Never To Late To Follow Your Dreams

This week I had the pleasure to interview Paul Bond, an artist with an inspirational story. Paul Bond was born in Guadalajara, Mexico. Bond comes from a strong Latino background of determination. His grandfathers all named Ignacio Pesqueira are iconic Mexican figures. His great grandfather was a signer of the Mexican Constitution and his grandfather was Consul General of Mexico. Bond currently resides in San Clemente, CA. In his early teens, Bond discovered his artistic talent. His dyslexia lead him to discover his creative passion behind seeing mirror images of objects. Bond moved to the U.S. when he was a young boy. He attended school in my hometown where he mastered his artistic talents at San Diego State University (yay Go Aztecs!), UCSD, and the La Jolla Academy of Art.

Bond owned a graphic design business for 15 years and he's done several book designs. Recently, he took a leap to become a full time artist and trust that his work is good enough. He admitted it's challenging. Security is now a gamble but one worth taking. Bond couldn't deny his true passion anymore so he's focusing all of his attention to his paintings. Paul and his wife Donna Bond strongly believe his talents will pay off in the long run. More, importantly Bond is living his dream and the sound of happiness was pure in his voice.

Many times in advertising we search and search for "the big idea." We read through tons of research, watch ads, stare at white boards, jump on a trampoline, play a game, run around the building and sometimes after all of this, the idea still doesn't come. I asked Bond what he does in this situation and he simply said "when the idea isn't coming, let it go." He's exactly right! We've seen time and time again that some of the best ideas come when we take a step back and let it go.

So, I asked Bond where does he find inspiration. He gave me three responses. First, he writes down phrases that are catchy. He recently attended a Paula Cole concert and this line, "dreaming of another shore" inspired him. Second, he looks for visual inspiration. He takes pictures and puts unrelated elements together in photoshop. Third, he feeds off emotions. His painting, Unexpected Departure was painted the winter following 9/11. The painting tells a story of what happens when someone dies suddenly. The man in the painting is standing on a rock which represents earth and the ruble. He's looking down and doesn't know he is dead. He's holding onto the rope which symbolizes life. The raven is pulling him and the rope to an unseen dimension which is his next life.



I like Bond's way of thinking. Emotional cues are strong in advertising and may trigger strong connections with brands. Below, is one of my favorite ads from Cadbury, the ad has nothing to do with chocolate and everything to do with emotion.



I wanted to know what Bond's favorite ad campaign is. He openly admitted to me that he doesn't watch TV but the one he could remember at that moment was from these guys.


I have to say the caveman are funny and share that humor with the brand while focusing on it's simplicity.

Bond inspired me too keep chasing my dreams. His work is currently on show at Lu Martin Galleries in Laguna Beach, CA. Original oil paintings and prints of Paul's images are available directly from the artist. To see more of his work go to www.paulbondart.com

Monica Camacho, Junior Strategic Planner

Yo Soy Mi Prioridad

This week I wanted to discuss the importance of using other resources for self improvement and self motivation. In our Latino culture we are seldom taught about using resources such as; literature, film and therapy. Growing up I was told, to pray to God and he will help you. I can’t imagine how people made it through life back then with only faith. Not having access to books like, “The Path to Love” by Deepak Chopra, “Today I Pray” by Iyanla Vanzant and Oprah!




I was looking through “People en Español” for inspiration and I came across an article about ‘Lili Estefan’. The headline read, “Yo Soy Mi Prioridad”. It was an editorial piece within their ‘Renuevate’ section. Lily goes on to speaking about her family, her career and her passions. She speaks about how in our culture we are taught to take care of our priorities, our responsibilities and she did just that. In June of 2008, she had an epiphany that it was time for her to begin making herself a priority. I thought, “Wow, am I reading this correctly”? Someone who I watched as a kid who has progressed from being a model on ‘Sabado Gigantes’ to getting her own show El gordo y la flaca (Univision) is saying that she has still to put herself first? As a child I watched her and read about her in magazines and never once thought she never made herself a priority. From the outside looking in we think she has it all.




Now as an adult, reading that she is striving to make herself a priority was definitely a topic to write about. As a Latina in America we are given so many examples of “What Success Really Means”. I even think my father has used her as an example of what success really is. Lili continues to talk about how she has began the process of making her a priority. She explained that she wanted to work out more, that she needed spiritual rejuvenation and recommended working out, to look for the activities that we enjoyed as children and to always make yourself feel good by dressing in style and to read ‘The Seven Spiritual Laws to Success’ by Deepak Chopra. I think that it is very important to have your faith but it is important to help ourselves so that we reach our blessings that much sooner. Thank you Lili, for emphasizing the importance of making yourself a priority. This is something that I am currently putting in to play!

