An example of poor taste.

The Mexican media was having a party (or perhaps should I say, a fiesta?) over this poster. Newspapers like Mural and Reforma were featuring this poster on their front pages. This poster was distributed to clinics around England by a group called Marie Stopes. It is part of a campaign to reduce trips to Mexico. Oh! Wait no... It is a campaign to create awareness and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. A spokesperson for Marie Stopes issued a statement saying that they never intended to insult Mexico, or Mexican culture, in any way.

Nocturnal Struggle

I have been offered a position as an unpaid intern at an advertising agency. My main project would be promoting a concert for Unicef. I wonder if I am taking on too much. I am divided between my responsibilities for school and the demands of the new position as an intern. I want to make sure that I do my best at anything I do.
Have you ever been to Marble Slab? These guys have the freshest and most delicious ice cream I have ever had. This franchise of ice cream shops (or creameries ) was founded in 1983 and has enjoyed great success ever since. The first store opened in Houston, then it expanded across the US, Puerto Rico, Canada and the Arab Emirates. They have over 500 stores and they are expanding. Marble Slab is a big success. I have been to Marble Slabs in London (Ontario), Calgary and Vancouver. My last visit was about three weeks ago. During that visit, ordered my favorite flavor (called birthday cake) mixed with fresh strawberries. I was very excited about it. When I received my cup, my excitement was quickly changed to confusion when I realized that the portions had been reduced. I was disappointed. That is exactly what I do not want to be. I do not want to be anyone's half empty ice cream cup. I do not want to disappoint.

A new week, a new flavor: Tridents Splash Spearmint with Watermelon.

I had a very interesting last few days. They were filled with those twists and turns that make this life so entertaining. One of those twists came on Friday, in the form of an email from an advertising and media company inviting me to come in for an interview. It looks like it is a good opportunity. So full is this life of twist and turns that I cannot even keep up. I would like to explain all the details, but that would make for a long blog (and nobody wants that)
A similar exciting twist, but in the world of bubble gum, is the new Trident Splash Spearmint with Watermelon. The flavor is a nice mix between Watermelon and Mint. The first taste is of sweet and tasty watermelon followed by refreshing mint. The watermelon flavor is not too sweet or too sugary. After a few minutes, the mint flavor takes over and lingers for a while. If you like Jolly Ranchers, watermelon candy and mint gum, this one is for you.

Try this: Trident Splash WinterWave

Another day at the beach and another type of Trident Splash. This time is I chose Trident Splash Winter Wave. The day at the beach was perfect again, sunny and a few clouds in the sky. The gum? A whole lot better. I like gum that refreshes my mouth; gum that gives me that nice clean feeling. It is almost like the feeling after brushing your teeth. If you like that, Trident Splash Winter Wave is for you. The first taste is refreshing mint flavor that is not too sweet nor to strong. After that, the flavor seems to stay for a while, making your whole mouth feel refreshed.
I am off to the beach again. Would another day at the beach mean another Trident Splash flavor? Come back and find out!



Trident, If you are going diving they have all your diving gear:

Trident Gone Sour: Trident Splash Citrus with Blackberry

The liquid flavor inside a gum is supposed to extend the gum's flavor. I am not sure if this is entirely true, but thats how the companies are selling these types of gum to the retailers. We have so many type of liquid filled gums, some of them are very good flavors and others, not so much. An example of a flavor gone wrong is Trident Splash Citrus with Blackberry; this gum is nothing special. The first taste is really sour and after that it is pretty much tasteless. I was really not impressed with this one. So Skip this gum and use the $1.50 on something more productive.
On a side note: I spent the day on the beach today. It was a beautiful sunny day and I had a great book with me. After an hour at the beach, I started craving a piece of gum. I opened my backpack and I realized that I only had one type of gum. Guess what type of gum? Yes! It was this lovely Trident Splash Citrus with Blackberry. I hesitated for a moment; I already knew that this was not a fine tasting product. Then I thought "What the hell! It is only gum!" and I took two pieces. After a brief splash of sour, all that was left was the stale taste of fake citrus. I disposed of the gum after 5 minute, but the lovely taste of fake, stale citrus stayed with me for the rest of the sunny day.

Shooting an Ad: Nissan Rogue

These are some photos from a film shoot that took place in front of my house yesterday. They were filming a TV ad for a new Nissan car, 2008's Nissan Rogue. The ad will feature a young couple with their kid. My guess: It will probably advertise as "Younger Parent who loves the thrill of driving, but is responsible for his/her family's safety" The filming took place in a corner of downtown Vancouver, the place was covered with snow and a tall crane held some equipment that sprayed snow while filming. I cannot wait to see the final product air on TV.

