Advocacy Amplified

WEST HOLLYWOOD, CALIF—June 21, 2011—Award-winning word of mouth marketing company A Squared Group (A2G) today announced it has tapped marketing veteran Matthew Jonas to head the company as President, according to A2G Founder and Chief Creative Officer Amy Cotteleer.

As President, Jonas brings over 20 years’ experience to the West Hollywood, Calif.-based agency, having developed both strategic and creative solutions for a leading brands in the CPG, entertainment and technology categories. A2G has also absorbed Jonas’ consultancy, MGJ Group, which worked with such brands as the Monterey Jazz Festival, US Auto Parts and Draw the Dog.

“Matthew’s drive and incomparable experience will be a huge asset to A2G as we work to expand our client base and our service offerings,” said Cotteleer.

“Since its inception, A2G has really led the way in word of mouth marketing with amazing work for some of the most admired consumer brands,” said Jonas. “I am thrilled to be a part of the agency’s growth as we evolve into some exciting new areas.”

Prior to the MGJ Group, Matthew co-founded and served as President, West of Catapult Marketing, where he helped launch the $30MM agency while building the largest office with clients like Pedigree, Intel, Hennessy, Beringer, Rosemount and Bakers Square. While he was at the shop’s helm in 2009, Catapult was named Promo Magazine’s Agency of the year.

Before Catapult, Jonas was EVP, General Manager for Ryan Partnership, where he supervised national and account specific retail promotions for clients such as Kal Kan, Uncle Ben’s, Cal Fed Bank, Warner Brothers, Bandai, Sunbeam, Dole, Wal-Mart, Kmart, Target, Safeway, PetsMart, PETCO and Albertson’s.

He has been the recipient of two Reggie awards and was a guest lecturer at Pepperdine, USC and CSLB, as well as a Food Marketing Summit featured presenter and Entertainment COE Co-Chair for the Promotional Marketing Association (PMA).

About A Squared Group

A Squared Group (A2G) is an award-winning word of mouth marketing company based in Los Angeles, California. A2G’s work includes the development and execution of prestigious marketing campaigns for clients such as Gap, Motorola, Nintendo, method and The ONE Campaign. Recognizing the power of social media networking and the need for brands to establish direct and dynamic relationships with customers, A2G created Brand About Town (BAT), which is dedicated to matching passionate, influential and viral consumers with leading brands in A2G’s word-of-mouth advocacy programs. The agency’s work has been recognized in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, Financial Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Boston Globe and The Washington Post. A2G is a member of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA), the Marketing Agencies Association (MAA) and the Promotion Marketing Association (PMA).

For more information, please see www.ASquaredGroup.com

A Squared Group had the privilege of attending E3 and the Nintendo Media Presentation this year as guests of Nintendo. The announcements were full of surprises as well as the remodeling of old favorites.

Our highlights of the presentation included first and foremost (of course!) the announcement of a new console, the Wii U, due for release sometime between April and December 2012.

(Photo Credit: International Business Times)

(Photo Credit: International Business Times)

The Wii U was created to bridge the current gap in gaming between “core” gamers, who are seeking a more challenging video game experience, and casual gamers, who typically prefer ‘pick up and play’ games with a social experience.  The Wii U is the first of Nintendo’s gaming consoles which will offer HD visuals, and has already seemed to garner the support of various third party game developers.

The Wii U has a tablet-like controller that is poised to change the way we play video games. A player can move seamlessly from playing a game via TV, to gameplay ON the controller, which will feature both a touchscreen and traditional controls including  a d-pad, shoulder buttons, and triggers. The system will also be backwards compatible with other Nintendo hardware and software.

The video demos shown for the Wii U included a high definition experience that followed the trajectory of a bird over a pond in a Japanese garden, featuring beautiful details of the bird in flight, cherry trees blossoming and Koi jumping in the pond.

