Posted by Elena del Valle on July 15, 2011
Rango DVD Blu-Ray cover
Photos: Paramount Home Entertainment
The voice of carefree star of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise and a cast of other voices like Bill Nighy and Alfred Molina star in Rango, a quirky unexpectedly surprising movie. The animated comedy was released in theaters earlier this year and is due to be released on DVD and Blu-Ray today from Paramount Home Entertainment. The 107-minute film rated PG for rude humor, language, action and smoking sells for $39.99 for the Blu-Ray and DVD combo and $29.99 for the DVD. Scroll down to watch a video clip of Rango.
Johnny Depp voices Rango, a chameleon living as an ordinary family pet who dreams of being a fearless hero and through twists of fate becomes the sheriff of Dirt, a lawless desert town. Directed by Gore Verbinski, the man behind the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise the film already earned more than $230 million worldwide. Voices in the film include Isla Fisher (Horton Hears A Who!), Abigail Breslin (Kit Kittredge: An American Girl), Ned Beatty (Toy Story 3), Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2), Bill Nighy (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1), Harry Dean Stanton, (“Big Love”), Ray Winstone (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) and Timothy Olyphant (“Justified”).
Jake the rattlesnake in Rango
The Rango Blu-ray/DVD Combo with Digital Copy features the theatrical version of the film and an extended cut including an alternate ending, a two-part, in-depth exploration of the film making process, deleted scenes, a look at the creatures of Dirt, and an interactive field trip to Dirt. The film is presented in 1080p high definition with English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles. The DVD is in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with Dolby Digital English 5.1 Surround and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.
Paramount Home Entertainment (PHE) is part of Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment and a unit of Viacom. PHE handles sales, marketing and distribution of home entertainment products for Paramount Pictures, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, Paramount Famous Productions, Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, CBS and PBS.
Posted by Elena del Valle on April 20, 2011
By Eric Granof
Chief marketing officer
ExpertBail
Eric Granof, chief marketing officer, ExpertBail
Photos and video: ExpertBail
Building a brand is never an easy challenge, but doing so in the context of an industry that already has a negative image, can be nothing short of daunting. Add to this, an extremely popular television program that supports the negative stereotype and even worse, a long history of Hollywood romanticizing and perpetuating the negative stereotype of your industry and you can begin to see the complexity and magnitude of the challenge that our team at AIA, the nation’s largest underwriter of bail bonds, was faced with only 7 short months ago when we launched ExpertBail.
The bail bond industry is a very interesting one. Not only has it been misrepresented by the media, but it is also extremely misunderstood by the average person on the street. This is probably due to the fact that most people don’t ever expect or plan on needing a bail bond. So when they do need one, the experience is preceded with fear and uncertainty. We felt it was time to eliminate those negative feelings and replace them with new ones of trust, hope and confidence.
Click to read the entire article With video – Building a Brand and Breaking a Stereotype
Posted by Elena del Valle on April 8, 2011
Johnny Depp and Penelope Cruz in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
Photos: Disney Enterprises, Inc., Peter Mountain
Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp are at it again. Next month a fourth Pirates of the Caribbean movie will hit theaters nationwide. This time Penélope Cruz, the increasingly popular Spanish actress has joined the infamous pirate troublemakers. Click below to see two videos in English with previews of the film Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides.
Pirates of the Caribbean 2011 poster in Spanish
Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow
The skull often seen representing The Pirates of the Caribbean franchise was transformed for the latest film to include a mysterious X scar on the left side of the face, new beads, a pearl in the gold front tooth, blond streaks in the hair, skeletons hanging from the last trinket on the beaded dreadlock, a hidden Mickey on the left dreadlock and swimming mermaids engraved on the hand guard of the right sword.
Pirates of the Caribbean – click to enlarge
The Skull features the red bandana Captain Jack Sparrow wore in all the films of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. According to promotional materials red was a popular color with pirates, who preferred more colorful dress; it was also a color synonymous with “giving no quarter.”
The crossed swords, or pirates’ cutlasses, purportedly have a special meaning: When the crossed swords face upward, they indicate readiness for battle. When the swords point downward, they signify the end of conflict. Down-pointing crossed swords are a common military symbol on graves or memorials signifying death in battle. On the teaser poster the swords are pointing downward.
Posted by Elena del Valle on December 6, 2010
A scene from the PSA
Photos, video: Adrenalina
Compared to parents of other racial and ethnic groups Hispanic parents are less likely to talk with their children about the risks of drug and alcohol use. About 88 percent of Latino parents talk with their children while 94 percent of African American and 92 percent of Caucasian parents do, according to a 2008 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study. Among the 35 million families in the country with children ages 9-17, nearly 7 million Hispanic families with children in that age group are considered at risk for abusing drugs and alcohol, according to the Partnership at Drugfree.org.
