Category: Marketing & Advertising

‘Emilio Estefan Picks’ at Target Stores Feature Tons of Emilio Estefan Stuff

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One of the greatest things about being famous and all, is that you get to pick stuff for major retailers, which is exactly what Emilio Estefan has been doing for Target Stores nationwide.

Per a Target press release: Emilio Estefan picks will be available in 99 select Target stores nationwide and the idea is “to appeal to Hispanic guests by offering them relevant, original products, not available anywhere else.”

I’m not 100% sure but it looks to me his picks include several of his own books, which is totally cool, if you asked me. In fact, I am going to contact Target and propose them a “Laura Martínez Picks” section for their Target Bodega… I promise, readers, that I will be picking my only one one of my books.

Click here to watch a video of Emilio talk about his picks.

Why this McDonald’s Billboard Would Never Work in Spanish

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As soon as I saw this billboard at my local bus stop, my bilingual brain immediately tried to come up with its Spanish translation.

After all, Harlem is ground zero for all things Hispanic, from lettuce and Mexican haircuts to linguistically correct tomatoes.

But I quickly realized that Te-laxante would not only fail to convey a sense of relaxation, but will make constipated Hispanics run for their nearest McD.

I’m sure McDonald’s creative agencies will come up with something, but just in case, this blogger would like to propose Te-relaja. Got it? Te relaja, as in “este-te-es-para-relajarte-no-para-hacerte-ir-al-baño.

Calling Home is Too Expensive? ‘El Chapulín’ Can Help!

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Marketing fads come and go; videogames and apps introduce funky characters that, at best, shine for a few weeks before vanishing in thin air. Not el Chapulín Colorado, which not only lives on, but continues to serve as pitch of all imaginable products & services.

Conceived in 1970 by Mexican comedian Roberto Gomez Bolaños, El Chapulín Colorado (The Red Grasshopper) this month was tapped to help Dollar Phone Enterprises sell calling cards to nostalgia-laden U.S. Latinos.

Per a company press release, the Chapulín Colorado-branded Dollar Card is a partnership with Univision Consumer Products, a Univision division that “creates products that connect with Hispanic America.”

I don’t know you, but if I’m going to call home, I want to connect through a Chespirito-branded calling card.

¡No contaban con mi astucia!

McDonald’s Now Serving ‘Traditional’ Colombian Food

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Don’t you just love it when huge corporations go out of their way to cater to our Latin palate?

Well, after an unsuccessful attempt to cater to Mexican tastes by putting the Big Mac on a tortilla, McDonald’s is now launching Antojos colombianos (Colombian cravings,) a specially crafted menu for sale in Colombia that includes “some of the most recognized and traditional” foods of the country: The classic McPollo Junior (sic,) hogao sauce, empanadas, sundaes with lulo sauce, nuggets with honey, and original and unique options like ají sauce.

Call me crazy, but last time I checked, Colombian food didn’t look quite like this. Maybe they meant to say typical “Columbian” food….

Now, that will totally make sense.

Hat tip: @blabbeando

Mariachi Doritos Bring a Little Mexican Joy to Otherwise-Gloomy Brits

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Turns out Americans are not the only non-Mexicans who take pleasure in eating and drinking “spicy” stuff around Mariachis. The Brits, too, owe it to my people for bringing the party to the party (whatever that means.)

PepsiCo’s Doritos brand today unveiled its latest UK campaign, a “360-degree” effort that bears the tagline “For fun, add a little Mexican,” which apparently conveys a truly “unique” message: That Mariachis, food, music, party and corn chips go awesomely well together. Per a company press release:

“Doritos has a strong Mexican product association, which provides differentiation within the marketplace, and was central in delivering this unique campaign message.”

Wait… I think I’ve seen that unique message elsewhere… but I’m not sure.

Hat tip: GaboSama

French’s Mustard is so Spicy, You’ll Want to Wear a ‘Sombrero’ and Shake Some Maracas Around

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Remember French’s Mariachi serenade? Well, the makers of this made believe mustard fine product are at it again, this time doning a pair of maracas and Mariachi hat to some white chick who seems to be so excited about the mustard, that she feels like shaking her butt like a Mexican.

But… I have a problem with that.

See? Mexicans don’t really wear mariachi hats on a daily basis, and those of us who do, would never -EVER- use a pair or maracas to go with it. That is what a guitarrón is for!

But then again, her outfit is as Mexican as the mustard is French, so we’re cool.

Photo & hat tip: @SaraChicaD

¡Órale! Here’s How to Get a Free Pizza in the States

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Remember Pizza Patrón? the Texan pizzeria that caused a major brouhaha for saying it would accept Mexican pesos as payment?

Well, the marketing geniuses behind the pizzeria’s fabulous success are at it again, this time offering a free large pepperoni pizza for every customer that orders in Spanish. Per a company press release:

On Tuesday, June 5th from 5pm to 8pm, Pizza Patrón is launching its PIZZA POR FAVOR™ event at restaurants nationwide. Every customer that orders in Spanish will receive a free large pepperoni pizza, which is the company’s top-selling product. Free pizzas are limited to one per customer between 5pm and 8pm, at participating locations, while supplies last.

This is freaking brilliant, and this blogger can’t wait for June 5th to place her order.

I just have one question, though: Can I get not one, but TWO free pepperoni pizzas if I order Una pinche pizza por favor?

Thank you, Pizza Patrón, in advance for your prompt attention to this matter.