Oh Henry! vs Oh Henry! Pro

To advertise a product successfully, there has to be an exchange between the merchant and the consumer. If you buy my product, then you get this benefits out of it. If you buy certain detergent, you get the cleanest clothes. If you buy certain brand of cat food, your cat will have the best digestive track in the neighborhood. Sometimes the product cannot offer you a clear benefit (like the cleanest clothes or the best digestive track for your cat), marketers then associate the product with certain groups that are popular within their target market. Oh Henry! Pro happens to be a perfect example of the latter. Oh Henry! Pro is being advertised as "high protein candy", the TV ads show a group of kids doing some (extremely cool) mountain biking and they look confident and they are having fun (because they are pros) So the message going out to the public is " If you buy a Oh Henry! Pro, you will be part of the extreme-pro-sports crowd. Oh! and tell your parents that it is healthy because it has 12 grams of protein" To further reinforce the message, Oh Henry! Pro has a website where kids can go and play the "Oh Henry! Pro Big Air Snowboarding Game" But how different is the new Oh Henry! Pro? Is it really a better option than the regular Oh Henry!? Let's compare ( In a little segment I'd like to call: Oh Henry! vs Oh Henry! Pro)

Taste: Oh Henry! is definitely the sweetest. The sweet taste seems to linger for a while after you eat the chocolate. Oh Henry! Pro is not nearly as sweet, this is partly due to the fact that it does not have as much nougat as a regular Oh Henry!.

Packaging: Oh Henry! Pro is a smaller bar, it weight 2.5 grams less than a regular Oh Henry! bar. However, the packaging is designed to make it look bigger (because this chocolate bar is a Pro!, and well it has to look bigger than an average chocolate bar) There are two reasons why the Oh Henry! Pro looks bigger: first, the carton inside the wrapping is larger (making the whole thing look bigger) The second, the right side of the wrapping is dark blue, which creates a contrast of colors that "tricks" the eye, making the chocolate look bigger than what it actually is.

Nutrition Facts: Oh Henry! Pro has to 12 grams of protein. There are different types of protein, some better ( better = your body can absorb them more easily than other proteins) and some worst. We do not know what type of protein the Oh Henry! Pro has. Furthermore, the regular Oh Henry! has 6 grams of proteins. So really, 6 extra grams of protein is no big deal.
When it comes to fat, The Oh Henry! Pro has 21 grams of fat! Which is 4 more grams than a regular Oh Henry! And both of them have .1 grams of trans fats!
Carbs: This is the biggest difference between the two bars. As I mentioned before, the regular Oh Henry! was sweeter than its Pro! Counterpart. This is reflected in the carbs, a regular Oh Henry! bar has 36 grams of carbs, where a Pro! bar has only 25 grams.

As you can see, both bars have pretty questionable nutrients. The main difference between the two bars is that the Oh Henry! Pro is not as sweet as the regular Oh Henry! Besides that, the two of them are pretty much the same thing. So how do you make these two bars different? Easy, throw a bigger wrapping, add a little color and emphasize the only benefit that will not hurt the image of the other brand: Oh Henry! Pro has 12 grams of protein! They will never advertise the fact that the Oh Henry! Pro has less carbs than the regular Oh Henry! (11 grams less to be exact) If they were to do that, some people would stop eating the regular Oh Henry! and switch to the Oh Henry! Pro. Which would cannibalize the sales of the regular Oh Henry! And nobody wants that!

Handle with care: Doritos Fiery Habanero

Have you ever been to a restaurant that gives you the option of adding a certain number of chili peppers to your meal? They usually have a scale from 0 chili peppers to 10 peppers, or something along those lines. The different levels of spiciness usually come attached with a short, sometimes witty (sometimes stupid) line; it goes like this:

" 0 peppers, because no means no"
" 1 peppers, white men beware"
"2 peppers, too lame to handle"
" 3 peppers, cause three is always better than two"
" 4 peppers, nice and spicy"
" 5 peppers, for those into extreme sports"
" 6 peppers, to impress the latin ladies"
" 7 peppers, feels hot going in and going out"
" 8 peppers, Osama yo mamma"
"9 peppers, for anyone who voted for Bush"
" 10 peppers, you crazy?"

