Mexicans ‘Quieren’ Taco Bell… Do They?

October 10, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 11 Comments

Aren’t Mexicans lucky? Not only they will now have access to Ugly Betty, but they will be able to enjoy the show while savoring a delicious… tacostada from Taco Bell!

The company, a unit of Yum Brands, this week said it will return to Mexico after a failed attempt 15 years ago, in hopes of establishing up to 300 franchises in the country. But don’t think it will get away with murder: Taco Bell has said that what they call “tacos” here in the U.S. (those hard-shell yellow things probably made in China) will be called “tacostadas” south of the border … see? it’s because we know what a taco looks like!

Steve Pepper, Taco Bell’s general manager in Mexico, insists the company doesn’t pretend to insult Mexicans by selling its products as “typical.” In fact, Mr. Pepper informs us the menu will use the word “spicy,” not “picante,” –which coming from a guy called Pepper should give the information some kind of credibility.

Ay, ay, ay, yo no quiero Taco Bell!

Mexico’s Cable Line Up Gets Uglier

October 9, 2007October 9, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 9 Comments

Mexican TV viewers are bracing for a traumatic event: Ugly Betty, the English-language, U.S.-produced remake of the Spanish-language Colombian telenovela Betty la Fea, is ready to make its debut in Mexico… in English, with Spanish-language subtitles. (Sounds like the “historic” Univision Spanish-language-English debate

According to Reforma newspaper Ugly Betty is ready for its debut soon via the Sony Entertainment channel, giving my fellow Mexicans yet more crap to watch (this time Made in U.S.A.)

Can Somebody Please Give me an Award? (I’m Hispanic!)

October 8, 2007October 8, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 8 Comments

That’s it! Now that Billboard magazine and the Hollywood Reporter have named America Ferrera “Hispanic Woman of the Year,” (with a gala and whole enchilada included) I decided there is no reason for me not to be nominated for something —whatever (I’m not that picky).

So while I wait for some organization to realize I’m here and contact me with the great news, I am hereby nominating myself as the “Disgruntled, non-Famous, Certainly-not-Mainstream, Harlem-Beaner-Blogger of the Week.”

And if you think I have no reasons to support my claim, check out just a few of the awards that are out there (so many awards so little time to win them all!).

-Hispanic Entrepreneur of the Year (Hispanic Business Magazine)

-Hispanic Businessman of the Year (U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce)

–Hispanic Businesswoman of the Year (U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce)

-Hispanic Engineer of the Year (NASA)

-Hispanic Science of the Year (The Museum of Science and Industry)

-Hispanic Journalist of the Year (Hispanic Media Awards)

-Inspiring Young Latinos (Selecciones magazine)

-Hispanic Heritage Award (Hispanic Heritage Foundation)

-Hispanic of the Year (Hispanic Magazine)

-Latino Lawyer of the Year (Hispanic National Bar Association)

-Hispanic Nurse of the Year (The Hispanic Nurses)

…The list goes on, and on, and on….

Retiring in Mexico is Great! (If You’re not Mexican)

October 7, 2007October 7, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 6 Comments

Speaking of being rich in Mexico, International Living magazine has named my native country as the world’s “number one” retirement haven, moving four spots since the last ranking one year ago.

Achieving this “honor,” the magazine informs us, was a combination of many factors:

Mexico offers the perfect mix of centuries-old traditions and contemporary lifestyles. Moving to Mexico means you can still have all of the amenities you grew accustomed to north of the border: cable TV, high-speed Internet, and modern home appliances. And if you prefer, when you move to Mexico you can even bring all of your favorite things with you without paying import taxes.

Of course Mexicans shouldn’t get too excited. This, of course, applies only if you are a gringo (and maybe –just maybe– a Canadian). After all, you don’t have to sweat to get a visa, nor you have to pay a pollero or risk your life jumping an electrified fence to get there.

But if the above is not convincing enough, check this out:

Goods and services cost less, so you can afford the kinds of luxuries only the very wealthy enjoy up north: a maid, a cook, and a gardener for example. In your retirement here, you’ll have time to volunteer at the local school, time to golf in the mornings, time to relax on the beach…time to savor life.

All of this without mentioning all the cheap Coronas and bikini-clad chicas ready to give you pleasure on top of a hamaca. Ay, ay, ay! “Yo querer mucho Mexico!”

Lies That Reach for the Stars

October 1, 2007October 1, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 7 Comments

Just when I was getting green with envy at Penélope Cruz’ perfect, telescopic eyelashes, the company pitching them as “reaching for the stars” acknowledges they are, well, fake.

After a series of complaints before Spain’s main consumer advocate group, Consumidores en Acción, cosmetics giant L’Oréal has now modified its television commercial.

