Hey kids, this is advertising

Saturday night I was watching the Nickelodeon KCA (Kids Choice Awards) with the two girls I was babysitting (Virginia & her friend). In case you don't know what I'm talking about, it is an event where awards are presented according to children's votes. It's a very big event for kids...I mean, the Jonas Brothers were there! giving a concert!

Anyways, all the commercials shown during breaks were for kids. Usually when I watch TV with this girl, commercial breaks are the moments when we are allowed to talk. So, when Virginia and her friend didn't have anything to say to me during the first break, I knew something different was happening. They were watching a "cool" ad.

Let me tell you that it was the most ridiculous commercial. It was a Burger King ad promoting its "new choices" and to my surprise, Virginia and her friend loved it! They both told me, of course after the ad had finished, that it was a really good ad. So then the conversation started and we talked about Burger King.

Ad agency that made this ad: Congratulations, you were successful (at least with these two girls).

What I want to say with this story is that making ads for children is not as easy at it seems. People say, "oh, you want children to buy stuff...that's easy because they want anything and everything." But no, it's not that easy. You really must understand how these children think and what they want. Plus, think about all the guidelines you must follow in order to avoid trouble.

I was trying to look up the BK ad on youtube, and instead I found these images on the Club BK webpage (http://www.clubbk.com/ - a site designed especially for kids):

This is what I was talking about. The advertisers focused on campaigns for children don't have an easy job. It may be a lot of fun, but it requires hard work. I want to acknowledge the hard work behind good ads for children. I don't know how the BK team came up with this one, but it surely was successful!

Look at the source and don't take it personal

A few days ago, my friend Sascha showed this ad to me:


This is a Russian ad for an ice-cream product; their slogan is: "Everyone's talking about it: dark inside white!" Is this racist?
I wouldn't say so. Different countries have different cultures and beliefs. I'm sure it is okay in Russia to talk about skin color, an American social taboo, or the agency responsible for this ad would have never approved it.

My experience says that other countries accept comments about race. For example, in Mexico we don't have a big foreign population, so making jokes about "different" people is okay. Look at this video: It's an ad for a big cookie company in Mexico. The grandma says, "is the little Chinese adopted?" The grandma shows how it is okay to refer to the boy as "the Chinese" even though we don't really know where he is actually is from. Her comment also shows that our population is not taught to respect other ethnicities like they do here in the US.

So, next time you see a foreign ad and you feel offended by it, don't take it personal; it probably wasn't even targeted to you. Remember that many people out there weren't brought up the same way you were.

Like on a roller coaster

I feel like my life is like a roller coaster. Whenever I have a good week, I know that some kind of bad news will soon hit me...and this becomes true EVERY time. Ups and downs define my life, but you know what? It makes it more interesting.

An article in the New York Times titled “Liked the Show? Maybe it Was the Commercials” talks about how unhappy moments are necessary for the true joyful moments to become meaningful, just like commercials make you appreciate more your TV shows. Ever thought about this?

[Click on the image to go to the article]

Now, whenever you are experiencing some bad moments, remember that good ones are nearer than you think (and if you are just having a row of happy moments, keep in mind that no one is luck enough not to experience negative ones, so be prepared my friend). If we didn’t have a break from our enjoyable times, we wouldn’t even call them “enjoyable” or “wonderful.” They would just be normal.

+ vs -

This is my blog #20. I can't believe I already wrote about 19 different topics...But this entry is not about reflecting on the past; it's about the present.

This blog is a class assignment: we are required to write a total number of forty blog entries. So, after I'm done with this one, will my blog be half full? or half empty?

If I decide in this moment that I'm a positive person, I would say that my blog is half full. I can't believe how easy this was! Twenty sounds like a lot of things to think & write about, but it actually has been a fun activity. Everyday, as I go through my day, all I think about is: "how can I write (or say) this on my blog?" I have been learning a lot of things about myself. There are so many ideas out there; it will be hard to narrow it down to twenty. Everything now is downhill.

On the other hand, if I decide that I want to have a negative attitude, I would say that it's half empty. I still have TWENTY more topics to think about! Do you know how hard this is? Plus, they need to be original...talk about mental exhaustion. Hello? Inspiration? Where are you?? My brain is already fried. I don't know if I'll survive this task. It's too much...

These two situations are two extremes. But, let me tell you, I have thought about some of these things...that's how happy or desperate I have been while writing this blog. I consider myself to be an optimistic person, but there are just some times where you think there's nothing to write about...and then you see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Right now, I think my blog is half full. The first half went smoothly.

It takes...

A little reflection I did today.

(I couldn't make it all fit in one picture...it wasn't readable)

When creativity got in the way...

Today I was watching the Today Show, and this is what I heard: a girl swallowed her engagement ring before her boyfriend could actually propose! They were at Wendy's and he had put the ring inside her milkshake/ice cream, but she accidentally swallowed it because she was eating too fast. How crazy is that?

I am impressed by the guys that think creatively because they want to make their proposal a special day for their girl. They want to make it a day that they won't ever forget. In her case, his creativity got in the way of the proposal. I'm sure she won't ever forget this day; I mean, because of this, she got to be on NBC's Today Show!! But a normal proposal, in a restaurant or somewhere special, would have caused less trouble.

I encourage guys out there that are planning on "popping" the question soon, or sometime in the future, to think creatively. Think of something unexpected, something your girlfriend would like...but also think about her safety :)

Here's the actual interview:

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To all spring breakers,

As Spring Break is getting close, I wanted to talk about the alert issued by the US State Department regarding Mexico. Their portrayal of the country as a dangerous one led many universities to discourage their students from traveling to Mexico. If you hadn't heard, this just happened a few days ago.

As a Mexican citizen, I can't lie to you. Mexico has been having internal problems, therefore, becoming more dangerous as time passes. But it's nothing new. If you have visited this country in recent years, I'm sure it won't be any different than before. The beautiful beaches will be there, just like the fun hasn't disappeared.

This alert disappointed me because it talks bad about my country. How would you feel if this alert was against the US, or your country? I would be disappointed, too, if it was about the US.

I know many students didn't change their break plans. The alert was issued too late. So, I want to offer (or reinstate) some advice to those traveling to a foreign country.

1. First of all, since you don't know who to trust, don't trust anyone. This doesn't sound nice, but it's better not to trust strangers than to later suffer the consequences.

2. When you go out, especially at night, be aware of your surroundings. Don't go to sketchy places.

3. I know going to Mexico is about having fun, but try to be reasonable. Trust your instincts. Make good decisions.

Maybe all these tips are not new to you, but I just wanted to remind you of them. Keep them in mind and be safe. Remember that a trip to Mexico can be a good experience...or a bad one.