Although in past years the Partnership at Drugfree.org has teamed up with several ad agencies to target Spanish speaking Americans, this year the non profit organization announced an Habla Con Tus Hijos (Talk with your Kids) ad; the first effort designed to build on the nonprofit organization’s Habla Con Tus Hijos initiative, a Spanish-language website and educational campaign aimed at encouraging parents to have frequent conversations with their kids about the risks of drug and alcohol use. Scroll down to watch the video in Spanish.
The series of 15- and 30-second TV and radio spots in Spanish developed by Adrenalina, a New York ad agency with Hispanic market capabilities, showcases a common neighborhood where everyone points to the neighbor’s kid as the source of local drug problems.
“Talking to your kids about drugs isn’t easy for any parent. The message of this campaign is that today it’s imperative,” said Victor Zeiris, creative director, Adrenalina. “This campaign addresses the problem of denial that’s prevalent in our communities. Two key themes of the creative work are to bring this issue to the forefront and to emphasize the importance of prevention.”
A scene from the PSA
El Hijo del Vecino (Spanish for the neighbor’s child) is meant to illustrate that kids are more exposed to drugs than their parents think and to encourage parents to take an active role protecting their children from drugs. The idea is to help them understand that a problem with the neighbor’s kid can easily become their own problem.
In the ads, the characters ignore what organizers believe is the obvious: that drugs in a community are everybody’s problem emphasizing “Asumir que es el problema de otros es el problema” (“Assuming that it’s somebody else’s problem, is the problem.”)
“We expect that this campaign will strike a chord with Hispanic parents who may not grasp that their kids are just as likely to be exposed to drugs as other people’s kids,” said Caryn Pace, deputy director of creative development, the Partnership at Drugfree.org, by email.
The Partnership began airing Spanish language public service announcements in the late 1990’s in print and broadcast. In 2009, the organization launched online resources for the Spanish-speaking community. Although initially there was a greater response with television messages, in 2010 marketers began to see high CTR’s (click-through-rates) for online ads leading to the continuation of its Hispanic digital program.
In 2009, the Partnership launched Habla Con Tus Hijos, its Spanish-language resource for parents and caregivers. The staff plans for 2011 include increasing the scale of content available to Spanish speakers and aligning with Hispanic partners in the public health and media fields to increase the reach of its message and content to target audiences.
“The Partnership at Drugfree.org reaches out to the Latino community in both Spanish and English. We are cognizant that there are many Hispanic parents whose first language is Spanish and therefore prefer to receive their information in that language. Demographically, there are millions of parents who identify as Hispanic/Latino and are fully acculturated, having been born/raised in the U.S., and prefer to receive health information in English,” said Roselena Martinez, marketing/communications manager, the Partnership at Drugfree.org, when asked about the organization’s outreach efforts to Latinos.
“As a result, we communicate with Hispanic parents in both English and Spanish, and our goal with our Spanish messaging is that it be more sensitive to culturally appropriate issues that predominantly Spanish-speaking parents may face, such as lack of understanding of American slang names for drugs, for example. The Spanish-speaking segment of our target audience(s) has responded positively in the past few years as we have created campaigns that are reaching out to Latino parents with cultural sensitivity, responding to real issues that Hispanic parents are facing that are often unique to them, when compared to other demographic groups.”
Eleven members of Adrenalina worked on the ad which was filmed in suburban Los Angeles. The target audience for this initiative is bicultural and less acculturated Spanish-dominant Hispanic parents 37-years-old, on average, with tweens and teens ages 9-14. The TV spots were directed by Simon Bross, with production work provided by Cortez Brothers, Los Angeles, and edited via Bross. Production work for the radio spots was provided by Mixology Lab, New York. All creative work by Adrenalina and its agency partners was produced pro bono. The Partnership at Drugfree.org is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help parents “prevent, intervene in and find treatment for drug and alcohol use by their children.”
Posted by Elena del Valle on October 25, 2010
Click to enlarge
Photos: United States Marine Corps
Last month, the United States Marine Corps ( (USMC) launched Family Values, its first Hispanic Heritage Month promotional campaign consisting of snippets of testimonials and profiles of American citizens with backgrounds from Mexico and Puerto Rico. The idea behind it was “to celebrate the strong positive ideals shared by Hispanic Americans and the Marine Corps” through the personal testimonials of Latino men and women currently serving in the Marine Corps.