Fueling Technology

Hispanics have fueled emerging technologies in this country for the last 5 years.

According to Simmons:

• 90% of Hispanics have a Cell Phone vs. 79% of the total population
• 80% of Hispanics Broadband Internet access is on par with the GM
• 79% of Hispanics have a Digital Camera vs. 53% of the total population
• 66% of Hispanics use text messaging

You get the picture, but why are Hispanics early adopters of technology?

Between 1994-2002 the disparity between non-Hispanic Whites (75%) and Hispanics (35%) use of the internet was so great a term was coined to describe it…do you remember the “Digital Divide”. Early thinking associated the cost of computers and complexity of using the technology, was limiting our access, and lead to a denial of information that could lead to oppression from the democratic principles our country is built on.

Profiles and patterns were used to describe the technology adoption curve like:

• Innovators – Strong desire and resources to own the latest technology
• Early Adopters – Same urge to own the latest technology but with less money
• Early Majority – The largest group who would interact with opinion leaders before adopting the latest technology
• Laggards – Limited financial resources and technology point of reference

Hispanics were widely regarded as Laggards, but what was not accounted for were other variables that were more significant in the adoption trends of Hispanics and technology in the last 5 years. At the time between 1994- 2002 there was a lack of content being created for Hispanics consumers online, opinion leaders, with knowledge of communication technologies vital to starting discussions of technologies in inner-cities were not as apparent, and complexity became a non-issue as Hispanics gained more hands on experience with computers and other new technologies. Once Hispanics realized that the perceived complexity was not a major obstacle and started understanding there was an advantage to owning the technology, and that it made life easier, we started adopting technology quickly and cost was less of a prime barrier.

So what is the new wave of technology ideas Hispanics are likely to adopt next? The Hype Cycle chart at the top for Emerging Technologies in 2009 does a good job of giving us an idea.

Ernesto Lopez

Senior Strategic Planner

Our First Week is Wrap. Thank You for Reading and Come Back Next Week!

You may have been directed here from Facebook, LinkedIn, an email, gchat, or WOM and we're glad you decided to check us out. We're a collective group of advertising professionals working at Casanova and we all have ideas to share with you. We launched our blog just four days ago. Hopefully, we caught your attention and you will come back for more next week. Soon we'll have a new blogger on our team and he's really excited to meet you. We're sure he's going to bring a lot of fun to The Boarder so stay tuned for his grand appearance.

Have you ever wondered what Facebook would look like in real life? We hope you get some laughs out of this video.



Have a great weekend! See you next week.

The Boarder Blog Team

ADVERTISING AND MY NEW BEST FRIEND

I have a new best friend.

I would probably not recognize her if I saw her in the street tomorrow (sorry Kaitlin) but hey, when a second grader writes you a note saying  you are her BF she means it... at least in that moment. 

My friendship with Kaitlin and her group started a couple of months ago when I was part of career day at my daughter's elementary school.

I had spent quite a few hours deciding how to best explain advertising to a bunch of first, second and fifth graders, in a fun way (you don't want to be a bore in front of your kid and her friends)  and do it in a G rated presentation. I decided I'd start from the beginning and I would use lots of cute cartoons and examples of commercials they could relate to.

"Let's suppose I'm a caveman--I said-- and I just discovered fire and want to sell it to other cavemen..." Then I explained how when we were very few, the  person to person approach worked fine but as the  number of people in the world grew and grew we needed other ways of communicating the information; ways like newspapers, radio, tv and of course--they added before I could mention it-- the internet. Any questions? No?

Good! they grasped the idea. I had them.  I could continue. 

Not so fast! One little guy is raising his hand. 

Me: "Yes?"

Him: "I... I.... I... forgot"

Big laugh from the rest of the class. 

I explain to them,  in a very simple and fun way what I do in the agency, what my job is.

"You know what we do to come up with an idea for a commercial? Let me tell you. Me and my friends that work sit down and think... and think and think and think. And when we're done thinking you know what we do?"   (Big eyes, wondering, expecting) "we think some more, and think and think and think".  They smile, they laugh. 

Then I show them a spot for Build-a-Bear Workshop. It shows two cute little girls talking to camera. They're adorable and funny. The class thinks so too. So, now they know a bit more about the process, they're engaged and I'm ready to move on to the next example.

