What a great account of what Spanish culture means during las navidades. I knew about the 3 of course, but I didn't know so many of the old stories. And all this celebrity insight about those Freixenet ads! 😱 What a delight!
The Freixenet people really went above and beyond! There used to be so much expectation around the Christmas campaign each year and now it mostly goes unnoticed 🙃 But that was money well spent
That was so much fun, thank you! Special mention to the Freixenet ad with Penelope Cruz … 90 seconds of big budget TV advertising that just kept getting crazy in different ways.
Watching them all brought back memories of how much fun I used to have watching TV when I was abroad. The content on broadcast TV in the 90s had so much effort put into the production and such distinct feeling of local culture. Nostalgia!
Old TV ads were so chaotic! In a way they were a lot more authentic and definitely far more spontaneous.
I don't have a TV set now but I agree that watching ads is one of the best ways to get a sense of a country's interests and a taste of the local flavour (provided you can understand the language).
I remember being shocked at how supermarket ads in the UK were always about products that were cheaper than at a rival supermarket and included the prices at both on the ad. To me that was very aggressive as this is not something I had witnessed ever in any other country where I had access to a tv. However these ads really showed me in a few seconds the true essence of the UK: liberal capitalism above all.
He is (or was at least back in the day) what in Spain we would refer to as "un cani." It doesn't have an easy translation but most Spanish football players in big teams around Ramos' prime seemed to be similar: the big tattoos, the fancy hairstyles, the waxed eyebrows, the lack of culture... But he wasn't an exception at the time, I guess there was something that attracted certain profiles to the sport.
Oh no, sorry, cani can be confusing in English, I realise that now 😂 It doesn't have a clear equivalent but in terms of the kind of character it represents, if you google "que es un cani" and go to google images, you'll find plenty of examples, including an early picture of Sergio Ramos (before he polished up) of what a "cani" is from the aesthetic point of view. But the word also has the implication of someone with a particular music taste and usually a low cultural background. However, not speaking English has nothing to do with being a "cani" as most people in Spain don't speak English anyway (with the exception of very big cities or very touristy locations).
heyy he did a good job XD 'Morri Crisma and Japy Niu Yiar' (btw we, the neighbours, the soul cousins, have a 'first reaction shok' situation too when it comes to famous people speaking English hahaha)
I have many questions about the gordo ad, like why did they choose a non Spanish actor? Why did they not choose a fat guy? And most importantly what makes him so appealing that he became a hit? Also I wonder what the younger generation associates with Christmas these days as they don’t watch TV anymore. Anyway I’m looking forward to the Reyes parade on Sunday, it passes right outside my flat
I believe what they liked about him was that he was bald (shaved his head for another role) and that made him stand out among the candidates who went to the casting for the ad. He doesn't speak so I guess being from Spain wasn't really a requisite.
I remember watching the first ad he was in and it immediately felt right and perfect for the holidays, and soon people were talking about 'el calvo de la lotería' as if he had always been there. It's one of those rare occasions when a marketing campaign strikes on the bullseye and it's really impactful.
Enjoy the parade on Sunday, it's the best part of the whole Christmas celebrations!
My pleasure! I was talking about Roscón today with a friend and explaining to her how this is usually eaten on the night of the 5th after the parade of the Three Kings. I was also telling her how I may have eaten one all by myself back home 😂
Who can blame you, they are delicious! It’s a lovely tradition, I was excited about the fugurine/bean and who gets what))) I really liked the parades, looked like they were people-organized, kids dancing, very genuine and touching
That was my favourite part about the Christmas holidays: watching the parade and grabbing as many sweets as I could. I don’t know if they still do that, back in the day people got a bit competitive about it and I think they stopped it.
What a great account of what Spanish culture means during las navidades. I knew about the 3 of course, but I didn't know so many of the old stories. And all this celebrity insight about those Freixenet ads! 😱 What a delight!
And Spainsplanation...!! Genius 👏 👏
The Freixenet people really went above and beyond! There used to be so much expectation around the Christmas campaign each year and now it mostly goes unnoticed 🙃 But that was money well spent
Yes, for the years I've lived in Spain I didn't perceive it as *the* ad to wait for during the holidays..
