Chocolate on my Bacon Please.

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Note: There's a poll at the end of this blog post that's fun, fast and free! 


Bring on the fried Oreos! Hey, did you know that they’re grown in fields? Yeah, I didn’t know either. It’s all part of a new advertising campaign for the Orange County, California fair.


Now, I usually don’t have the TV on during working hours. Correction. I do listen to music on Sirius/XM via my TV. However a few days ago I was a bit under the weather and actually viewed TV. And saw this:

How wholesome! So now we’re bringing on the bacon as a compelling reason to visit the fair! 


What happened to pig races, goats that look bored, squirting water in clown’s mouths to pop balloons, rides that make you squeal with delight and art exhibits? 


The heck with all that. It’s about adventurous, unusual, taste bud tantalizing calories! Seriously though, it sure seems that outrageous food is now among the top ten reasons of why you go there. Go ahead; try some fried Kool-Aid. It’s only once a year, right?


The advertising is brilliant! Yes, we know it’s not a tradition for generations to grow these concoctions in the field. And the powdered sugar “snowfall” reminds us of the by gone days of hazards related to caring for those crops while harvesting funnel cakes! Sadly, most of the Orange County fields where chocolate covered bacon and honey dipped corn dogs are “grown” now sport housing communities that require checking in with a guard at the gate.


But on a more positive note, at least the fair still exists.  Was a bit iffy a couple of years ago. That land is valuable! I recall an amusement park I enjoyed on the east coast as a kid, Palisades Amusement Park, suffered the fate that the Orange County Fair has managed to avoid.  


The Orange County fairgrounds boast oodles of history. One of the highlights for me is entering one of the oldest buildings there (from the 1940’s) and exploring the historic exhibit that focuses on a particular aspect of the fair.  It’s a fast 15 minutes back in time before closely built together properties became the norm in the county. This exhibit is the least crowded; a downright shame.


Note: Not putting down development; if there are more people then more housing, shopping, entertainment, and industry is required.


Now back to that spot. It works on several levels. 

• They're spoofing themselves.
• The humor works.
• You DO want to see it again (at least I did, so I immediately went to YouTube)
• Admit it. You DO want to eat at least ONE of the foods in the spot.
• The field COULD BE in Irvine. Yeah, I know, they don’t mention locally grown.
• The star of the spot is believable. There’s an aura of realism about him even as he spews out utter nonsense with a “Southern” accent.
• Attention to detail. In the past: “dated” clothing on the father, the father’s crude harvesting machine, and eye protective spectacles.  In the present: The rusty tractor, “Farmer jeans” and flannel shirt on the main character, rolling green fields. You almost want to be there assisting with the harvest.
• You don’t expect it but you're not missing the rides and the farm animals.

One little correction: A voiceover at the end of the spot states that the fair is on NOW. It’s not. Luckily, there is a visual with the correct dates. It opens July 13. Can’t wait! 


Well, you don’t have to wait. Click here to voice your favorite fair food and please don't have a coronary!


Oh, and ...say hello! There's the website, Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ ...I'll say Hi back.

Music, Jingles, Commercials, and You.

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We all move to it; groove to it, and some of us sing along to it (guilty as charged). Do you ever go through a day without hearing music? 


On the radio. On the TV. On the internet. On your ipod or other mp3 device. In the car. In the grocery store. 


So unless you’re living in a cave in the woods somewhere or if, unfortunately, you cannot hear, music creeps into your life.


Music. It’s an advertising dream. Jingle writing can lead to a big musical career; hello Barry Manilow! He is credited with several famous jingles including “Stuck on Band-Aid” and “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there”. 


And, let’s not deny it. You remember “jingles” from when you were a kid. The song for Palisades Amusement Park is embedded in my brain forever as well as the Oscar Mayer jingle. Heck, I even remember catchy cigarette jingles: Winston or Salem anyone? Note: Despite enjoying the jingles as a kid, I’ve never smoked.


Music certainly helps you remember a product, doesn’t it? Nowadays, use of a song in a commercial can even launch a band. Remember the Mitsubishi Eclipse TV spot with a snippet of Days Gone By by Dirty Vegas? While the group went on to have a hit, the car brand stalled. But the ad did get our attention! 

Let’s go back to the Oscar Meyer ad from the mid-sixties. A hot dog (okay, a weiner). A cartoon. A catchy tune. Of course us kids are going to like it! We became ambassadors of the brand; recognizing it while shopping with our moms and pointing at the product in an effort to make her buy it. Music was the icing on the cake that made the product memorable in our young minds as well as the yellow Oscar Mayer packaging, a color that kids are typically drawn to. Those Mad Men had a winning blend there.


Oscar Meyer had yet another “hit” in the early 70’s when a curly haired boy sang a song about bologna. No baloney. Another success using the same formula.

I have to admit that a commercial with a catchy tune influenced me very much in my choice of pants. Growing up before the introduction of designer jeans meant that denim choices were mainly between Levis, Lees, and Wranglers. While I loved my first pair of Lees, which were taken away from me and tossed when they became ratty, I later gravitated to all the variety that Levis brought, including cords and brushed denim.  Thank you to whoever is responsible for that commercial.


What jingles are memorable to you? 


This is M in the Blogging A to Z Challenge. 
Here’s K and L.


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