When it comes to advertising to Hispanics, the conventional wisdom is that we need to do more than just translate existing materials into Spanish. And that’s what the headline for this piece over at Adweek is clearly suggesting. Yet the data in the article that follows doesn’t seem to support the claim.

Looking at all the pretty charts and graphs, it’s clear to me that second-generation Hispanics don’t care nearly as much about their ethnicity as their first-generation peers. It stands to reason that third- and fourth-generation Hispanics will care even less. We used to call that “assimilation,” but I think “acculturation” is the more generally accepted term these days. In other words, the longer you’re here, the more American you become. (And no, that’s not a bad thing.)

So should we care about targeted messaging when marketing to Hispanics—or any other ethnicity? I’m not so sure. In fact, I’d venture to say that focusing on ethnicity might actually slow down the assimilation process by treating individuals as nothing more than part of a monolithic cultural block. Something doesn’t seem quite right about that.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  comments(2)

George Orwell apparently had some thoughts on tea. Eleven of them, in fact—the tenth of which goes so far as to address the controversy over precisely when milk should be added:

“…by putting the tea in first and stirring as one pours, one can exactly regulate the amount of milk whereas one is liable to put in too much milk if one does it the other way round.”

On a recent trip to Colorado to shoot some television commercials for the City of Greeley, I had the occasion to meet with a couple of British expatriates. I asked them about proper tea preparation, and, apart from the timing of the milk (both were indifferent on this point), they take it as seriously as Orwell did.

I’ve been a daily coffee drinker since I was 11; tea came a little later—when I was a junior or senior in high school, I think. Both were always taken black. Recently, however, I’ve discovered that strong British tea—like Yorkshire or Typhoo—can be a truly sublime experience with a little splash of milk.

To Orwell’s list, I’d add only one thing. He mentions drinking from a “cylindrical type of cup” as opposed to the more typical flat, shallow cups, but doesn’t specify that it should be made of fine bone china. It really does make a difference.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

From time to time I like to share with y’all an episode of “Martini Shot,” Rob Long’s behind-the-scenes glimpse at Hollywood life. (It airs weekly on KCRW, but you can subscribe to the podcast here.) Long, who landed a writing gig on Cheers when he was just 23, has a unique perspective on the “frivolous business” that pays his mortgage. This week, he takes a look at market research. You won’t want to miss it.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPkByAkAdZs&feature=youtu.be

Yeah, yeah, I know—this makes two Star Trek-related posts in a row. Just watch it. You’ll thank me later. I swear.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

Productivity, thy foe is the Amazing Fact Generator. While the degree of amazingness varies wildly*, it’s a lot of fun seeing what comes up next. Here’s a random sampling:

Barry Manilow did not write his hit “I Write the Songs.” He did, however, write State Farm’s “Like a Good Neighbor” jingle.

A newborn giant panda is about the size of a stick of butter.

Viagra can keep cut flowers looking fresh for up to a week longer than their normal life span.

It took three people to compose “The Hokey Pokey.” Roland Lawrence “Larry” LaPrise, Charles Macack, and Taft Baker wrote the tune in 1949 to entertain tired skiers at nightclubs in Sun Valley, Idaho.

Charlie Chaplin once took part in a Charlie Chaplin look-alike contest in a theater in San Francisco. He lost.

*Seriously, “Mary Ann really was prettier than Ginger” is hardly an amazing revelation. It’s patently obvious to anyone with eyes.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

Another gem from Lapham’s Quarterly, here’s a look at some of the worst jobs of the last 2,000 years—though, to be honest, “subway pusher” sounds kind of fun.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment

“Writing is your passion. Why not make it your day job, too?”

Ugh.

Writer’s Digest University is selling this load of codswallop for $199. (“Recession-proof career choice”?!? Bwa ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!!)

Tell you what: Give me $20 and I’ll “provide answers to all your copywriting questions” myself. And I promise not to use a single cliché.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: the writing life  |  comments(2)

Spring seems (finally!) to have arrived in our neck of the woods. Regular readers of the blog know what that means: the Grateful Dead will be in heavy rotation for the next few months. No, I don’t know why. It’s just the way it is.

Care to join me in kicking off the season? “Box of Rain,” from the 1970 album American Beauty, marks the first time bassist Phil Lesh* is featured on lead vocals. It was also the last song performed by the Grateful Dead while Jerry Garcia was still alive, during the final encore at Chicago’s Soldier Field July 9, 1995.

*Lesh studied composition under Luciano Berio at Mills College. One of his classmates was Steve Reich.

posted by: Aaron Bragg  |  category: random thoughts  |  make a comment