 located along Interstate 5 -- in favor of three large electronic billboards in Santa Clarita. Residents are not too happy with the decision, however, and have gathered more than 16,000 signatures in opposition of the plan.

Spreeify Launches Mobile Display Platform, Claims Better Click-Throughs, Etc.

Tue, 01 Jul 2014 10:08:00 -0400

Los Angeles-based ad tech firm Spreeify has launched a cloud-based mobile and display advertising platform it claims can "maximize click-through, conversion, and engagement" by looking at "social referrals, retargeting and other technology optimize real-time bidding." Spreeify says its customers include JustFab, Gaiam, Papyrus, etnies, Journeys and Adobe.

Scripps Taps Cannon As Regional Publisher Of Ventura County Star

Tue, 01 Jul 2014 08:54:23 -0400

California newspaper publishing vet Shanna Cannon has been named regional publisher of E.W. Scripps' Ventura County Star. She moves into the larger circulation newspaper publishing role from publisher of Scripps-owned Record Searchlight in Redding, Calif. Cannon, who grew up in California's Central Coast region, began her newspaper career at Scripps Telegram-Tribune in San Luis Obispo.

The Search Agency Acquires MoFuse To Support Local Mobile Campaigns

Fri, 27 Jun 2014 11:00:00 -0400

L.A.-based The Search Agency will announce Friday the acquisition of MoFuse. The technology will support mobile marketing campaigns for local businesses. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

CPC Strategy Lands On Google Shopping Partner List

Thu, 26 Jun 2014 02:09:00 -0400

CPC Strategy has become one of less than a dozen Google Shopping partners, playing in the park as one of the smallest companies to participate with the likes of Adobe, Adlucent, Datapop, Channel Advisor, Rimm-Kaufman Group, and iProspect. The companies on this preferred vendor list must become certified to earn a space on the page and in the program.

'Social Video' Content Platform Epoxy Raises $6.5M

Tue, 24 Jun 2014 12:15:00 -0400

Epoxy, a Los Angeles-based video ad platform with a focus on social media networks, on Tuesday announced it has closed a $6.5 million Series A round of funding. The investment round was led by Upfront Ventures and Time Warner.

HOLLYWIRED -- Don't Buy It, Earn It: A New Year's Resolution

Mon, 16 Dec 2013 06:43:00 -0500

"Hollywired" is all about being wired into Hollywood and vice versa, covering the Hollywood influence on the "wired" or tech and adtech businesses that are blooming all around. "Hollywired" also is all about observing the advertising, marketing and media practices associated with entertainment and branded entertainment. Finally, it's about my favorite subject, the flip side of the entertainment coin -- earned media; which, according to the Forrester definition, is "an old PR term that essentially meant getting your brand into free media rather than having to pay for it through advertising."

Whirled Lands National TV Spot With Google Zeitgeist 2012

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:00:04 -0500

Last month, Google released their Zeitgeist 2012: Year In Review video, a dramatic video that captures all of the epic moments that people searched for in 2012. Just like their Zeitgeist videos in 2010 and 2011, Google turned to Los Angeles-based creative agency Whirled, and named Whirled's founder and creative director Scott Chan as director of the video. Since hitting the YouTube waves on December 12, the Zeitgeist 2012 video has racked up over 13 million views. That number already easily trumps the view count from the 2010 (2.5 million) and 2011 (8.5 million) versions combined.

RPA Helps Honda Tout Innovation, American Kaizen For Civic

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:00:04 -0500

As initially reported in MarketingDaily on January 4, Honda is heralding the arrival of its U.S. market icon, the 2013 Civic, unveiled at the Los Angeles auto show last fall. The campaign -- via long-time Santa Monica agency RPA -- comprises four TV spots, one of which debuted in the Rose Bowl on Tuesday. The new ads have "found" video content to talk about entrepreneurial spirit of inventors and Honda's engineers. There are more than 10 different inventors portrayed in the spots. The effort, which also has print and digital elements, mixes product messages with the company's corporate mantra around innovation and continuous improvement (the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen). Three of the TV spots are for the Civic Sedan, Si Coupe and Hybrid, respectively, and a 60-second spot -- which aired during the Rose Bowl -- features all three of the vehicles.

App Platform Phunware Acquires Tapit for $23 Million

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:00:04 -0500

As initially reported in MobileMarketingDaily on January 3, mobile app infrastructure and services firm Phunware announced its late 2012 acquisition of Los Angeles-based mobile ad company Tapit Media Group for $23 million. Phunware works with major media such as NFL, TCM, Univision, E!, ESPN, Fox and Discovery on app experiences and management.

Rodriguez Promoted to VP of Sales, Demand Media

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:00:04 -0500

Meredith Rodriguez, a 12-year digital sales and marketing veteran, was recently promoted to vice president of sales for Demand Media. Rodriguez will lead the branded ad sales team in the Western region for the Santa Monica-based company, according to a release.

Mercury Media Acquires iMarketing

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:00:04 -0500

Santa Monica-based marketing agency Mercury Media this week announced that it has acquired iMarketing, a full service digital agency. According to the release, the acquisition creates "the largest independent online and offline performance marketing agency in the country." The acquisition of iMarketing, which specializes in SEO, affiliate marketing, and research and analytics technology, is a big plus for Mercury and their direct response TV ads.

Real Web Marketing Designs Three California Dance Sites

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:35:03 -0500

Los Angeles-based Real Web Marketing, a web site marketing company, this week finished designing three new web sites for California DanceArts and the California Contemporary Ballet.

Mogreet's Ehrlich a "Woman to Watch"

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:35:03 -0500

Mogreet, a Los Angeles-based mobile marketing company, this week had Serena Ehrlich, their director of marketing, recognized by Mobile Marketer as a one of its Mobile Women to Watch 2013.

Check out Mobile Marketer’s full list of Mobile Women to Watch 2013 here. Ehrlich is featured on page 6.

Grammys Social Game No Trivial Matter

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:35:03 -0500

The Grammy Awards are nearly six weeks away, but it's never too soon to begin promoting (and building buzz) for the event. The Recording Academy, which puts on the awards, has launched a social trivia game (running through Jan. 29) titled "Get Me to the Grammy's," that will award players with seven weekly prizes from each of the Grammy's six participating partners (Delta Airlines, Harman, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Hitlab, MasterCard and Procter & Gamble). The grand prize will feature two tickets to the award show on Feb. 10 in Los Angeles.

Brand TLDs To Change Online Advertising, Marketing In 2013

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:35:03 -0500

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) held a lottery in Los Angeles last week to decide on which of the proposed new top-level domain names will become the first to go live. Among the banks, media companies and Internet companies, Google applied for 101 and Amazon, 76. There were more than 900 applications for generic names like shop, news, music, and movies. The organization released the application list in June.

RPA Gives To United Way

Fri, 28 Dec 2012 12:35:03 -0500

This season, Los Angeles advertising agency RPA has raised more than $92,000 for United Way for the I Have a Dream Foundation. The agency ran an online auction called RPA Bay and a 6th annual RPA hosted live auction with proceeds going to the I Have a Dream Foundation. They could also take part in a "Pay It Forward" program.

Walton Isaacson Relocates To Culver City