There are several chips out there that claim to be spicy. Some of them are better than others; if I was forced to use my great chili pepper scale (please see above), I would give them a 2, or " Too Lame to Handle".
Doritos Fiery Habanero come packed in a neat bright orange bag. The flames that decorate the bag are a warning of the extremely hot product found inside. The flavor is strong, a little salty and very very HOT. This is definitely the hottest chip I have tried, at least in Canada. Going back to my scale above, I would give them a whole 8 peppers or "Osama yo mamma". Doritos Fiery Habanero are HOT. If you eat jalapenos or enjoy a big chunk of wasabi in your soya sauce, this one is for you.

Hey Dentyne, leave the chocolate alone!

The time has come for me to review the Dentyne Blast Chocomilk. I have been thinking about this product a lot and I do not know where to start. So lets start by the facts, Dentyne is one of the leading brands of gum in the country; the brand is experiencing some growth and in order to keep the growth going, they are introducing new flavors. Dentyne has a very strong portfolio of flavors like the line of Dentyne Ice Mint flavored gum and the newer Dentyne Tango Mixed Berries. Owned by Cadbury Adams, Dentyne has added a new line of liquid centre pellet gums under the name Dentyne Blast; this line of gums is designed to compete against Trident's Splash gum.
One of the flavors supporting Dentyne's new line of gum is Chocomint. This is a very original and distinct product and might perform well in the future, but only if it manages to find a niche between people who love Mint Chocolate Flavor. The product tastes just like the real deal. The problem is that, if I want to have something that tastes like Mint Chocolate, I would rather have the real and much more pleasurable experience of eating chocolate. I had a couple of people sample the gum, and they all felt it was strange not to eat something that tasted like chocolate and struggled with the idea of just chewing chocolate gum.
My suggestion: If you feel like chocolate, go for the real deal. Skip this gum and Dentyne, leave the mint chocolate alone.

Lesson from the gurus, Part 1

Lately I have been reading two books. The first one is the latest and final book from the Harry Potter series; the other one is called "Hey Whipple, Squeeze This: A Guide For Creating Great Ads" by Luke Sullivan. This book has had a huge impact on the advertising world because it has provided a guide for people starting up in the business. I came across an interesting bit that I thought it would be nice to share, it is about Idea generating. Mr Sullivan presents a five-step process that was created by James Webb Young, a copywriter from the 40's. Yeah this Idea Generating process has been around for more than 60 years and it still holds; it is simple but then it is also very powerful. So here it is:
1) Gather as much information on the problem as you can. Underline as much as you can, ask lots of questions and do a little field trip. Collect lots of data.
2) Sit down and actively attack the problem
3) Stop doing the work and go do something else; totally unrelated to the issue at hand. Let your subconscious work on the problem
4) Eureka! The idea appears
5) You figure out how to implement your idea

The message (advertisement) that comes out from the idea generation process becomes a promise. You tell your audience that if their consume/utilize the product, they will receive something back.
The 5 step idea generating process is great for any type of problem, not only advertising. That is why it is so great, it works for anyone. So next time you have to generate an idea come back and write this quick five steps down.

A convenient truth about bottled water

I was traveling in Whistler about a week ago when the topic of bottled water came up. Bottled water has become a fashion accessory and was quickly adopted by many people. There are so many different types of bottled water out there, they appeal to our personalities and our lifestyle, they are advertised by famous people (see ad featuring Lance Armstrong at the end) and they come in cute colored bottles. Some people choose a “type” of bottled water that fits with their image and their lifestyle (or with the image that they want to convey to the world) Not to mention that all these bottles come with a nice price tag, which is usually another way of defining your lifestyle.
The Japanese seemed to have figured out how to work the “Bottled Water” system. A brand of water called Hamakko Doshi became the best seller at convenience stores in Yokohama City. Another brand of water called Sapporo No Mizu became a hit in convenience stores in Sapporo; Tokyosui was an overnight success in the city of Tokyo. North Americans have Aquafina, PepsiCo’s branded water. So what do all these brands of water have in common? That they are all taken from the same sources as public water; yeah they are all tap water.
So maybe you do not buy water because of lifestyle choices. Maybe you are like me; when I buy water, I usually look for the cheapest one I can find. Why do we buy water then? One of the reasons is convenience. It is so easy to pick up a bottle of water when we need it. They are inexpensive and very accessible. This convenient access to bottled water is hurting the planet; we are disposing millions of plastic bottles all over the world. Companies are shipping heavy containers of water across the world; this is wasting energy and resources. And well, who wants to piss off our friend Al Gore.
According to the World Health Organization some types of bottled waters contain so many minerals that they are not classified for consumption as water but as food. These types of bottled mineral waters should be consumed carefully, especially when giving them to kids and babies. This is more accurate when referring to some of the European mineral waters. Furthermore, we need to consider that the majority of the world does not consume bottled water because of taste, lifestyle or convenience. A large portion of the world consumes bottled water because there are no clean water sources in the region or because there is no infrastructure in place to provide clean water.