In the TV spot currently being broadcast in Spain viewers can see a tiny message on the botton of the screen that reads: “anuncio realizado con inserciones de pestañas” (commercial done with lash inserts.) Oh, dear!

Your message here: ¡a huevo!

September 29, 2007October 1, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 1 Comment

In these days of alternative marketing, you see ads pretty much everywhere, but … in an egg?

A marketing company in my native Mexico, Güevomedia, is offering clients a real exposure by putting their message in “millions and millions” of eggs. I don’t know if this really works, but the firm claims the average person will look at an egg up to four or five times before actually buying one. But if this is not convincing enough, consider this: Mexicans are among the world’s highest biggest egg-eaters: the average Mexican household consumes 20.96 eggs per week.

You think it’s crazy? current and past clients include Adidas, MasterCard, Oreos, Sony and Nike.

¡A güevo!

Univision makes Madison Avenue laugh (real hard)

September 26, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 4 Comments

It’s not very often that I find Univision content particularly entertaining or interesting. But a showcase of bilingual Latino stand up comedians this week was a pleasant, refreshing surprise coming from a network that is not particularly known for innovating. During over one hour, five of the nation’s finest Hispanic stand-up comedians brought out the best of their repertoire to mock not only themselves but the whole U.S. Hispanic world as you know it.

But don’t get too excited. Univision has not revamped its prime-time line up or added Spanglish comedy routines to its programming. The show I’m talking about was a live event on Tuesday Sept. 25 as part of Advertising Week, which Univision is partly sponsoring this year. During the “Hispanic Insights Through Comedy” event, media and advertising executives laughed their heads off with the smart remarks of a talented group of Latino entertainers –Andrew Kennedy, Gina Brillon, Eric Nieves, Arnold Acevedo and Bill Santiago.

Besides the obvious sales pitch (here and there the entertainers will praise novelas and other Univision shows) the event did something rarely seen in this growingly PC media environment: make fun of Hispanics and gringos alike, switching easily from English to Spanish and then Spanglish, engaging a presumably smart audience.

I wonder if Univision can take a cue from its own event to replicate it over the air. That would be fun!

Wanna taste of ‘Cane’? Lick this ad

September 24, 2007September 24, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 4 Comments

The bloggosphere has been flooded with views and news about CBS’ upcoming drama Cane, which debuts this Tuesday and tells the story of a Cuban-American family that runs a rum and sugar business in South Florida. Think the Sopranos meets Destilando Amor.

Some of the bloggers’ complaints have to do with potential misconceptions about Cuban-Americans (no, not all of them are members of the mob running a fishy business). Others are still fuming at CBS for not making a little effort to find Cuban actors (Jimmy Smits and Rita Moreno are Puerto Rican, damn it!).

Still, my favorite Cane feature is the mojito-flavored print ad the network ran in the Sept. 7 issue of Rolling Stone magazine (above). The flavor strip, designed to taste like a lime mojito sans alcohol, comes in a tamper-resistant packet and pitches the imaginary Duque Rum.

“We are always looking to stretch the boundaries of traditional advertising by finding creative ways to market our prime-time series,” George Schweitzer, president of CBS Marketing Group told the New York Post.

I wonder what an ad for Ugly Betty would taste like…

Latinas to ‘proudly’ represent their heritage

September 20, 2007September 21, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 7 Comments

Wanna see Latinas shine and proudly represent their culture and heritage? Don’t miss the upcoming Miss Caliente, a pageant show designed to “place the strength of Latino women in the spotlight” and now accepting sponsorship opportunities.

I first thought it was some kind of a joke until I went into the site to do some research and found out it is a real pageant to be held Nov. 6-9 in Tucson, Arizona. Among the judges: Enrique Iglesias, Carmen Electra, el Macho Camacho, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., Julio Cesar Chavez senior and los Lonely Boys.A PR.com press release, describes the event as a unique opportunity for Latinas to shine and “to be placed in a positive light, and to proudly represent our culture and heritage.” (Menos mal!)

Lucky winners will get the 2007 title holder (duh!), the Miss Caliente crown, a photo shoot, an undetermined cash prize, a movie contract and… their very own Web site. You go girls!

What are they waiting for?

September 19, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 6 Comments

If the owners of Beaner’s Coffee took 12 years to “realize” the other meaning of the word beaner, I wonder how long it’ll take for these babies to say adiós to their long-standing household name. (Thanks HighJive for the tip)

Not that I take any of this too seriously (I am still cracking up about the beaner’s fiasco) but it would be fun to see who’s next. Stay tuned!

Patriotic pride or product placement?

September 17, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 1 Comment

In these days of blatant product placement, the line between content and advertising is more blurry than ever, but it is still easy to tell the difference between one and the other… until now.

A recent addition to the logo of CNNExpansion Web site, the partnership between Time Inc.-owned Expansion magazine and CNN, is quite confusing: Pasted on top of the site’s name and logo you can see a mariachi hat with the word Mexico written on colorful letters.

