Orange County's Youth Advertising Experts Launch www.orangezone.com; The Orange Zone's ``Flashy'' New Web Site Offers Expertise on Marketing to Gen X and Y

Business Wire, Nov 29, 2000

Business Editors and High-Tech Writers

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 29, 2000

Understanding Gen X and Gen Y is no easy task.

Yet, if a company doesn't make an attempt to "get it," the results can be disastrous. Launched Wednesday by The Orange Zone (OZ), Orange County's youth marketing authority, www.orangezone.com is a place where companies can now turn for the latest on relating to today's youth.

With its flying oranges, cool music and audio, talking kids and a homepage that constantly changes its configuration, this site is set to become the foremost Gen X and Gen Y advertising resource on the Web. The dynamic and interactive new site, developed entirely in flash technology, demonstrates The Orange Zone's knack for speaking to the youth market and emphasizes the need to be "real."

"Gen X and Y are powerful forces in the market," said Mark McVicker, director and creative leader of The Orange Zone. "They have the ability to kill an established brand overnight just by giving it the cold shoulder."

Due to their extensive research and advertising experience, OZ knows how to reach this target. Three sections of www.orangezone.com -- "The Source," "Zone Report" and "Peep Show" -- offer proof that OZ is in tune with the youth market.

Based on research conducted in-house and, more importantly, in the field, "The Source" provides important information for marketers on current trends, top-ten lists, spending habits and speaking to Gens X and Y. For example, McVicker offers essential insights in an article entitled "Are You Speaking the Gen Y Language." "The Source" will be updated regularly to keep the content current and the ideas fresh.

In the "Zone Report," visitors can see samples of interviews OZ has conducted. The Orange Zone doesn't believe in static focus groups. They get out of the office and meet trend-setting youth in their own environments -- beaches, skate parks, BMX tracks, night clubs -- conducting videotaped interviews with "edge" kids. The "Zone Report" combines vibrant images and catchy music with audio clips and photographs of the edge kids.

Samples of creative work developed for clients like Clothestime, Bear Mountain Resort, icelounge.com and MADD can be viewed in the "Peep Show" section. Direct mail pieces, in-store posters and print ads jump off the screen. After viewing this enticing work, it's easy to see why OZ has seen such great success.

With the Bear Mountain campaign, for example, OZ successfully reached snowboarders, flip-flopping the snowboarder/skier ratio from 30/70 to 70/30.

"We're experts at building a buzz," added McVicker. "Whether it's for companies with youth products or companies that just want to think young."

About the Orange Zone

OZ came to life as a guerilla division of The T&O Group, one of Orange County's largest independent communication agencies, to service accounts with a youth focus. Current Zone clients include Clothestime, MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving), Bear Mountain Resort and icelounge.com. OZ stays in touch with Southern California's youth culture by meeting with teens in their own environments, like clubs, beaches and skate parks, wherever trend-setting youth opinion leaders are found. Interviews are conducted with "edge" kids, and results are presented to clients in a Zone Report, an individualized report on what's cool -- and what's not -- in specifically targeted areas. For more information on The Orange Zone, call 949/833-8006 or visit them on the Web at www.orangezone.com.