SANTA ANA, Calif., Aug. 19, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- SqueezeOC, a new web site and weekly magazine that offers suggestions on living life to the fullest in Orange County, celebrates its launch with an invitation-only, star-studded VIP Party at Tentation Ultra Lounge in Newport Beach, Calif. tonight from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Orange County's elite and local celebrities are among the VIPs on the guest list.
To start the festivities, cast members Ike Barinholtz and Orange County native Nicole Parker from FOX's MADtv will entertain the party on their comedic version of "Orange County." Cast members from MTV's Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County will be in attendance to hear fellow cast member Alex Murrel sing her first single. The headlining musical performers are South African rock superstars Just Jinger.
The event will also include a fashion show featuring local designers, as well as the debut of a signature SqueezeOC Ketel One martini.
SqueezeOC.com and the 52-page, inaugural issue of SqueezeOC magazine debuted Aug. 18. The online and print pages reflect a "go and do" theme, and will offer ideas for free-time activities across Orange County -- ranging from dining and live music events to outdoor and fitness options.
"SqueezeOC.com will be full of suggestions for where to eat, which art show to check out, hiking trails to try . . . even which sunscreen to use when surfing," said Iris Yokoi, editor of SqueezeOC. "Web pages will be continually updated, and we'll have blogs and a review tool so users can bring equal energy to the site with their own listings, ratings, photos and recommendations. And once a week, the magazine will highlight certain activities through 'how-to' features, lots of photos and Top 5 picks in an easy-to-read format."
SqueezeOC.com is packaged as follows: Going Out (nightlife, local dining, music, arts); Staying In (entertaining, takeout food, video games, DVD releases); Living It Up (shopping, getaways, personal pampering, hobbies, outdoor fun) and a calendar-based search engine that allows users to tap into a database of events and activities. The site will include several tools for easy navigation, including drop-down menus sorted by category, activity, location and price.
The full-color, tabloid-sized magazine has a total weekly distribution of 80,000, with a targeted delivery to 60,000 homes and 20,000 copies at 400 rack locations across the county. Its articles are categorized into six unique sections: Do It (nightlife, clubs, weekend getaways); Feel It (spas, gyms, workouts and fitness trends); Get It (local personalities, shopping, home decor, product reviews); Hear It (upcoming concerts, band profiles, music reviews); See It (stage and screen reviews, galleries); Taste It (dining or takeout). Readers can also find job tips and postings.
According to David Threshie, market segmentation director for Freedom Orange County Information, SqueezeOC's delivery and content are specifically designed to reach a specific audience -- a young, Internet-savvy crowd between ages 25 to 44. This group includes active singles and couples without kids -- 65 percent of whom are married. Most are homeowners with disposable incomes.
"Advertisers are eager to reach this audience, which is why SqueezeOC is not a one-size-fits-all product," Threshie said. "When interacting with this audience, we found out they do not want to be told what to do, but rather have several options to choose from on their own."
Freedom Orange County Information is promoting SqueezeOC.com and SqueezeOC using several unconventional tactics and messages to pique curiosity. Using a "gnat-casting" strategy, SqueezeOC will be advertised on health club panels, cocktail stirrers, bar napkins, bus shelters, trash cans along the beach, radio and bumper stickers. A 300x100-foot SqueezeOC airplane banner will fly along the Orange County beaches the weekend following the launch, Aug. 20-21, and during Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4-5.
To specifically promote SqueezeOC.com, local spots will run on weather.com, match.com, ticketmaster.com and surfline.com. If it is raining, weather.com ad banners will refer to SqueezeOC's list of DVDs to watch at home, or surfline.com will be crafted depending on whether there are swells on local beaches.
About Freedom Orange County Information
Based in Santa Ana, Calif., Freedom Orange County Information is publisher of The Orange County Register, 25 community newspapers including Spanish-language Excelsior, SqueezeOC, SqueezeOC.com, OCRegister.com, myOC.com, OCExcelsior.com, GolfExtra membership card, and Orange County Home and Coast magazines. The Orange County Register, a three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper, is celebrating its 100-year anniversary in 2005. The Register is the largest of 28 daily newspapers operated by Freedom Communications, Inc. of Irvine, Calif., one of the largest privately-held media companies in the United States.