AOL Launches Bi-Lingual Hispanic Direct Mail Campaign

Through Hispanic direct marketer Carmen's Cupones y Consejos® program that targets highly acculturated Hispanic females - the decision maker in the 2.5 million Hispanic households in 7 states and in the top 12 US Hispanic markets, AOL has developed a bilingual, tri-fold brochure for the AOL Optimized PC. It's a special low cost offer for Hispanics who may think owning a computer and accessing the Internet is out of their reach. The offer includes the AOL Optimized PC, a printer, a 17-inch monitor, CD-ROM, stereo speakers, Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition, modem and costs only about $300 with a one-year subscription to AOL's Latino 9.0 Internet Service for $23.90 a month.

Targeting the Hispanic community is a smart move as indicated by research into the group's media and internet usage, According to two surveys by Draft/Simmons and Media Audit, 72% of Hispanics say they always read direct mail, 66% respond to direct mail, and 39% say they want to receive more. The typical Hispanic household receives an average of 50 direct mail pieces per year, compared to 500 or so received by the general US population, so there is no mailbox "clutter" (yet). In addition, Hispanic consumers tend to be price conscious and 46% say they "always" or "sometimes" use coupons, particularly those with high acculturation, 75% of which reported using coupons compared to 56% of overall consumers in the US (NCH Marketing Services' Hispanic Coupon Survey, 2002).

UK Youth Bored With Sex In Advertising

Not that anyone would actually become bored with sex itself but it seems one can, in fact, become bored with sex in advertising. That is the finding of a recent study among young consumers in the UK. The study, conducted by the consultancy, HeadlightVision, claims youth have been so bombarded with sexual imagery that they no longer respond to it. It also found that subtle themes such as innocence and fun are the way marketers should go if they wish to maintain the attention of young consumers.

PULP Juice Bars Expand Internationally

Started by a young Australian girl, Chloe Duffell, who was born in Australia but grew up in America, PULP Juice Bars, a health drink operation now owned by Signature Brand Limited has teamed with Virgin, who has taken a 20 percent stake in SBL's Pulp Health, to conquer the international health drink market. Virgin and SBL then created a new company, of which Virgin owns 80 percent, and are expanding the juice bar franchise across the Middle East, New Zealand, Australia, the UK, South Africa and America. Springwise calls it the next coming of Starbucks. Wouldn't we all rather grab a cup of something healthy in the morning rather than a calorically high Frappaccino? Of course not, but some people will.

Adrants Not The Only Spelling-Challenged Website

There's a website called BizNetTravel that is written by several people including yours truly. Many of you know spelling on this website is far from perfect and some of you take some kind of sick pleasure in correcting many of the errors on this site. While there's no fault in that, you might want to visit BizNetTravel which is offering prizes to those who find spelling errors. Since I write for BizNetTravel, your bound to win. Check it out here.

Times Square Takes Over Penn Plaza For Convention

For the Republican National Convention, Penn Plaza has been transformed into w mini Times Square. Huge billboards for FOX, Captain Morgan, Nissan, Infiniti and Foot Locker have taken over the Penn Center Subdistrict.

Stuart Elliott Reviews Olympic Ads

Commenting that viewers should, perhaps, be awarded medals for sitting through 14,000 commercials over 1,210 hours of Olympic programming, Stuart Elliot of the New York Times reviews some of the advertising highlights throughout the two week broadcast.

Among is favorites were BMW's farmer ad and many Chevrolet ads including the banned Corvette ad.

'Apprentice' Promotes Show With Friendster Profiles

MarketingVOX reports NBC is using the Friendster network to promote Donald Trump's The Apprentice by creating profiles for each of the 18 contestants.

TBS Launches 'He's A Lady' Girlie Man Reality Show

While we know there are no new ideas in advertising, reality producers have, apparently, not admitted that to themselves about the reality TV genre. Like some teen movie claiming orange the new pink, TNT will try to convince us their new reality show, He's A Lady is really a new take on reality TV. The show, what Queer Eye For The Straight Guy should have been, takes 11 big burly dudes, fools them into thinking they are competing for in a muscle-fest called All American Male and awards $250,000 to the man who can make himself look most like a woman. Judging this atrocity will be Morgan Fairchild and Detrot Piston John Salley among others.

The finale will imitate a beauty pageant that includes the all important question, "What, as a lady, have you learned about being a man?" Thanks to Adrants reader Charley Brough for the tip.

VMA Thoughts

I wanted to hang back and watch a movie tonight but I got sucked in. So here's what going on:

• Dudes, how hard is it to say "ask"?
• Ashlee, get a vocal tune up. Or at least get remix going.
• Check Gap's www.howdoyou.com - nice butt Sarah Jessica!
• Beyonce, the hair!
• John: Chapelle's little john?
• How old is Kurt Loder? Has he forgotten how to talk? And why is that Asian chick alwats cutting him off?
• Adver-wear t-shirts make an appearance.
• Will Smith does his "I am the bomb" thing ...and brings on the Shaq.
• So when it Britney getting married?
• Mathew Lillard (my fave) get a mosh pit boat ride to the stage to co-present with Hilary Duff.
• Interesting how MTV's swipes look so much like the current HP campaigns. Hmm...
• Shakira's cute.
• Verizon's Virgin Mobile's singing commercials rock.
• Saturn does a new version of its kitchen sink commercial.
• Singing the nominees songs. Nice touch.
• OK, I'm tuning out until Britney gets married.
• The Kerry/Bush sisters do a weird plea for youth voting.
• Cell phones are the new rock concert lighter.
• Are there any more white musical artists?
• Britney isn't married yet.
• Little local (to me) girl Jojo shows up along with the American Olympic hotties.
• Oh well. It's over and no wedding. Like we really thought that was gonna happen.

All in all, a much better worse show than in years past.

'Entertainment Weekly' Is The Shits

I've read Entertainment Weekly since the early lower-case "e" days and I can't recall a time where the magazine hadn't, citing its position as a family magazine, employed the practice of removing several letters from offending words spoken by interviewees. I have always thought that to be redundant and hypocritical since everyone knows what is being said anyway. In fact, it calls attention to it. So it was with great pleasure I read the quote, "Publishing is going to the shits, right?", spoken by author and gossip column fodder Abigail Vona at the end of an article in issue #781.

Did this slip by editors? Was this intentional. Has it happened before and I never noticed? Have we finally realized that people speak this way and there's no point in hiding it simply for vague notions of clinging to a puritanical culture that is long gone? Is this a big deal? Will anyone actually notice or care? Will there be a throng of letters written to the editor? No, it, issue #781, will just pass by as any other issue does garnering nothing other than the usual treatment any other issue receives. This is a good thing.