Your one-stop shop for all things Latin/Hispanic/Mexican
In an era dominated by iPods, iPads, iPhones, iTunes and iMacs… how else were you going to call your Mexico City-based budding courier service, offering speedy deliveries nationwide?
This is Mexican ingenuity at its best.
iCaramba!
Photo and h/t: Enrique Bustamante, Mexico City
William Levy, the most beautiful man on Planet Earth –and a so-so telenovela actor– is hilarious in these series of new spots for Pepsi Next.
Produced in English and Spanish, the spots feature the Cuban-American heartthrob cheesily playing several roles: An action figure, a rock star, a doctor, a romantic and a sci-fi guy.
My favorite, of course, is the cheesy romantic. It makes me want to grab him a Pepsi Next right this minute.
My friend Diego Olivé spotted this “cute cultural hodgepodge-Latinocaliente skateboard” at a local sports store in Union Square, so I wasted no time in asking his permission to steal this beauty. And why not? It so perfectly embodies everything that is awesome about living in New York City.
[And to think there are still some morons out there who spit at multiculturalism and/or bilingualism…]
Photo: Diego Olivé (New York, NY, 2013)
Marketing is a wonderful discipline, because no matter how hard you try, you’ll always manage to screw up the Spanish-language translation of your message… presumably just to please bloggers like myself.
Photo: Marcelo Salup
And you thought Mexico’s only contribution to this glorious country were tacos, salsa and drug-related violence…
Starting mid-August a new line of El Chavo toys will be available at major U.S. retailers, including Toys R Us, Kmart, Walmart and -ahem, ahem- Target, the corporation behind this awesome Hispanic guide targeted to non-Hispanics who wish to understanding Hispanics.
I don’t know you, but I can’t wait to get my hands on a tiny plush version of La Popis or Doña Florinda, which I’m sure are all going to be Made-in-China, but isn’t everything Made-in-China these days?
[I’d take a Ñoño doll a hundred times over this other one]
In light of recent developments, (news that Target Corp.’s management gave bosses some very valuable information about Hispanics) this blogger decided to add a few items to an already stupid comprehensive list of how to go about Hispanic employees.
Target Corp.’s document, first published by Courthouse News Service, informed company managers that “Not all Hispanic employees eat tacos, dance to salsa or wear sombreros,” (ignore the above photograph for one second) or that Mexicans have lower education and “might be undocumented.” So far so good… But it missed some equally important, and worth-making points… So, let’s just get right to them, shall we?
1) Mexicans will always end a sentence with “ito” no matter how much they hate your guts and wish to kill you: i.e. “Con permisito;” “Por favorcito,” “Al ratito,” “Un momentito,” etc.
2) Argentines will go out of their way to convince you they are not Hispanic, which is OK because they really are not, and chances are they are not working at Target anyhow. They will always end up a sentence with “boludo.”
3) Cubans are not only political refuges and better educated –as your document accurately states. They are going to throw a fit every time they see the “other Latinos” wearing a Ché Guevara T-shirt or any other outfit reminiscent of the so-called Cuban revolution. More often than not, Cubans will side with the gringos; not with the Latin ‘chusma.’
4) Not all Mexicans are into tacos: Actually, most of us prefer tortas ahogadas, mondongo, pozole, pancita, machitos, moronga, criadillas, tlayudas, pambazos, etc. etc.
5) Puerto Ricans will probably pay zero attention to whatever you tell them: They are going to be busy listening to reggaetón and holding on to their pants.
6) No matter how hard you try, they (i.e. all Hispanics) just probably going to say “pinche gringo, ya no estés jodiendo” as soon as you turn your back to them. In your face, though, they will be super nice and just say: ¡Sí, señor, ahorita, ahorita lo hago! un momentito.
7) Ecuadoreans and Bolivians are very different but you should always treat them as if they were Peruvians just to piss them off.*
*Last addition by Alberto Ferreras
I’m not a fan of Wendy’s burgers, much less those made with Pretzel bread. But I have to give it to the fast food company, and it’s Hispanic advertising agency Bravo for the below commercial, which by the way is running on both, Hispanic -and non-Hispanic- TV networks.
The commercial belongs to the “Mucho Mejor campaign” featuring a Hispanic family, the Rojos, who embrace both American culture and their Hispanic roots. The Rojo family comprises a bilingual mom and dad with three children ranging from 7 to 16 years-old. Teenage daughter Roselin also dates Dylan, her teenage “mainstream” boyfriend.
It’s been only a few days since I’ve arrived in Spain, and the summer is in full swing, with Spaniards already preparing for their two-month beach extravaganza (financial crisis or not.)
And with the summer and the heat comes the sexy and the daring, including this TV spot featuring the spectacular Amaia Salamanca, best known for her role as Catalina Marcos in the Spanish version of Colombian hit series Sin tetas no hay paraíso.
Watch Amaia as she invites you to get wet, and enjoy the thrills of summer with a Spanish accent (and a tampon safely secured inside.)
Call me a mamona purist, but every time I see a Spanish-language commercial for Vonage, I cannot help but cringe, and wonder why the marketing forces behind this campaign didn’t come up with something more creative without trashing the Spanish language.
I guess they were “berry” excited to use a popular saying, so how about this:
Vonage: Bueno, Bonito y Barato.
Hulu and Hulu Plus today are premiering East Los High, a Latino-themed drama set in a Los Angeles high-school.
According to press reports, the show’s creator -and director- has promised “no gardeners, no gangs, no maids,” but apparently tons of cute kids confronting each other for the love of their very young lives while wearing prom king and queen costumes.
Watch here and judge for yourselves. Will you be watching?
It was just a matter of time.
These days, where everything is Latino this and Hispanic that, you cannot just sleep in your laurels and do nada. That is why 7-Eleven, a company which is as American as apple-pie and bad coffee, is all excited beefing up its “Latin-themed” snacks.
Sí señor. As early as this week, 7-Eleven Inc. introduced the Breakfast Empanada Bites, a “Latin-inspired hot foods snack,” which I’m sure are almost as delicious as the 7-Eleven Mini Tacos introduced last year. Per a company press release:
As the fastest-growing U.S. demographic, Hispanics are an important core customer group for 7-Eleven; however, it was the popularity of Latin American foods among all demographic groups spurring the addition of a snack-size breakfast empanada.
But don’t be fooled by their size. These tiny, crescent-shaped pastries are filled with eggs, cheese, bacon, smoked ham and sausage, which I’m sure will go down nicely with a 24 oz. Diet Pepsi.
Oh, and for the underemployed, underpaid Latino in you, they are only $1 for three at at participating 7-Eleven® stores.
The mostly Latino staff at this Dominican salon on Amsterdam and 107th St. will not only wash, style, blow dry and fix your hair. They will also wash your hands, because, you know, they have to.
Photo: Pierre Lacour
And just when I thought the whole Negrito Bimbo marketing couldn’t get any worse, @elderriver this week spotted this Bimbo moving ad in Mexico City.
If you have ever been to Mexico, chances are you’ve eaten or at least seen a Negrito, an ubiquitous chocolate sweet produced by Mexican food giant Grupo Bimbo and sold pretty much in every tiendita around the country.
I ate one as recently as last month, and while the taste has not changed a great deal, its advertising has.
Organic food marketers will have you believe that us (i.e. The Mexicans) have a way of going about carrying a bunch of essential herbs, including non-essential nor-necessarily Mexican herbs [peppermint leaf, cumin seed, basil and coriander.]
I do carry around some Mexican chili powder, except in Mexico I just call it “chili powder.”
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