Another experience for the Wii U which we had opportunity to enjoy was called “Chase Mii.”  This allows up to five players to participate in a chasing game.  Four players and their Miis dressed as toads use Wii remotes to navigate a maze-like environment.  The fifth player, a Mii dressed as Mario, uses the new controller to run away from the pursuers. Besides getting a 15-second start on the other players, this player gets a unique perspective from above the maze which allows them to see where all the other players are at any time.

Other possibilities for the Wii U hinted at during the presentation were: using the controller to ‘catch’ a baseball flying in from the sky, viewing a golf ball lodged in a sandbank, and hitting it clear with the controller, with flying sand imagery appearing on the TV screen.

As The Legend of Zelda is celebrating its 25^th anniversary this year, there were a few treats for Zelda fans.  The media presentation included a complete orchestra and choir which performed arrangements of classic Zelda music, along with game imagery throughout the franchise’s evolution.  The creative genius behind many of Nintendo’s beloved franchises, Shigeru Miyamoto was onstage talking about what Nintendo had in store this year to celebrate this momentous occasion.    Miyamoto disclosed that orchestras around the world would be performing special Zelda symphonies in a celebration of the anniversary for fans.  In addition, a limited edition gold Wii remote will be available later this year, and Zelda games will be released for all current Nintendo gaming systems, including: Zelda: Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 3DS, due for release this month, Zelda: Skyward Sword for Wii and a free multiplayer DS game: Zelda: Four Swords which will be available for download later this year.

Super Mario, Mario Kart, Kid Icarus, StarFox 64 and Luigi’s Mansion, all in 3D for Nintendo 3DS, were among the new software announced during the media briefing, stirring excitement in the audience.  A Montage of third-party titles coming up included: Driver: Renegade, Resident Evil: Revelations, Tekken 3D and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D.

There was no reason not to do this.  Our new clients were coming to see us in LA on a gorgeous Thursday afternoon. With the 70-degree weather, why place everyone indoors?

An outdoor tea party in the courtyard was in order.

Very quickly, our team pulled together all the elements for a beautiful, vibrant “meeting” table…

When the clients arrived and learned of our plans,  there were smiles all around. Success!

Under the market umbrellas, our party enjoyed an assorted tea selection, mini tea sandwiches, petit four dessert bites, and colorful berries.

The whimsical idea and effort paid off. The meeting went off without a hitch and everyone walked away excited for what’s to come.

Stay tuned for our next pop-up conference room venture…

Happy weekend,

The A2G Team

A Squared Group was in New York City last week to celebrate an advance look at the Nintendo 3DS – an innovation in handheld entertainment that delivers 3D without the glasses.

We were joined by some of our most influential Brand About Town Brand Ambassadors for a full day and a half of Nintendo fun. The group kicked off the trip with dinner at Asiate at the Mandarin Oriental.  The following day we the lunched in Chelsea at Co., stopped by the Nintendo World Store for a shopping spree, and then got ready for the big event with hair and make-up appointments.

The Nintendo 3DS party was hosted at Skylight Studio.  There, our Brand Ambassadors were blown away by the featured games and applications. They participated in demos of upcoming Nintendo 3DS games and enjoyed the party atmosphere.  Brand Ambassadors tweeted the night away as they sampled — and were amazed — by the Nintendo 3DS experience.

This week we had the privilege to assist Gap in revealing 2010′s Casting Call winners. A BIG congrats to Keyghan, Sofia, Dylan, and Evie! The lucky winners received an all expenses paid trip to Los Angeles to shoot a special segment for Extra TV, hosted by Mario Lopez.

Each year, Gap receives over one million entries for four superstars to be the new faces of babyGap and GapKids. The selection process is narrowed down to 20 finalists then America chooses the final four. All four winners are also featured on Gap store windows nationwide.

Be sure to watch Extra on Monday, January 24th at 7pm PST / EST for a special segment on Gap’s Casting Call and fashionable looks for Spring!