Come the new year, Hendrix Miyasaki Shin Advertising Inc. will be absorbed by its former competitor Core Group One Inc. and will do business under the Core Group One moniker.
Neither Core Group One nor Hendrix would disclose terms of the deal, but when asked the big "why" question, Core Group released the following answer through a publicist: "It is a good fit for both companies — with compatible cultures and values."
Jeff Hendrix, president of the agency bearing his name, will serve Core Group One as vice president of account service, while partners Brad Shin and Grant Miyasaki will act as creative directors for the new iteration of Core Group One.
Core Group One CEO Emi Anamizu will continue as CEO, James Horiuchi will retain his position as president and other staff assignments are pending.
"We’re extremely pleased about this opportunity to combine best practices with the Hendrix Miyasaki Shin team," Anamizu said in a statement, in which Hendrix noted the reputations for client service, well-executed creativity, exacting strategy and innovative thinking each agency had developed. "This new partnership allows us to expand deeper into new media and creative services as a whole and we couldn’t be more excited about it," he said.
The agency will operate out of its current downtown location, which Core Group One owns. It is in negotiations to acquire additional space for the soon-to-grow staff. Core Group employs 11 people, while Hendrix employs 12.
Hendrix’s 2010 capitalized billings were $12 million, and Core Group’s were $10 million.
Both agencies have long racked up Pele Awards in annual state competitions by the Hawaii Advertising Federation.
Core Group One was formed in 2005 to acquire the Hawaii operation of Ogilvy & Mather, an internationally known advertising agency.
Hendrix Miyasaki Shin was established in 1995.
"What a great merger of major advertising talent," said Anne Murata, longtime advertising maven and director of marketing at Pacific Aviation Museum. "We can expect great work from them," she said, offering congratulations to all involved. "Just doing the deal is a creative achievement in itself."
Hold the panic
You may read that the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurant chain has been sold to Houston-based Luby’s Inc., which also purchased the Fuddruckers burger chain two years ago. And yes, printing the name "Fuddruckers" feels naughty.
While the news reports are true, they have nothing to do with the Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurants in Lahaina, Maui, or at 2500 Kalakaua Ave., or their non-paradise-named Cheeseburger sister restaurants elsewhere in Waikiki, in Wailea, in the Miracle Mile Shops in Las Vegas or in Key West, Fla.
The seven restaurants, the first two of which were the first to use the song title "Cheeseburger in Paradise" as part of a restaurant name, were founded by California-based partners Laren Gartner and Edna Bayliff beginning with the Lahaina store in 1989.
"Cheeseburger in Paradise" also is a popular 1978 recording by Jimmy Buffett, so the recording artist — or his "people" — brought a lawsuit against Gartner and Bayliff in 1997.
The suit’s resolution four years later included an agreement allowing the ladies to retain the name for their original locations, and prevents Buffett and/or his licensing partners from competing against them in Hawaii, Mexico and Japan.
The parent company of Outback Steakhouse started its own chain of Cheeseburger in Paradise restaurants in 2002 under a licensing agreement with Buffett.
The chain was sold in 2009, and now Luby’s, known for its cafeteria-style dining, has bought the 23-unit chain for $11 million.
Buffett also is now well known for his Margaritaville chain of restaurants, including the Hawaii location at 2300 Kalakaua Ave.
In a 2004 interview with The Associated Press, Gartner said she had no hard feelings against Buffett, and that her locations were close to tripling revenues since settling the suit.
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Reach Erika Engle at 529-4303, erika@staradvertiser.com, or on Twitter as @erikaengle.
