Radio Commercials in Merida, Yucatan...
(Cultural Capital of the Americas)
Once again I'm on the (pet-peeve of mine) subject of radio, but this time not on a per-station tour of the FM dial - for that more detailed report click here - this time I take a look at some ridiculous locally-produced commercials that make any serious listener of radio cringe in pena ajena. Since I do not have a T.V. in my car like the S.P.V. vehicles parked under the overpass where the Progreso highway meets the periferico, my only option is listen to the radio on my daily commutes here and there.
In May, the ads celebrating Mothers and their Day are all over the airwaves. Since "Madres" can be a double-meaning kind of thing for those inclined to swear, it has become fashionably daring to insinuate or even outright declare an insult while disguising it as a tribute to the mothers. Take the Gas Merida ad for example, that states there are several kinds of 'madres' and then go on to demonstrate the different kinds. The good ones use Gas Merida and the other ones use other gas companies.
San Francisco (the supermarket - not the city - where the most Yucatecan of yucatecans still shop because the newer markets have aisles that are 'too wide' and these same shoppers complain that they 'can't find anything') has a unique ad this month where a masculine voice compliments the imaginary woman accompanying him on her new "look" and her "fragancia" and that it must have cost her a fortune. She replies, warmly and seductively, "no mi amor" and goes on to tell him that the perfumes are on sale at San Francisco, even those for men, but that he should hurry because the sale only lasts from May 6 through June 22!! Only a month and half buddy, better rush right out and take advantage of what must be truly sensation prices, if they can last for a month and a half! And what is he implying that she spent a fortune on her "look"? Was she a real dog or what? If I was her I'd slap him.
Then there are the cringe-inducing Yucatan Today ads, featuring voices by some of Merida's resident gringos including my friend Dennis and texts by some genius in marketing. Even my 12 year-old daughter exclaimed "Oh My God!" when she heard these corny ads. Read dryly straight from a script, these ads are a homage to classic gringo pronunciation of Yucatecan place names and speak volumes about the ad's copywriter, if there even is one in Merida. Is this a career option in the UniMayab? Whoever wrote those ads should be taken out and lashed in the Plaza Grande.
Then there is the Yucatecan Campesino Accent (YCA) formula, where different characters in the ads speak like Yucatecan villagers to the delight of the listening audience (not). There are ads by Boxito (the bathroom fixtures store) with Yucatecan Laurel and Hardy characters - a proven combination that has worked in many cultures and languages before this - which are almost humourous; ads by Zapaterias Capri which feature Manuel and Guadalupe * in a continuing series of ads that change according to the seasons and the holidays; there are ads by government and political institutions that also use Yucatecan accents as a draw - the worst of these are the IFE (pronounced EE-FAY; it stands for Instituto Federal Electoral) ads where some really heavily-accented and real smart campesino woman and her ignorant campesino husband (more stereotyping???) blurt out infantile scripts about "demo-CRASS-ee-ya" and other voter-related themes in order to teach the ignorant masses about the values of the wonderful social state in which they have the privelege to live. In order to reach the masses, you have to sound like them, thought this ad's creator.
And what about jingles?
First of all, why bother with jingles when you can steal a song from Ricky Martin or whomever is 'de moda' this week and use it for your radio ads? Like that ad that starts with Aleks' Synteks song "Lo Que Tu Necesitas". I'm sure that when Aleks Syntek wrote the song he was not thinking of your party needs and that you can find everything for your next party at Dulceria JoJo's in downtown Merida. There is no motivation, here in the Cultural Capital of the Americas, to crank up the cerebro and try to come up with some sort of original jingle.
Hire someone? Forget it - that costs money -and Yucatecan businesses are notoriously frugal, to the point of self-destruction, IMHO. Does anyone remember that flawed attempt at originality - the Chicken Express jingle? It was certainly original. It would seem that anybody with a loose finger and a Casio organ can invent little tunes that are then passed off as commercial jingles. Excuse me, is laughter permitted? Pardon me while I guffaw. But hey, these little tunes are inexpensive - and that's the main consideration, it seems.
There's a saying that goes something like this: "Every society has the government it deserves". I think radio is much the same, and Merida's is still in its infancy, in spite of the city being the much-touted Cultural Capital of the Americas.
Have yourself a listen and decide for yourself!
* This month's Manuel and Guadalupe's ad features Guadalupe saying to her husband Manuel that they are buying shoes for all their nephews and nieces graduation festivities. She says that they go to Capri, where they can spend only a little and look good. This is an important reason to give a gift for many Yucatecans; it is of little significance if the recipient will like, enjoy or even need the present. It is much more important to look good, and if that can be achieved for just a few pesos; all the better!
