MultiCultClassics had almost forgotten the news last April that Jarritos, a Mexican soft drink popular with Latinos in the U.S., would be marketed to non-Latinos via advertising by GSD&M. Even crosscultural cult leader Ken Muench wondered about the decision to pass over a Latino shop in favor of the Austin-based White agency. How would the brand be handled by those wonderful folks who gave you Annie the Chicken Queen?
Well, nearly six months later, the answer has arrived (and during National Hispanic Heritage Month!). The campaign features multiple components across lots of media, with a tagline that reads, “We’re Not From Here”—which pretty much summarizes the cultural cluelessness of GSD&M. For example, the website homepage (above) looks like a junior art director spent an afternoon doing Google searches of Mexican art.
Jarrito’s new TV commercials are worth examining—especially the spot titled, “Boomerang.” The main character is a stereotypical Mexican who is one burro shy of being the original Juan Valdez. He shows up in various settings, offering samples of Jarritos to people passing by. When folks opt against accepting the free taste, odd individuals stage “involuntary trials,” forcing the beverage on the rejecters. In “Boomerang,” someone appearing to be an Indigenous Australian delivers the drink with a boomerang. Oh, there must have been lots of knee-slapping giggles happening on the production set of this mess.
Looking forward to the inevitable showdown between the Mexican guy with his Jarritos and Annie the Chicken Queen with her Fresh Brewed Cane Sweeeet Tea.
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