Just for fun: Which are the three countries with the highest consumption of bottled water in the world? 1) United States 2) Mexico 3) China (source: National Geographic)

And now: Mr. Lance Armstrong promoting water. He is also doing a little product placement; please note the yellow livestrong wristband on his hand, which also happens to be holding the bottle of water. What a coincidence Mr. Armstrong.

Skip: Chili Cheese Lime Doritos

Surprise suprise! Another Doritos flavour. This time the flavor is a combination of cheddar cheese, chili pepper and lime. The result? Well, if you like mild flavors with a little bit of twist, this one is for you.
The problem with a product like this is the following: when I read "Doritos Chili Cheese Lime" and I see a bright yellow bag, I am expecting something good, damn good and exciting. Like when you meet someone with an exotic name and then you expect them to have some exciting life story. You may think they have come from an exotic destination, perhaps to study and experience our culture. This Doritos evoked the same feelings; but then you meet this person and then you find out he or she was born in your neighborhood and never left the country. Boring. The same thing applies to products like Doritos Chili Cheese Lime, the name and the package are very appealing; but when you open the bag and taste them, you find the same old familiar taste. Which is not necessarily bad, but it is not exciting at all. So if you are seeking for a thrill, skip the Doritos Chili Cheese Lime.

Deluxe or Not Deluxe: Try this, Caramilk Deluxe

Cadbury Schweppes is one of the world's largest producers of candies and beverages. The company has factories in over 20 countries around the globe including: Poland, England, New Zealand and United States, they also employ more than 50,000 people. Cadbury Adams is the Canadian subsidiary of Cadbury Schweppes. They are the people in charge of filling all those 7-11's and convenience stores across Canada with chocolates, gum and pop. They are also the people that brought us Caramilk, the fastest growing brand of chocolates in Canada and one of the strongest brand names out there. In an effort to continue building the brand, Cadbury has released Caramilk Deluxe.
Caramilk Deluxe comes neatly packaged and it contains four small pieces. Each piece is filled with a blend of caramel and dark chocolate, all wrapped in the signature Cadbury milk chocolate. I asked a couple of people to test the chocolate, and rate it from 1 (worst piece of chocolate ever) to 10 ( one Great chocolate!) After sampling the chocolate, Cadbury Deluxe was rated at an average of 8.5. This is a good one! So try this: Cadbury Deluxe.

Try This: Excel Tangerine Freeze

I am usually not a fan of Excel gum. This very popular and profitable brand (rumors say it is one of the most profitable products in a grocery shop) has always failed to attract my curiosity. But Wrigley has delivered a new flavor: Tangerine Freeze; this is an interesting mix of Citrus and Mint that is perfect for the summer. There are so many new flavors of gum around that is hard to keep up. There is a splash of new flavors, I should say. But when some of these flavors are just a disaster (Pomegranate Blueberry Tridents anyone?), Wrigley's Tangerine Freeze delivers. Enjoy.

Calling out to fellow advertising newbies

Hello everyone!
The whole purpose of this blog is to share my experiences and to connect with advertising students or people who decided to make a career in advertising. Please feel free to drop me a line anytime.
I live in Vancouver, I just recently moved here and I love it. The city hosts a fireworks competition that is known as "the largest fireworks competition in the world" It is pretty amazing. It was while attending one of competitions that me and a group of friends were discussing career paths. I expressed my concerns regarding my future professional life, to which someone responded: "You have to find something that ticks!" "That Ticks?" "Yeah, you have to find something that you are excited about, that makes you happy"
See, this is the issue at hand. I like lemons. I like ads that are smart or that are original. I love going into stores and looking at the new products on the shelves. I observe them and then select a few of them. Take them home and try them. I judge them. Then I tell my friends. So soon, you will experience some of these rants about products too. Feel free to comment on them and criticize!