Are you a Hispanic Graduate? Go Get your Hispanic Stole and Show your Pride: ¡Ajúa!

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Is your name Mario, Lupita or José and you’re about to graduate in the U.S.? Worry no more! Prime Heritage offers a wide range of graduation ‘serapes’ [SIC] for the Latino achiever in you.

According to Prime Heritage’s website, the company’s mission is clear:

“To offer each graduate, regardless of nationality, fraternity/ sorority affiliation, race or ethnicity the opportunity to express pride in his/her achievement and heritage at graduation.” 

I don’t know about you, but think this is an awesome idea, because you don’t only want people to see you graduated but you can show your true colors by wearing these things and yell ‘Ajúa’ as you throw your graduation cap.

Heck, they even have a Facebook fan page for you to like their designs. So what are you waiting for?

Hat tip: @andycheco

Kelloggs Wants you to Know Cinco de Mayo Is Some Sort of Mayan Celebration. LOL

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UPDATE: CRUNCHY NUT’S CINCO DE MAYO PROMOTION HAS BEEN TAKEN DOWN FROM NUT CRUNCH’S FACEBOOK PAGE, APPARENTLY BECAUSE IT WAS NOT REALLY FUNNY, NOR RELEVANT. HOWEVER I MADE SURE TO SAVE THE COPY -AND GRAPHICS- FOR YOUR ENJOYMENT… 

Oh no, they didn’t!

I swear it took me a while of digging before realizing this page is legit.

Well, damn it, it IS legit!

Kelloggs, which for some reason says its Crunchy Nut Cereal is the cereal of [un] official celebrations, has launched a celebration of –yes, you guessed it!— Cinco de Mayo. A Facebook campaign exposes visitors to some supposedly funny not funny “informational” copy, where we learn among other things that:

The fifth of May holds special significance that dates back to the rule of the ancient Mayans. They believed the number five was extremely lucky, and took great care to integrate it into their lives. Calisthenics five times a week. The five-day workweek. And so on. But the number five had special meaning when it appeared more than once – five-five or May 5 was worthy of only one thing: celebration. So, the Mayans would get their groove on withKellogg’s® Crunchy Nut® cereal on May 5 in honor of their favorite number.

Yadda, yadda, yadda. Yeah, yeah, it’s supposed to be funny, but you know what? It is not, really.

There’s just one thing this blogger would like to add: These guys are positively NUTS!

Target to Feature ‘Emilio’s Picks.’ Expect no Milanés, Maradona Stuff Among Such Picks

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Target, the store that brought you the Target Bodega, is now introducing an innovative, Latino-targeted concept: Emilio’s Picks, as in the stuff picked by Emilio Estefan as cool.

According to the Miami Herald, Emilio’s Picks is:

A selection of music, movies and books curated for Target by Miami’s Grammy award-winning music producer, Emilio Estefan, and displayed in an ongoing section in the entertainment department of select stores.

I don’t know yet what type of books, music and stuff Mr. Estefan will be picking for us, but I have a hunch there’s not going to be a lot of Milanés music, Marx literature or Maradona sports parafernalia, which is like, fine by me, as I tend to look for cultural picks elsewhere.

Latino Moms Dress up Kids in Nestlé Parafernalia for no Apparent Reason

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Remember when Facebook was this fun place to hang out with friends and family?

Well, it looks like Mark Zuckerberg has succeeded in turning his social network into a fun place to hang out with friends, family…. and a bunch of multinationals.

Take Nestle’s Facebook Spanish-language page, which is encouraging Latino families to share their “Nestlé-related experiences” with over 34,000 fans… and everyone else for that matter.

I have no idea what Nestlé is offering these families, but it’d better damn good (a ton of money or a life-time supply of Nescafé, perhaps?) Otherwise, I could not conceive any other reason why I would dress up my kids in cardboard boxes of Maggie, DiGiornio and Carnation.

Is it just me?

Photo: Nestlé El Mejor Nido

Non-Hispanic Ad Agency Does Hispanic Spot for ESPN, Probably Pissing Off Some Hispanic Agencies

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Robinson Cano stars in ESPN’s latest “This is Sports Center” ad, premiering this Wednesday, just in time for MLB’s opening day. According to the New York Times, it is the first time a Spanish-language spot runs on the “regular” ESPN as opposed to ESPN Deportes.

But Hispanic creative people shouldn’t start jumping up and down in joy: The spot was not conceived by a so-called Hispanic agency, using Hispanic insights and the like. It was created by the New York office of Wieden & Kennedy, because as everybody knows now, it is no longer necessary to be an “ethnic agency” to do “ethnic work.”

Didn’t you know that?

The ad is cool, by the way. Just watch!

Peruvian Teens Drink Milk Directly From Their Mom’s Breast. Yeah, That’s Right.

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Here’s a spot you won’t see on Univision anytime soon. Perú is part of the viral campaign created by Austin, TX.-based LatinWorks to hype up the upcoming Cine Las Américas film festival in Austin.

The video this spot is referring to is none other but the hyper-popular La Tetita, of Peruvian child phenomenon Wendy Sulca, which as of this post had been seeing 7.911.549 times.

The message is hilarious. Still this blogger still thinks the best was their first campaign, featuring some of Latin America’s most colorful politicians.

What do YOU think?

Click here to watch the entire other spots for the 2012 campaign and don’t forget to leave your comments.