Del Taco Moves Its Ad Account to a New Agency : Marketing: Italia/Gal was created specifically to handle the fast-food company’s account. An executive previously worked for archrival Taco Bell.

Del Taco, an underdog in the battle for consumers of Mexican-style fast food, has moved its advertising account to an executive who formerly worked for archrival Taco Bell.

Del Taco’s new agency, Los Angeles-based Italia/Gal, was created specifically to handle the $8-million to $10-million account of the Costa Mesa-based burger and burrito purveyor.

One principal, Kenneth Gal, is the former executive vice president and general manager of Tracy-Locke/Los Angeles, which created the “Run for the Border” campaign and handled the Taco Bell account until May, 1989.

The other principal, Carmen Italia, has operated his own agency, Italia & Associates, in Los Angeles since 1983, specializing in retail accounts such as the Texas-based Comp USA computer stores.

“It’s a nifty example of a client playing matchmaker to create an agency to its liking,” said Brad Johnson, a reporter for Advertising Age in Los Angeles.

Paul Hitzelberger, Del Taco’s executive vice president of marketing, said his company spends “under $10 million” on advertising its 297 company-owned and franchised Del Taco and Naugles restaurants; Johnson puts the figure at $8 million to $10 million.

But others questioned those ad budget figures.

“They haven’t been very visible in the last year, while Taco Bell is out there rolling,” said John Vrba, a senior vice president for media buyer Western International Marketing in Newport Beach.

By contrast, at last report Taco Bell was spending $75 million to $80 million a year on advertising.

Del Taco’s signature line, “Get a lot for what you’ve got,” appears in radio and television ads and in college newspapers where its restaurants are located--in six Southwestern and Midwestern states. The company also continues to parallel fast-food giant Taco Bell, a division of Pepsico, with low-priced menus. At last count, Del Taco was offering a 49-cent menu, while Taco Bell has discontinued its 39-cent snack items.

Del Taco fired its former agency, J. Walter Thompson/Los Angeles, last week after four years. The Los Angeles office of the New York-based company has survived devastating losses in the past two years, to the point where much of its creative work on the West Coast has been moved to its San Francisco office, industry observers said.

In late 1989, 20th Century Fox pulled its $30-million national media buying account from J. Walter Thompson. Early the next year, the agency itself quit its biggest client, Bally’s Health & Tennis, over concerns that the health club operator was in financial trouble. More recently, in June, Vons pulled its account from the agency and spread the work among three other agencies.