ComputerHunter.org

 

Who is Juan Valdez?


Juan Valdez is a fictitious character who was created in 1959 to represent the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Columbia, founded in 1926.

He is one of the most familiar faces in the advertising world, with his moustache, sombrero, poncho and his faithful mule, Lana.

In the first commercials, Juan Valdez used to wander around in the coffee fields, picking the ripe coffee berries with his hands. He was a romantic representative of thousands of Colombian "cafeteros", or "caficultores". At the same time, his image drew a great deal of criticism on its road to success.

The real cafetero in the early days of Juan Valdez lived in dire poverty. Anti-government guerrillas and narcotics traffickers endangered his already insecure life. Poisonous DDT was sprayed on his coffee fields, often, shockingly, while he and other cafeteros were at work. The National Federation failed to represent these horrors.

In later ads, Juan Valdez moved from the coffee fields to the American housewife's kitchen, handing her a personalized bag of freshly processed coffee beans.

In TV commercials, Juan Valdez was first played by actor Jose Duval. Because Duval was no longer felt to be representative, Carlos Sanchez of Medellin took his place in 1969. In the 1980s, the Juan Valdez commercials used Rolls Royce cars and luxury residences. In the 1990s, a new slogan was devised: Grab life by the beans. Dynamic pictures showed Juan Valdez surfing or snowboarding. In the late nineties, however, Juan Valdez disappeared from the public eye for several years. The Colombian government had drastically cut back on advertising.

In 2000, Juan Valdez, in the person of Carlos Sanchez, reappeared. Andres Pastrana, President of Columbia, awarded him the silver cross medal for national merit.

In December of that year, the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia opened its first "Juan Valdez" Coffee shop in Bogota airport. Juan Valdez appeared in the movie "Bruce Almighty" at a cost to the Federation of $1,5 million.

At the time of writing (2004), the symbol of Columbian coffee is trying to make a breakthrough into North America. The first "Juan Valdez" coffee house was opened in September 2004 in Washington, and the second, one month later, in New York.

Ultimately, Juan Valdez is aiming at Seattle, the heart of American coffee-making. Starbucks officials stated they do not feel threatened by the famous moustache man. Gabriel Silva, manager of the Columbian Federation, said in return that the Federation would not go as far as having 8,000 or 10,000 Juan Valdez outlets, as their competition intends.

Iulia Pascanu writes for http://www.madcoffeemaker.com where you can find more information about The Mad Coffee Maker

Please feel free to use this article in your Newsletter or on your website. If you use this article, please include the resource box and send a brief message to let me know where it appeared. mailto: iuliap@gmail.com







Google News - Top Stories

Economist

Unemployment Rate Rises to 6.1%
New York Times - 1 hour ago
By MICHAEL M. GRYNBAUM The unemployment rate jumped to 6.1 percent in August, its highest level in five years, as the erosion of the job market accelerated over the summer.
Jobless rate at 5-year high Reuters
American jobs Postpone the optimism Economist
CNNMoney.com - Wall Street Journal - MarketWatch - YubaNet
all 686 news articles


Aljazeera.net

Rice lands in Libya on historic visit
CNN International - 32 minutes ago
Rice will hold a landmark meeting with leader Moammar Gadhafi, once dubbed by President Ronald Reagan as "the mad dog the Middle East.
Video: Inside Story - Rice visits Libya - 03 Sep 08 - Part 1 AlJazeeraEnglish
Libya: Rice Makes Historic Visit to Gaddafi AllAfrica.com
Bloomberg - Aljazeera.net - The Associated Press - New York Times
all 855 news articles


Voice of America

Review: McCain can't match week's best speeches
The Associated Press - 1 hour ago
NEW YORK (AP) - After back-to-back convention weeks with some soaring oratory and flawless television productions, John McCain's crowning night had neither.
Video: Reactions To McCain's Speech CBS
McCain puts nation above party Pueblo Chieftain
Binghamton University Pipe Dream - Boston Globe - Daily Democrat - The Register-Guard
all 2,334 news articles


Boston Globe

Hanna Charging Towards Carolina Coast
Washington Post - 1 hour ago
At 11 am, the center of Tropical Storm Hanna was about 375 miles south-southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, and expected to make landfall along the northern South Carolina coast tonight before tracking north and then northeast toward the Chesapeake ...
Video: Hanna Eyes Coast, Ike Possibly Following AssociatedPress
Hanna toting 4 to 7 inches of rain; 10 in spots Baltimore Sun
The Associated Press - Bloomberg - Swissinfo - WLOS
all 3,844 news articles


BBC News

Pakistani Lawmakers Set to Elect Next President
Voice of America - 45 minutes ago
By VOA News Pakistani lawmakers are set to hold presidential elections, in which the widower of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto is expected to win.
Asif Zardari lived in Benazir Bhutto's shadow BBC News
Pakistan parties begin final push for presidential votes AFP
International Herald Tribune - guardian.co.uk - Aljazeera.net - The Associated Press
all 1,392 news articles

Google
 

Copyright © 2006 Computer Hunter - A Division of Arthur´s Job Base