old el paso advertising

I have been meaning to write about old el paso for awhile. Mostly because I want to write something positive for once about marketing and advertising.

The old el paso flat bottom taco advertising campaign is brilliantly simple (and simply brilliant).TacoShell

It has a couple of below the line less than obvious components that really take the idea to a higher level.

Solving a problem.

Heck. I don’t know if making my taco stand up is a real problem or not but if someone is speaking Spanish and I am in Middle America than … well  … I would assume it is something that keeps them up at night.

Big problem.

Maybe I won’t even buy this product until they solve this issue dammit.

Oh. An advertising campaign all in Spanish (with subtitles).

Wow. Authentic? Heck. I don’t know but I think so.

The simplicity of the solution offered by a new generation. Gosh. Everyone loves it. It’s not just that a kid with a simple thought can solve what was an apparent centuries old problem but rather that a new generation is able to see through honored tradition that those stupid adults (and past ‘stuck in archaic thinking’ generations) were blinded by to see a fundamental functional solution.

Awesome. “Out of the mouth of babes” as they say.

And the production of the execution. It’s the juxtaposition of all the elements which is awesome.

The adult conversational delivery of the problem. (let’s call this a simple build)

The innocence of a child offering a solution (in a subtitle).

Silence.

A moment of silence as everyone contemplates the solution. A moment as the simplicity of the solution slices through generations of adult traditional behavior to get to the core of what would actually be more useful.

Volume. Noise. Celebration.

The raising up of the volume to celebrate the idea (and the ideator) almost shouts that the solution is brilliant.

At the end of :30 even if you didn’t think that it was a great idea how could you not think it may be the greatest idea since the beer frig 12 pack box the way they are celebrating.

Even I, who doesn’t even eat this stuff, now take a second look as I wander the grocery store.

Awesome idea communicated in an awesome way.

It entertains. It educates.

It offers a solution to a problem (I wasn’t even sure I had).

It is delightful. And it seems authentic. And it is a great use of marketing and communicating an idea.

So. Here they are. And I included the :15 version because it is so well done also:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrbyVDMUT10&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3KXaF2_UzU&feature=related

(second is :15 second version)

Oops. Gotta go get some mexican food now.

Written by Bruce