Time Warner Inc. welcomes more than 70,000 new potential North County clients this month as the local cable provider finally sees the fruits of a long-awaited acquisition.
Effective Aug. 1, Time Warner Cable San Diego, a division of the New York-based entertainment giant, acquired certain assets of Colorado-based Adelphia Communications, opening the door for service to households in Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Fallbrook, Rancho Santa Fe, San Marcos and Vista. Time Warner, which already services some 200,000 households in San Diego County, can now offer residents of those communities and cities cable television, high-speed broadband Internet service and other products.
Time Warner, along with Philadelphia-based Comcast, bought out Adelphia’s service rights to some 5 million customers nationwide for $17 billion after nearly two years of wrangling. Time Warner’s share of the nationwide lot is some 3.3 million customers, while Comcast picks up about 1.7 million, according to published financial reports.
Locally, Time Warner will add some 100 former Adelphia employees onto the Time Warner payroll. According to a company release, Time Warner also plans to create and fill approximately 50 new positions.
“This is a great day for the residents of North County who have been patiently waiting for this transaction to close,” said Judy Walsh, the president of Time Warner Cable San Diego. “We look forward to bringing new products, services and technology to the neighborhoods we’ll serve through our bundle of cable television, high-speed Internet and digital phone service.”
According to official Time Warner documents, “there will be no rate changes associated with this transaction.” However, customers can expect immediate branding changes bearing the Time Warner Cable logo and will have to wait for certain signature Time Warner services, such as Road Runner high-speed Internet, to become available as equipment upgrades commence.
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Campaign Chat:
San Diego-based marketing agency Matthews Evans Albertazzi is using the Web to help Odyssey Golf, a brand of the Carlsbad-based Callaway Golf Co., retain its spot on the leader board.
The Grind is a new Web site that tracks the lives of professional golfers Ben Bates, Craig Kanada and Per-Ulrik Johansson as they compete for a spot on the prestigious PGA Tour. The site has been dubbed “The Grind: Pursuit of the Card” in reference to the player’s card a golfer must earn to be eligible for the PGA Tour. The site at www.thegrind2006.com includes weekly progress reports on the golfers as well as regular journal entries written by each of them about their experiences. Video and audio clips are also featured.
“One of Odyssey’s key goals as the number one brand in the putter segment is to engage their customers on a deeper, one-to-one level to increase brand loyalty long term,” said Jim Matthews, the agency’s chief executive officer. “The Grind does that and while we don’t know if it will inspire or discourage golfers, for every two-handicapper who’s ever dreamed of becoming the next Phil Mickelson, The Grind will let them know what the journey is really all about.”
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Client News:
At the ripe old age of 26, Vista-based Creative Nail Design is eager to refresh its brand image and is turning to San Diego’s own MiresBall to do it.
MiresBall, a local marketing agency, announced July 28 that it had been chosen to create new corporate branding for the professional hand- and nail-care product maker. Creative Nail Design touts more than 200 products, from cuticle creams and nail enamel to masques and buffer tools.
“It is incredibly exciting to be partnered with a local leader, particularly when the majority of our clients are headquartered outside the San Diego market,” said John Ball, principal and creative director for MiresBall. “In addition, this is a somewhat rare assignment for us. We’re typically commissioned to develop a new brand or repair a weak or fragmented brand; helping a healthy brand like Creative Nail Design’s involves an exciting set of opportunities and challenges.”
Another North County marketing firm celebrating a new client this month is the San Marcos-based White Barn Group.
White Barn announced Aug. 1 that it has been named the agency of record of J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Group, an equine therapy center based in San Juan Capistrano.
J.F. Shea, which is in the process of a major renovation project to be completed early next year, has asked White Barn to provide branding, strategy and strategic alliance services targeting the West Coast.
“We are very excited to assist this incredible organization in creating the leading therapeutic riding center in the world,” said White Barn Principal Tim Hackbardt.
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Fun Fact:
More than 70 million domain names have been purchased and most, if not all, one-word domain names have been marketed on a global level, according to Dotster Inc., a Washington-based Internet domain name and hosting services company.
Send media and marketing news to Jessica Long at
jlong@sdbj.com
. She may also be reached at (858) 277-6359, ext. 3114.
