Ethnic Advertising:

There are a multitude of advertisements geared towards ethnic groups.


One I found that caused a bit of annoyance in the Hispanic community was the FRITO BANDITO. 

The Frito Bandito was the cartoon mascot for Fritos corn chips from 1967 to 1971. He spoke broken English, and robbed people of their frito chips.He served as a reference to the "Mexican Bandit" stereotype in Western movies.


Pressure from the National Mexican-American Anti-Defamation Committee and others prompted an update to the character; his gold toothand stubble were eliminated and his hair combed. The character was completely retired in 1971. 


The group targeted with FRITO was obviously the Mexican community, and sure there was some outrage from different groups, but there's no such thing as bad publicity. He was a cute little guy with a catchy song. You would see him mostly on tv ads. The character lasted for 5 years, proving some level of support, or appeal.




The second ad I found targeting Hispanics, was from TECATE BEER

This ad ran on outdoor ads across the nation. 

The ad caused so much commotion amoung US born Latina women, that it was taken down after only a few days. 

Simple, creative, to the point, I thought. But the billboard, crafted by Chicago-based Lapiz, one of the nation's most creative and culturally relevant shops, raised hell in the Latino community. So much so, that Lucille Roybal-Allard, a congresswoman in California, demanded the company take down the billboard. She said it played off "one of many negative and misguided stereotypes about Latinas, such as that Latinas are to be viewed as sex objects." In other words, that all Latinas are hot. (Martinez)

Who you callin "Normal"?

For my Consumer Behavior class we had to change up a few norms. I was too embarrassed for most of them, but here are the two I tried.

At a family dinner with about a dozen family members there, I decided to ask my grandmother for the check, I took it further by telling everyone else, that "this one was on me."

There were two main reactions; most of the people started to laugh, but my grandmother and a couple older folk did the "Ehhhh, why do you do these stupid things" face.

The second norm I broke was inside of an elevator at the Beverly Center. I took my friend along, and we both stood up against the floor buttons, with our backs to the people. Looking at people's shoes, I noticed 3 people walk in, and leave almost immediately without saying a word. Then one Asian man grabbed my friend from the shoulders and scooted him slightly to the right, pressed his button, and scooted him back. We both burst out laughing and walked out.

a day with Krishna....

On Tuesday, my Consumer Behavior class and I visited Lake Shrine in LA to gain a new kind of perspective. Here are some things I took away from my visit.

Behavior:

• Quiet
• So very courteous 
• Respectful
• Slow (in a good way, not in a hurry to be anywhere)

Stimulus:

• Extremely beautiful
• Well manicured gardens
• Crisp clean air
• Surrounded by nature, can't help but touch a flower, or a leaf. 

Attitude:

• Positive
• I really enjoyed being there, felt like I was cleansing all the dirt on my soul.

Personality:

• I'm not exactly sure how my experience could have changed my purchasing behavior, but it definitely reminded me to stop, relax, and enjoy the scenery of our lives. 

What's YOUR community?

There are quite a handful of organizations I currently belong to, which is very instrumental in how I wish to be perceived; now and when my life should end. The next three logos represent three different organizations; the first is one I aspire to become a member of, the second is one I am currently involved with, and the third is one I keep my distance from.

Mensa is the largest and oldest high-IQ society in the world. It is a non-profit organization open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardised, supervised IQ or other approved intelligence test.

 Kiwanis International is an international, coeducational service club founded in 1915.

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party.

X, Y, Z....

People watching is one of my favorite pass-times. This past weekend, I was at the Century City Westfield observing the social habits of our many different generations.

Here are some of the conclusions I came to...

Baby Boomers

• Not many out
• 99% in pairs (man-woman or woman-woman)
• Very engaged in conversation with each other 
• Lingering; went from store to store not buying anything
• Saw quite a few at the food court. They took their sweet time; in no rush.

Generation X

• Quiet
• Shopping with intent, no lingering.
• Followed a few people; average number of stores visited was 2.
• Either a man (alone); woman (alone), woman (with children) and a couple women shopping together.
• Gen X sales people were nice, but not chatty.
• I saw only 3 Gen Xers using any sort of technology, in all 3 cases it was a cell phone.

 Generation Y

• Pairs, almost everyone
• Constantly checking their cell phones.
• Average number of stores visited was about 6.
• Sales people were extremely friendly, attentive, and  a little too chatty.
• Quite a bit of PDA
• Not many took a food court break.

 Generation Z

• Traveled in packs, at least 3-4 
• LOUD!
• At least 1 person in each group was on their iPhone, at all times.
• No shopping bags
• Swarmed Pinkberry
• I was honestly slightly scared of them.

Why I love John...

"John Varvatos" is a name that always brings a smile to my face. John's clothing exemplifies what a contemporary conventional man can look like. Rough and rugged, and comfortable are definitely three words I use synonymously with his collections. Most of his looks are inspired by early rock n roll, so there's this slightly darker "I don't give a f&^%" attitude. 

Music is also central to the brand’s philanthropic efforts, including the Save the Music Foundation that is dedicated to restoring instrumental music programs in schools around the country, and the annual Stuart House benefit that raises money for a treatment center for sexually abused children. 

When I'm in John Varvatos, I do have to admit, I feel pretty damn cool. My inner rockstar that usually only comes out during a few showers, is allowed to surface in the real world. 

Guess Who?

Can you guess who we are?