When the 'calvo de la lotería' was introduced, there was a bit more of competition but yes, they both classics of the holidays.
That was so much fun, thank you! Special mention to the Freixenet ad with Penelope Cruz … 90 seconds of big budget TV advertising that just kept getting crazy in different ways.
Watching them all brought back memories of how much fun I used to have watching TV when I was abroad. The content on broadcast TV in the 90s had so much effort put into the production and such distinct feeling of local culture. Nostalgia!
Old TV ads were so chaotic! In a way they were a lot more authentic and definitely far more spontaneous.
I don't have a TV set now but I agree that watching ads is one of the best ways to get a sense of a country's interests and a taste of the local flavour (provided you can understand the language).
I remember being shocked at how supermarket ads in the UK were always about products that were cheaper than at a rival supermarket and included the prices at both on the ad. To me that was very aggressive as this is not something I had witnessed ever in any other country where I had access to a tv. However these ads really showed me in a few seconds the true essence of the UK: liberal capitalism above all.
Freely admit I once watched a documentary series about Sergio Ramos (I'd become fascinated by football). He seems quite...extra, doesn't he?
He is (or was at least back in the day) what in Spain we would refer to as "un cani." It doesn't have an easy translation but most Spanish football players in big teams around Ramos' prime seemed to be similar: the big tattoos, the fancy hairstyles, the waxed eyebrows, the lack of culture... But he wasn't an exception at the time, I guess there was something that attracted certain profiles to the sport.
A dog?
Oh no, sorry, cani can be confusing in English, I realise that now 😂 It doesn't have a clear equivalent but in terms of the kind of character it represents, if you google "que es un cani" and go to google images, you'll find plenty of examples, including an early picture of Sergio Ramos (before he polished up) of what a "cani" is from the aesthetic point of view. But the word also has the implication of someone with a particular music taste and usually a low cultural background. However, not speaking English has nothing to do with being a "cani" as most people in Spain don't speak English anyway (with the exception of very big cities or very touristy locations).
heyy he did a good job XD 'Morri Crisma and Japy Niu Yiar' (btw we, the neighbours, the soul cousins, have a 'first reaction shok' situation too when it comes to famous people speaking English hahaha)
"First reaction shok' is another excellent classic that lives rent free in my heart 😂😂😂- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzAr51s3g74
You get me
😉☺️
I have many questions about the gordo ad, like why did they choose a non Spanish actor? Why did they not choose a fat guy? And most importantly what makes him so appealing that he became a hit? Also I wonder what the younger generation associates with Christmas these days as they don’t watch TV anymore. Anyway I’m looking forward to the Reyes parade on Sunday, it passes right outside my flat
I believe what they liked about him was that he was bald (shaved his head for another role) and that made him stand out among the candidates who went to the casting for the ad. He doesn't speak so I guess being from Spain wasn't really a requisite.
I remember watching the first ad he was in and it immediately felt right and perfect for the holidays, and soon people were talking about 'el calvo de la lotería' as if he had always been there. It's one of those rare occasions when a marketing campaign strikes on the bullseye and it's really impactful.
Enjoy the parade on Sunday, it's the best part of the whole Christmas celebrations!
Thank you for this marvellous spainsplanation!
I loved the Roscón de Reyes with the bean and king situation inside on Three Kings day, and the parades in the street, so atmospheric!
My pleasure! I was talking about Roscón today with a friend and explaining to her how this is usually eaten on the night of the 5th after the parade of the Three Kings. I was also telling her how I may have eaten one all by myself back home 😂
Who can blame you, they are delicious! It’s a lovely tradition, I was excited about the fugurine/bean and who gets what))) I really liked the parades, looked like they were people-organized, kids dancing, very genuine and touching
That was my favourite part about the Christmas holidays: watching the parade and grabbing as many sweets as I could. I don’t know if they still do that, back in the day people got a bit competitive about it and I think they stopped it.
Also those Freixenet ads are wild 🍾
It’s a shame they ran out of money because they were a highlight of the holidays. It was so weird to see all these Hollywood actors advertising cava 🥂
Hope you had a very Morri Crisma
It was very morri indeed 😂
Thanks, I feel so much wiser now! You're the bomb in culture. Off to the pesebre which this years includes cable cars!
Cable cars? How has that happened? 😂