According to Wikipedia Hispanics account for 18 percent of enlisted Marines today. The site indicates 13 Hispanic Marines, such as France Silva and Guy Gabaldon (see WWII hero to be recognized in documentary to be released April 8), have received the Medal of Honor. A 2004 report, Recruiting Hispanics: The Marine Corps Experience Final Report by Anita U. Hattiangadi, Gary Lee, and Aline O. Quester of the Center for Naval Analyses, the Marine Corps has been very successful recruiting Hispanics.
The Family Values multimedia campaign had print and radio public service announcement extensions and was scheduled to appear on YouTube and Facebook. It included banners and Web page takeovers on ESPN.com, MLB.com, NFL.com and MySpace.com from September 15, 2010 through October 15, 2010. Scroll down to watch a video clip of the Family Values campaign.
Captain Hernandez
“The ideals of honor, courage and commitment are not exclusive to the Marine Corps,” said Lieutenant Colonel Darrin Kazlauskas, assistant chief of staff for advertising, Marine Corps Recruiting Command. “Hispanic American families, like all great families, instill these values so that each generation can move forward and become positive members of their communities. We are proud to serve with all our Marine brothers and sisters who hold these values in high esteem.”
Through Family Values the Marine Corps set out to offer the public a window into the personal lives of the Hispanic Marines profiled in the ads with the intent of leading the audience to believe that there are ways in which the fundamental values of Hispanic Americans and the Marine Corps are one.
Gunny Sergeant Acero and Major Cortes
The concept development of the campaign, created jointly by the United States Marine Corps and UniWorld Group, commenced in April of this year. A spokesperson declined to identify a target profile or share details regarding the human or budget resources assigned to the project.
“We have seen traction of the media materials, especially the video content on key websites such as YouTube. Our Facebook threads have also generated positive comments from our fans and followers. We have been pleased with the campaign and believe that it is working to create a positive public dialogue about the supreme ‘call to service’ and the individuals who accept that call,” said a campaign representative by email in response to a question about campaign measurement efforts.
The Marine Corps executes a Black History Month campaign annually. This year’s BHM campaign was entitled, The Line, and traced the history of African Americans within the Marine Corps. The visual mechanism used in The Line was the blood-stripe or red piping located on Marine uniforms. That campaign included a TV spot, print ads, banner ads, a radio spot and a dedicated website.
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Posted by Elena del Valle on October 22, 2010
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue Blu-ray/DVD Combo Pack cover
Photos: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
Early this year Walt Disney Studios released Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue, a 77-minute animated film in English, Spanish and French. The original movie was released in late September 2010 in a blu-ray and DVD combo pack. The Spanish version of the film is narrated by Mexican telenovela actress Dominika Paleta. Additionally, Mexican actress and singer Iran Castillo recorded songs for the film. Scroll down to watch video clips in English and Spanish of Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue.
Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue is about the famous fairy’s first encounter with a human, a little girl in the English countryside. The story takes place while Lizzy and her father, an academic type, are in the country. The young girl is a fan of fairies and of course her father discounts them as the subject of fiction. After a slightly bumpy first meeting Lizzy and Tink, as she is called by her friends, develop a special bond. A misunderstanding leads her friends to believe the blond fairy is in danger and they mount a rescue in the midst of a summer shower, a difficult time for fairies because when their wings get wet they cannot fly. After a few adventures all ends well.
Dominika Paleta
Dominika Paleta Paciorek de Ibarra (born October 23, 1972, in Kraków, Poland) is a Polish-Mexican actress. She is the daughter of a Polish violinist Zbigniew Paleta and art teacher Barbara Paciorek Paleta, and the sister of actress Ludwika Paleta.
Dominika has starred in several telenovelas (Spanish language serialized programs) including La Usurpadora, El Alma Herida, Por Un Beso, La Intrusa, Los Plateados and Mañana es para siempre. The actress, who studied art history at the Universidad Iberoamericana de México, and is fluent in Spanish, English and Polish. She is married to actor Fabián Ibarra and has two daughters, Maria and Altana.
Produced by DisneyToon Studios the film is priced at $29.99 DVD and $39.99 for the Blu-ray Combo Pack. The Disney Fairies franchise was built around the popularity of Tinker Bell. Disney also introduced Tinker Bell’s fairy friends Fawn, Iridessa, Rosetta and Silvermist. The billion dollar franchise boasts a thriving publishing and lifestyle merchandising program.
To date, over 675 Disney Fairies and Tinker Bell titles have been published in 57 countries and 31 languages, selling nearly 30 million copies; Disney Fairies magazines have sold over 7.5 million copies in 28 countries and an array of products from apparel and toys to electronics, home décor and stationery across the globe.
