What about Juan Valdez?Written by Iulia Pascanu
Juan Valdez is a most popular figure in advertising world and symbol of Columbian 'cafetelero' since 1959.Juan Valdez is a fictious character created in 1959 to represent National Federation of Coffee Growers of Columbia (founded 1926). His appearance is one of steadiest in advertising world, including allmost mythical moustace, sombrero, poncho and a mule-companion called Lana. In first commercials, Juan Valdez used to wonder-around in coffee fields, picking with his hands ripe coffee cerries, meaning to be representative of those thousands Colombian 'cafeteros' (also called 'caficultores'). He managed to create a rather romantic figure of this guild, an immage that collected many critics on its road to success. The real situation of cafetero in early days of Juan Valdez was often described as dire poverty, insecurity of life because of guerillas and narco-traficants, not to mention DDT treatments of coffee fields, which sometimes came by surprise, when people were at work. However, a situation that Federation failed to represent. Further, Juan Valdez moved from farm to average woman's kitchen, personaly handing her a bag of - you can immagine - freshly processed coffee beans. In TV commercials, Juan Valdez was first embodied by actor Jose Duval (until 1969, when he was no more representative). Carlos Sanchez of Medellin took his place. In 1980's, Juan Valdez commercials used Rolls Royce cars and luxury home residences. In 1990's, a new campaign idea was released: 'grab life by beans', and Juan Valdez had plenty of those. He's prooven it in idilic frames with him surfing or snowboarding. In late nineties however, Juan Valdez dissapeard for several years from public attention, as Colombian government drastically cut on his advertising funds.
| | Five Instant Ways to Reduce Environmental Stress - Part TwoWritten by Ed Sykes
It’s time for part two of series to reduce environmental stress in your life. In Five Ways to Reduce Environmental Stress - Part One, I shared with you five ways you can immediately reduce stress by controlling your environment. Now I will share five additional ways for you to make a difference in your life, be more relaxed and productive, and reduce stress.The five ways are as follows: 1. Make Air Play Fair Control air humidity in your environment to a level that's comfortable for you. Too dry or very humid air can produce unpleasant environments. Air humidity can even produce various physical symptoms. Dehumidifiers can take control of air quality to make rooms feel more livable. You can acquire these portable humidifiers from any department or discount store. Must sure you acquire one with a “quiet” button to reduce noise when running. If needed, add a few plants to provide a bit of moisture. 2. Lose Clutter Rid yourself of all clutter that surrounds you. Improve your time management skills so that you can prioritize what “stuff” is important and what isn’t important. If you are not immediately working on an item, move it out of line of sight. Not only will your environment become more visually pleasing and relaxing, but you'll avoid stress of constantly searching for important items among excess. 3. Get Rid of Static noise Everyday we are experiencing “static” noise. Phones ringing, computers dinging, radios playing, TVs with “talking heads” playing, coworkers interrupting, etc., are all examples of static noises. These noises create stressors that impede our abilities to think and ultimately create work and life solutions. They also can take their toll over time on our moods and energy. Do what you can to reduce background and unwanted noise. Turn off radios and TVs when not using them with purpose. Reduce or turn off all computer noises if they are not necessary. Use noise reduction materials such as partitions, curtains, etc., to quiet your environment. When you can, take a “silence is golden” break in a quiet room to recharge your emotional and mental batteries.
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