 I see another little hand raised. 

"yes?"

"My cousin went once to Build- a-Bear..."

And then it happens: A real life testimonial  barrage, ranging from "I went to Build-a-Bear once and bought a kitty cat because I don't like bears..." to "I've never been to Build-a-Bear", which started another series of unrequested and very informative descriptions of the store. 

Once the comments about Build-a-Bear were finished, I showed them a spot from Mexico. It is for a brand of peanuts and shows a little cute girl in the zoo eating some generic peanuts. An elephant gets her attention. He wants peanuts but she cannot give him the peanuts because there's a sign that asks not to feed the animals. Eventually she gives up and gives the bag of peanuts to the elephant, who throws them back in her face because they are bad, generic peanuts.

Big hit! Everybody laughs. Applause. 

I'm waiting for the little hands raised to hear dozens of stories about the zoo and elephants.

One hand. I'm trying to decide, will it be zoo or elephants?... 

 "My brother can't eat peanuts... he's allerkick"

Before this turns into another discussion, I immediately move to the next example and topic; how advertising can help people in need. I show them the spot we did for Unicef, where a mom is looking for water for her baby and, not finding any alternative, gives him dirty water from a puddle in the street. 

Their faces while they're watching are priceless. This is not cute, not funny.

When it's over they look at me like I did something wrong. What's going on?

"Did you do this one?"

"yes, we came up with the idea, found the actors, shot the commercial with a camera, added music..."

"Is that a real baby"

"yes"

Silence. 

Suddenly I realize what's going on.

"Hey guys, don't look at me that way. What the baby is drinking is not really dirty water, it's apple juice".

"it doesn't look like apple juice"

"Really, it is, it's just it's not as clear as the one you guys usually drink. I swear"

Smiles. We are friends again.

Now it's time to put them to work. Give them a real brief on a project we are doing for the Ad Council. 

"So, this is about telling kids your age to eat right and exercise, OK?  You can use any Looney Tunes characters you want. Let's do a TV commercial"

I divide them into groups and give them 5 minutes to work on it.

They are working, they're brainstorming. Most importantly, they're enjoying it.  A lot.

They present their ideas to the rest of the class. We all applaud every idea (that's the rule).

And then the bell rings and we're out of time. "Two minutes", says the teacher.

"Any questions before we let Mr. Weinstock go?", she asks.

Little hand up. I start sweating.

"Which one of our ideas did you like the best?"

My daughter looks at me. I start sweating more.

I babble something about all of them being so good I can't decide at that moment, every idea has some merit.  They're used to that kind of answer from their parents, I guess. They buy it, kind of.

"Ok, final question, comment".

Hand raised.

"I like your job. How can I do that job? I like doing commercials..." They all agree.

"We like your job the best" (they had heard from a mechanical engineer before me).

I leave the classroom.

I like my job too. 

I like doing commercials. 

Thanks for the reminder, little friends.

The 10 things to do as you plan for a summer vacation….with small children!

I have been waking up in the middle of the night for the past week due to the anticipated stress of traveling with my two lovely girls- my passionate observer and my energetic ninja. I’ll be air traveling from South Orange County to Chicago by myself with my two toddlers for a family event and the anticipation and stress for not having started to prepare is rising. I’m already imagining the angry passenger sitting next to me scolding me for letting my 16^th month old kick and push his seat; or even my 3 year old screaming at the top of her lungs because her younger sister took off her crown. Promising… so, in order to ease some of my anxiety, I’ve decided to blog about it and write a top 10 list on traveling preparedness and even perhaps helping someone else in cyberspace who is also traveling under similar circumstances:

1. Plan your trip around nap time or in the evenings. Yes, the probability of meltdowns increases when you’re closer to naptime but chances are that you’ll be already strapped to your seat when that time arrives. You might enjoy the first two hours of the trip with some peace and quiet; giving you plenty of opportunities to smile at your neighbors whom by the time your sleeping beauty wakes up, would be more willing to embrace the presence of your child in the plane.
2. Target and 99 cent stores, here I come! Target has a dollar section right by the entrance of their stores and the 99c stores offer a good variety of trinkets or small toys that you can bring along and unveil along the trip to keep your kids entertained (best advice I’ve ever gotten and has worked wonder every time!)
3. Pack for the plane according to your child’s interests. I know, sometimes you just grab whatever is at arms reach, who cares if they’re Legos, Play Doh or headless dolls. But what if you just happen to grab the items your kids are less interested in? Then you won’t be able to keep their attention away from tugging the t-shirt of the passenger seating next to your child, or from kicking the seat or playing with the food tray.
4. Ask to be placed in a row where there are no other passengers. Airlines are usually accommodating to parents traveling with kid and will do everything in their means to keep your crazy toddler’s far way from single travelers. So do ask, chances are you’ll get lucky.
5. Be prepared for the unexpected; yea, meltdowns can possibly occur at security check point. Has that ever happen to anyone? You’re about to cross security and your child starts kicking screaming that she/he does not want to get off the stroller nor separate her/himself from their favorite toy much less remove his or her shoes? Well if you can relate, the best way to get around this is to play a time game, use travelers on other lines as the target, tell your kids they’re racing against the specific traveler and whoever passes security faster gets a “reward”. It worked for me last time! Kids don’t really care what the reward is as long as it’s reward. Last time I had a Trader Joe’s sticker and a box of Juicy Juice handy and my daughter was super happy.
6. Pack on light for your carry on. Yea, you do need toys, DVD player, special blanket, special stuffed animal… etc. etc. but did I say pack light for the plane ride? Try to fit as much as you can in your check-in back and keep only what you’re realistically going to use during the trip. Remove excess pens, unpaid bills, 3 month old uneaten animal crackers and all the stuff that really ads bulk and weight.
7. Pack on snacks, preferably salty snacks like crackers, cheese, ham, water, milk… avoid sugar bombs or a combination of, for instance candy, chocolate, sodas. Too many sweets at the same time are just too much for your little ones to handle; remember you’re trying to keep them calm.
8. Carry a light stroller. Your jogging stroller is probably your fave, but lets be realistic, pushing it in the middle of a crowded airport is no ones dream. Get a foldable easy to maneuver stroller; one that you can still carry or handle while you have your kids at large. They’re also great for carrying your carry-on should your child not want to sit on it
9. Take a vacation before and after your vacation. How many times have we heard that people need a vacation after the vacation? It’s tiring traveling with kids! So I’ve decided that I’m treating myself to a massage before my trip and one after, I sure will deserve it! So find your perfect treat and go for it!
10. Relax. Yep, I guess I should listen to my own advice but the more one stresses about it, the more difficult planning for the trip will be.

Now, there…. Here is my list and I already feel better about the whole trip. Now I’m just hoping I can take this list and have a tremendous success to report once I’m back.

Useful sites and or blogs to find out more on traveling with kids, tips, brands that are must when you travel etc.

Blogher

Todobebe.com (viva la famila)

Parenting.com

Ad Land

My first blog....how....exciting!!! When Monica invited me to be a blogger for "The Boarder", my first thought was, yikes! What do I blog about? Her advice: "Share relevant information, ask for ideas and make it fun!"

OK....I can do that!

I'm a big history lover....World history, European history, American history...maybe because of my family. My great, great grand father (so the story goes) was a preacher that traveled throughout the mid-west on horseback spreading the Methodist doctrine. One of my distant relatives was said to have signed the Declaration of Independence. My father was good friends with one of the Marines who during World War II raised the American flag on Iwo Jima.

Those stories made an impression and I've always found myself interested in the events that shaped our past...and what role those events play in the current day. Do we learn from the past? Are we destined to repeat it? Questions I certainly cannot answer and won't pretend to, but they always provoke good conversation.

I've also been fortunate to work in the advertising industry for more than 25 years. My father was in the industry (on the sales side) and my brother is also a Media Director. The history of advertising is riddled with fasinating characters and themes.

My curiousity about the history of the ad biz lead me to a great read. "Adland" by Mark Tungate gives a complete chonological rendering of how it all started, who the key players were and how advertising has contributed to the popular culture.

It's safe to say that advertising has been around as long as there have been products to sell and a medium to promote them....from the crier in the street to the handbill tacked to a tree. The invention of the printing press (generally credited to Johannes Gutenberg) in 1447 substancially moved advertising foward.

In 1631 , the first French newspaper was created. "La Gazette" disseminated information for those seeking and offering work, buying and selling goods and making public announcements of all kinds. The journalist who created La Gazette in effect became the inventor of the personal ad.

Most everyone agrees that advertising really found it's stride during the Industrial Revolution....at that time, newspapers were considered the mass medium. Products were produced and packaged on a scale never before dreamed of. Manufacturers needed consumers to remember their products, so they branded their goods...and began to advertise them.

Much has changed in the advertising world since the mid-19th century.....more to come next week.

I welcome your comments and stories.