The website, DisneyFairies.com, is available in more than 20 territories across North America, Latin America, and Asia Pacific. Following the success of Walt Disney Pictures Tinker Bell on Disney Blu-ray and hi-def DVD, Disney released Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure in 2009 as the second title in the series.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 19, 2010
A scene in Papas Brujería
Photos, videos: Heineken USA
Heineken USA is relying on Mexican humor and folklore to win the loyalty of Mexican Newcomer consumers, Mexican men between 21 and 34 years of age living in the United States less than 10 years. The beer maker recently launched Tecate Light Papas, a broadcast, out-of-home and retail marketing campaign, including three Spanish language 30-second ads filmed and produced in Mexico City, Mexico, for Tecate Light. Scroll down to watch the three ads in Spanish.
The Tecate Light Papas television commercials, which took three months to film and produce in Mexico, are scheduled to air concurrently from May to September 2010 on Univision, Telemundo, Azteca America and Estrella TV in markets where the beer is available, including Arizona, California, and Texas.
Christian McMahan, chief marketing officer, Heineken USA
“With this installment of Tecate Light’s Papás campaign, we’re creating continuity of two characters that connect emotionally with the brand’s core consumer, Mexican men making a living in the U.S. Most importantly, by incorporating humoristic and visual elements that only they would understand, Tecate Light is further positioned as an authentic Mexican light cerveza that offers them much more than just another light beer option,” said Christian McMahan, chief marketing officer, Heineken USA.
The three spots, peppered with Mexican slang, humor and culture and the brand tagline “Por los que quieren más” (“For those who want more”), feature two Mexican parents whose son, José, lives in the United States and drinks light beers that, according to the ads, don’t compare to the flavor of Tecate Light.
A scene in Papas Garrafon
In one of the ads, for example, the mother, who believes that her son has been cursed into drinking other brands, performs a limpia, or a cleansing, on his portrait. In the second commercial, the parents become clearly agitated as the local water boy walks by the house offering his services, reminding them that their son prefers watered down beers.
A scene in Papas Gringos, the third ad with replacement parents
In the third ad an American couple pretend to be José’s parents and talk to him in a heavily-accented Spanish. Soon his real mother and father appear saying “Since you keep drinking light beer from over there, does it mean you’re also looking to replace us?” The ad closes with the American and Mexican dads comparing their pronunciation of light beer.
The three commercials were directed by Simón Bross, who also help create Tecate’s Anthem 3 campaign released in April 2010 (see Heineken launches new Tecate Spanish language ad campaign targeting men 21 to 34). Adrenalina, the brand’s advertising agency, created the ads; Media Vest’s MV42 Degrees handled the media buy.
Manuel Wernicky, president, Adrenalina
“The Papás have become iconic characters who represent the different mindsets newcomers experience as they straddle two worlds,” said Manuel Wernicky, president, chief ideas officer and managing partner, Adrenalina.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 7, 2010
Memo Ochoa in an Allstate campaign ad – click on image to enlarge
Photo, videos: Allstate
Allstate wants to win over 18 to 49 year old men who prefer to watch television in Spanish. Toward that end representatives of the Illinois based insurance company dedicated several weeks to filming (and producing) two 30-second Spanish language television commercials in Mexico City, Mexico. Scroll down to watch the two ads, Gloves and Wall, in Spanish.
Work on the ads for an undisclosed budget was the responsibility of several people from Lapiz (production), White House (editing), Absolute Post (post production), CO3 (transfer), Human (music), and Another Country (sound design). Lapiz, under the creative direction of Javier Osorio and Eduardo Cintron, led the conception and production of the TV commercials. Briton Gerard de Thame was in charge of the direction.
The commercials are airing through the World Cup and beyond on Univision, Telemundo, Galavision, Telefutura, TV Azteca, and all their affiliates as well as ESPN and its affiliates. The spots should also stream online on major Spanish language sports sites and ESPN.com.
Gloves first aired May 2010 while the Mexican National Team played in a series of friendly matches throughout the United States. Wall made its debut during the start of the World Cup on June 11, 2010.
According to an Allstate representative, the company that provides insurance products to more than 17 million households has been the exclusive sponsor of the Mexican National Team for the past four years. During that time, Allstate representatives have developed several television ads with a soccer theme including some that have featured Memo Ochoa (Francisco Guillermo Ochoa Magaña), a Mexican football goalkeeper. Although the Mexican National Team is based in Mexico every year they play friendly matches in the United States. Allstate executives hope to take advantage of the game’s popularity to expand the insurance brand among team fans.
