Farmer Frank Martinez Loves Growing Potatoes for McDonald’s. Eats them Raw

Meet Frank Martínez (alas, not a relative,) a potato grower from Saddle View Farms, WA, who thinks his potatoes are much better after they get peeled, chopped, fried and chemically manipulated by McDonald’s. (Presumably because he has a tendency to bite into raw potatoes, which have got to taste pretty bad.)

Mr. Martínez is one of several real-life suppliers featured in one of McDonald’s latest U.S. ad campaigns.

Go on. Watch him bite into a raw potato. Right. Now!

Chinos, Latinos… Same Difference

I couldn’t make this stuff up if I tried…

Turns out Time Magazine’s much hyped March 5, 2012 cover about Latinos picking the next U.S. president (yeah, right) actually features a non-Latino person, who according to OC Weekly is half-Chinese half-Caucasian•

Time magazine promptly apologized but the damage is done and this blogger is having a blast!

•Per OCWeekly the trucho Latino is the third guy, from left, on top row. His name is Michael Schennum and he is a staff photographer at the Arizona Republic.

Oh No, They Didn’t! Taco Bell Preps the Dori-Taco

All this blah, blah, blah about being bicultural, bilingual, living in two worlds, etc. has finally resulted in something tangible –and most likely inedible. Taco Bell’s Doritos Locos Tacos promise to bring us the best of both worlds: a “taco” on the inside… Doritos on the outside*

How can you go wrong with that?

via: Gizmodo

*CAUTION: Customers might be required to wear latex gloves when handling this “thing” 

Gorton’s Launches Spanish-language Site to Pitch Tits and Other Delicious Seafood Treats

UPDATE: It is rare for a marketer to come forward and admit they have made a mistake. But that is exactly what Gorton’s did. Not only did the company add the missing accent over “mamas,” but it sent a very nice email thanking this blog for pointing out the mistake. Scroll down to the end of the post to read the complete email:

I love it when marketers go out of their way and launch Spanish-language web sites to reach my people (i.e. Hispanics.)

But just one little thing. If you are going to be as rigorous as Gorton’s Seafood, which seems to be pretty good at putting accents and including “eñes” in their Spanish-language copy, you might want to make sure to put a little accent over the word “mamás” … I mean, if what you mean is to talk about moms (mamás) and not what some dirty minds (not mine) might be thinking of.

FROM 02/16/2012.

Dear Ms. Martinez,

Thank you so much for alerting us to the error that was included on our recently launched website,GortonsEnEspanol.com. We are very sorry for the omission of that accent in the headline. As you noted, we did work diligently to be rigorous about our translation. Though we used a Spanish translation service, and had Spanish-speaking staff members review the site before it was launched, this typo was somehow overlooked. We truly regret the error and sincerely apologize to you and to any of our consumers who may have been offended.

The error has been fixed and we are once more reviewing the site to ensure accurate translation of the intended message. It is our goal to do the right thing and to always put our consumers first. 

While we worked quickly to fix the error, we still feel badly about it. Sometimes even when you give things your best effort mistakes still happen. But, as a thank you for alerting us to the issue we would like to send you a little something. If you’d like to send us your mailing address we can get it out to you right away.

Again, our sincere apologies and heartfelt thanks,

The Gorton’s Crew

The Gorton’s Crew
Gorton’s Seafood

A Valentine’s Gift That Will Make Your Girlfriend Wrap Her Legs -Not Arms- Around Your Neck

The creators of the Partner ES900, a portable translator that would seduce your girlfriend into opening her legs, are back at it, with a new marketing blitz pitching the device as the sole “linguistic method” that would make your girl wrap her legs -and not her arms- around your neck. [Click photo to enlarge.]

This piece first appeared in New York’s El Diario la Prensaproving once again that a good marketer knows her market well.

Want More Latinos to Watch the News? Pitch the News as a Steamy Telenovela

And to stay in the subject of sh*t this blogger couldn’t make up even if she tried… a local NBC affiliate in San Antonio, WOAI-TV, has found an awesome way to attract more Latino viewers to its 6:30 PM newscast.

How??!! Just pitch the nightly newscast as if it were a steamy telenovela, featuring guys in sombreros riding horses and muy caliente señoritas!

Hat tip: Latinocommunicators via Hispanic Tips

Gulf of Mexico to be Renamed Gulf of America

Remember the Absolut brouhaha?

Remember the Alamo?

Well, none of those contentious binational wars would ever come close to what’s looming behind a moronic proposition to rename the Gulf of Mexico as Gulf of America. The brilliant idea popped into the head of State Rep. Steve Holland of Mississippi, most likely because there’s not a lot to do in  Mississippi, so people have plenty of time to think over important stuff.

I couldn’t make this up… even if I tried.

State Rep. Steve Holland (D) has introduced HB 150, which says that “for all official purposes within the state of Mississippi, the body of water located directly south of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson counties shall be known as the ‘Gulf Of America’; and for related purposes.”

So from now on and without further ado, I am going to go choke on my café americano, ahem, café mexicano.
Hat tip: Bathtub Media

Denny’s Wants you to Think of Dogs When You Eat a Delectable Sizzling Skillet

And speaking of innovative marketing ideas, Denny’s has decided it is a good idea to link dogs with a sizzling meat fajita.

In what this blogger considers a marketing –and gastronomical– faux pas (I grew up eating tacos al pastor outside my local subway station) the restaurant chain has tapped famous dog behavioralist César Millán (aka ‘The Dog Whisperer’) to help a Latino family deal with an extremely “aggressive” meal, a Western Beef Sizzling Fajita thing.

I don’t know you, but after enduring watching the 3-minute thing, I felt like getting myself a veggie meal. I do not want to think of dogs when I see a sizzling fajita. Or viceversa.

But watch it yourselves and let me know what you think!

Target Thinks Diversity is Awesome. Introduces ‘Bodega’ to Sell Hispanics Cheap Stuff

Please tell me I am delirious or suffering from some kind of exhaustion-fueled maladie and none o this is true.

Turns out some great marketing mind over at Target Stores has come up with the Bullseye Bodega, offering not only online coupons, but heavily “discounted items in a store-within-a-store.”

Click here for a hilarious video review by the folks over at LatinoRebels.

So now you know.

You’re Hispanic and don’t shop at the Bullseye Bodega? Shame on you!