To this minute, I’m not sure if the sombrero is there to celebrate Mexico’s Independence month (yeah! we also extend things by the month) or is merely a product placement by the Mexico Tourism Board, whose “Visit Mexico” logo suspiciously boasts the same type and colors.

You never know, marketers seem to be getting sneakier with time.

Who wants to be an illegal alien?

September 15, 2007September 15, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 4 Comments

Tired of your typical board game? You might want to try The Illegal Game, an “educational game” that depicts the lives of illegal aliens in New York City.

According to an online retailer The Illegal Game begins as players arrive at JFK airport, get a job and begin a rollercoaster adventure of a life that might include getting mugged on the subway, learning ESL at school, getting fired from a job or even winning the lottery. But it is also paved with danger: players also get arrested and deported, or get sick and die (perhaps caught in the middle of a pipe explosions or sick from eating at a rat-filled fast-food restaurant in the Village). And just like in Texas, it looks like you can buy your stuff with pesos!

But besides all the fun, the game’s creator, Ecuador-born Jorge E. Freire, has a more ambitious goal in mind: “It’s a teaching aid for ESL schools and we hope it influences politicians’ minds as they work on the Immigration Reform Bill,” he told TDMonthly.

We certainly hope so. Though if politicians don’t get aroused by the vicissitudes of illegal aliens, perhaps they will by the scantily-clad mamacita in the pink mini-skirt, or the hat-wearing large-breasted fruit seller.

The Illegal Game is launching Oct. 12 at a price of $30.00 (or about 6 hours table-cleaning in the city). ¡Sí se puede!

Forget Kidman! ‘Vanity Fair’ highlights Slimlandia

September 13, 2007September 13, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 3 Comments

Who says Latinos cannot make it in this country?

I just received my October copy of Vanity Fair and was happily surprised by the inclusion (for the first time, mind you) of paisano Carlos Slim in the magazine’s annual power ranking (#11).

For those of you who don’t know this, Mr. Slim is not only the owner of Mexico –he owns our phones, cellphones, banks, restaurants, coffee shops, retailers, airports, malls, computer shops, Unesco’s Historic sites etc. etc.– but recently dethroned Bill Gates as the planet’s wealthiest man.

Anyhow, in the aforementioned issue, Vanity Fair quotes an academic referring to Mexico as “Slimlandia,” simply because Slim’s empire of more than 200 companies represents a stunning 7 percent of the nation’s GDP.

Sure, he is no Rupert Murdoch or Steve Jobs –yet– but the Mexican tycoon certainly kicks ass. Want to know who’s still ahead?

1. Rupert Murdoch

2. Steve Jobs

3. Sergey Brin, Larry Page

4. Stephen Schwarzman / Pete Peterson

5. Warren Buffett

6. Bill Clinton

7. Stephen Spielberg

8. Bernard Arnault

9. Michael Bloomberg

10. Bill and Melinda Gates

Latinos brace for a month of piñatas and plantains

September 12, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 3 Comments

I love September! and not because it is one of the most beautiful months weather-wise in New York City, but because it marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month, giving way to a wealth of Hispanic-targeted marketing initiatives and thus lots of fun stuff for bloggers to write about.

And while the official celebration hasn’t even started (Hispanic Heritage Month officially runs from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15) some just couldn’t wait.

Nescafé, for example, kicked off HHM on Sept. 8, with a special outdoor screening of Cantinflas classic El Padrecito in California. In Philadelphia, meanwhile, the local paper Evening Sun is getting ready for a blast this Saturday when it will celebrate its own Fiesta. “An assortment of Hispanic foods will be served, including roast pork, rice, beans, salsa and tortillas. Dominos Pizza will also be available,” the newspaper editors inform us.

Fox News, for its part, is preparing “Noche Buena en September,” its own take of the celebration, with a special appearance of Chef Don Clark, a.k.a. “The Ambassador of Plantains.”

And last but not least, the University of Central Florida this year is expanding its celebration of “Hispanic culture” by including two countries that were not represented last year: Mexico and Spain.

So fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a chock full of marketing fun!

Hispanic marketing 101: How to order a tequila

September 6, 2007September 7, 2007 ~ Mi Blog es tu Blog ~ 5 Comments

Want to become a top sales executive for the nation’s largest Spanish-language TV network but don’t speak Spanish? Worry no more: Univision’s CEO, Joe Uva, has some advice for you.

In an interview yesterday with Advertising Age’s Andrew Hampp, about the appointment of David Lawenda as Univision’s new ad sales chief, Mr. Uva shared with the writer what he thought was one “key phrase” the non-Spanish-speaking executive should know to succeed in his new role: “Un tequila por favor.”

Ay, ay, ay!