Marketers at the insurer believe the ads have resonated well with fans of the Mexican National Team, the sport in general, and among the general Hispanic population in the United States. Allstate also developed print, radio and online advertising in support of this program, linking to its soccer communication platform: Proteccion es la jugada (Protection is our game).
As part of the campaign, Luis Roberto Alves “Zague,” a former Mexican footballer, is scheduled to twitter live from South Africa throughout the World Cup and share blog entries in an interactive website, proteccioneslajugada.com. Through the site it is possible to send messages “via the bleachers,” orchestrate team chants, customize a soccer ball, and place Memo Ochoa’s hair on personal photos.
The Allstate Financial Group, founded in 1931 as part of Sears, Roebuck & Co., sells life and supplemental accident and health insurance, annuity, banking and retirement insurance to individuals and companies through company owned and independent agencies, financial institutions and broker-dealers. According to the company website (KeyMetrics 2009), 27.4 percent of its employees are minority members divided as follows: 16.2 percent of its employees are African American, 8.3 percent are Hispanic, 4.3 percent are Asian and .4 percent are Native American. When it comes to officers and managers the company workforces is 21 percent diverse: 8.6 African American, 7 percent Hispanic, 3.6 percent Asian and .5 percent Native American. In 2009, there was one African American on the company board of directors.
Posted by Elena del Valle on July 2, 2010
Nicolas Cage and Jay Baruchel in a scene in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Photos, video: Abbot Genser, Walt Disney Pictures, Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Last month, Walt Disney Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films released Prince of Persia the Sands of Time (see Watch video – Bruckheimer, Disney release Middle Eastern themed adventure movie). They are at it again. On July 16, 2010 they will release yet another remake of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. Directed by Jon Turteltaub the movie stars Nicolas Cage, Jay Baruchel, Alfred Molina, Teresa Palmer, Monica Bellucci and Toby Kebbell. The publicity staff released few details and made no advance copies available for screening. Scroll down to watch a trailer.
According to the Internet Movie Database, the movie was filmed in Brooklyn, New York City, and Bryant Park, Manhattan. Those with a long memory may recall the nine-minute segment by the same name in Fantasia, Disney’s well known animated eight part feature set to classical music and produced in the 1930s. The story itself was derived from Goethe’s poem Der Zauberlehrling. In it wizard Yen Sid’s lazy assistant tries to work magic to avoid chores. He gets into trouble because he does not know how to properly control the magic he sets into motion.
In 1980 there was a 22-minute Sorcerer’s Apprentice animated film narrated by Vincent Price. In 2002, there was another film by the same title starring Robert Dav and Kelly LeBrock. Cage and Bruckheimer have a history of working together. This is Cage’s seventh collaboration with the producer following The Rock, Con Air, Gone in 60 Seconds, National Treasure, National Treasure: Book of Secrets and G-Force.
Official poster of the film – click on image to enlarge
In the movie, Dave (Jay Baruchel) appears to be an average college student until Balthazar Blake (Nicolas Cage), a sorcerer, recruits him as his reluctant assistant. This is followed swiftly by a crash course in magic. Of course it couldn’t be all fun and no danger. Dave has to battle the forces of darkness, in Manhattan, relying on courage he didn’t know he had to survive his training, save the city and get the girl.
Posted by Elena del Valle on June 25, 2010
A scene from The Last Airbender – click on image to enlarge
Photos, video: Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon Movies
The Last Airbende is an avatar able to manipulate the four elements, Air, Water, Earth, and Fire in the hopes of restoring balance to his war torn world. That’s a heavy burden for a young boy to carry. It is no wonder the story is from children’s television. M. Night Shyamalan wrote, produced, directed and converted an animated Nickelodeon TV series into an action film starring Dev Patel, Jackson Rathbone, Nicola Peltz, Cliff Curtis, Shaun Toub, Aasif Mandvi and Noah Ringer. The Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies film opens in theaters nationwide July 1, 2010. Scroll down to see a trailer.
A scene from The Last Airbender – click on image to enlarge
In this first film of the story Aang (Noah Ringer) is caught in the middle of a struggle between his world’s four nations when the Fire Nation declares war against the others. After a century without hope Aang discovers he is the lone Avatar who can manipulate the four elements. The hairless young boy teams up with Katara (Nicola Peltz), a Waterbender, and her brother, Sokka (Jackson Rathbone), to find a way toward peace.
Manoj Nelliattu Shyamalan, known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, is an Academy Award-nominated Indian American film writer, director, and producer. He is best known for the 1999 film The Sixth Sense, starring Bruce Willis and Haley Joel Osment, which grossed $600 million worldwide.
