Newport Beach Office of Promotions Firm Is Sold

The Newport Beach office of William A. Robinson, a sales promotion agency, has been acquired by Ketchum Communications of Pittsburgh, company executives said Friday.

The transaction means that the staff of the Orange County office could double within the next two years, employing 16 people, agency founder and chief executive William A. Robinson said. The sale, for an undisclosed sum, was effective Thursday.

The 6-year-old office is the West Coast outpost for Robinson, which is based in Chicago and has a total staff of 44. With the sale, the Orange County and Chicago offices become a unit of Ketchum but will continue to operate under the Robinson name.

Robinson was listed this month in as the 17th largest sales promotion agency in the country by Advertising Age, a trade publication. Sales promotion shops produce advertising items such as brochures, reports, direct-mail pieces and point-of-sale material.

The shop collected $3.3 million in fees last year, 12% more than the $3 million collected in 1986, according to the trade paper.

Major clients include American Express, Allergan Optical, Quaker Oats, Polaroid, Grow Group and Miles Laboratories.

“The decision to be acquired was one that we have looked at now for three years,� Robinson said. “We wanted to deal with the future leadership and ownership of this company and explored several alternatives.�

With the sale, the responsibility for day-to-day operation of the shop goes to Alan Maites, who was promoted to executive vice president and chief operating officer. Robinson said he will remain as chief executive and chairman and will oversee new accounts.

For Ketchum, the intention of the acquisition is to “develop our sales promotion capabilities,� said spokeswoman Nora Jean Slattery. Robinson is the second sales promotion company Ketchum has acquired this year. In January, Ketchum acquired DiFranza Williamson of New York.

Ketchum Communications is a 65-year-old marketing communications firm owned by employee stockholders. Its 1987 billings totaled more than $650 million, Slattery said.