I'm back...well almost

Now I've finally stopped being a travelling bum I'm left with the reality that I need to start working. It's exciting getting settled in a new country and getting your head around a new market and culture but I'm sure my brains have turned to mush over the last 7 months. In my first interview, which was the day after landing and the first real conversation about work in a long time, I was asked my thoughts on the future of planning. Talk about in at the deep end.

It has been a difficult first week to say the least but I've stacked up on Adnews publications and it is like I've never been away. The industry in Aus are talking about many of the things being discussed before I left the UK such as the new agency model, employing interesting people, skill shortages, measurement and effectiveness etc etc etc. There are alot of surprising differences starting to emerge, some of which are good and bad but I'll blog about these shortly.

So it's back to school for me and hopefully back to this blog a bit more frequently.

An actual Zebra crossing

Anyone who has tried to cross the road in South America will know that Zebra crossings are just a complete waste of paint. And if you have been to Bolivia you will also know that they are possibly the worst drivers on the planet. However I loved this campaign in La Paz that consisted of people dressed up at Zebras trying to get cars to stop and pedestrians across the road safely. I hope they got danger money for that.

Who cares about advertising # 8

When you work in a Bolivian mine...

Despite being a relatively well paid job by Bolivian standards (2,000 Bs a month compared to 400 which is the national average) it comes at a price. The average life expectancy of a Bolivian miner is 45 years old. The youngest person I met on my trip down the mine was 13 years old and to be fair he seemed to be smiling. I know we were a nation renowned for mining but even in this day and age safety standards in Bolivia are appaling.

They even let me hold some dynamite which was about to explode in `3 minutos, mas o menos`. Jane doesn`t look quite as happy as I do about it.



And this is proof that I`m a planner who isn`t afraid to get his hands dirty.

Inventive spaces

Since I´ve been away I have kind of become obessed with toilets. Not just because a good one is often hard to find but some people think of them as more than just a functional space. After this one in Panama I have since come across this in one Ecuador.

A sort of toilet come research facility.



After you`ve spent time alone with your thoughts you can write your comments and categorise them into music, food, service and other.



Probably my best so far is this one also in Ecuador. I stayed at The Black Sheep Inn eco-lodge and this is the view from the number two.



And not like many ´Eco-lodges´ that are simply holes in the ground and you need to take your own toilet paper with you - this is a real one. Complete with a dry toilet where the remnants are fed to the ducks whose eggs make the Brownies you can by for a dollar.



I like the fact that people who have no perception of how things should be create things in the way that they actually should be. If that makes sense at all...

Is Beckham really Ecuadorean?

This might just be my imagination but the Ecuadorean in this picture seems to have an uncanny resemblance to golden balls himself. Could this be the origin of the famous right foot.

Stencilcities

Whilst Brazil won the graffiti award I think the best stencils I have seen have been in Buenos Aires. It is such a political place where people are passionate enough to protest. Since Evita made her speech in the Plaza de Mayo has become a constant place for people to voice their opinions.

Here are just a couple of cool stencils you can find all over BA.





If you life a good stencil here is a good blog.

Who cares about advertising # 7

When you can have Welsh tea....in Argentina



Here´s us enjoying a nice cuppa and some cakes. Ooohhhh, just like Auntie Vera used to make it. You have to love the tea cosy and she does actually speak Welsh!

¿DÓNDE ESTÁ MI COCHE?

I´ve seen some strange stuff whilst I have been away but this is up there with the best of them. Whilst walking along the plush streets of Palermo in BA I stumbled across this.



To add to my confusion towards Argentinian motorists I was baffled by all the half full bottles of water on car roofs. I wasn´t very good at science but I´m pretty sure it wasn´t attracting the blistering heat away from the car to be stored magicallly inside the bottle. Then I thought it was perhaps just an old wives tale, but as it turns out it is a sign to say the car is for sale. I don´t know how you are supposed to contact them. May be they put a message in it! Not sure what is wrong with the good old single minded proposition, for sale, along with contact details.

Things I like # 3 Drinking mate with friends

Mate is like a pungent green tea that is probably a bit of an acquired taste but it´s a massive part of the culture in parts of South America. It´s a social ritual that has been around for 100s of years and is still popular with young people.

Even in 35 degree heat people will be carrying around their flasks and Gourds, sharing the drink pretty much anywhere. People have been friendly enough to offer us a taste on several occasions which you obligingly take but it´s a great opportunity to strike up a conversation in Spanglish.

Many brands such as amanda even have free hot water dispensers at bus stops and petrol stations which I think is a nice touch. It beats paying for over priced crapy coffee at the services.

Brands I now love # 4 Negra Modelo

This isn´t as famous Mexico´s Corona (FYI they don´t serve lime with a Corona in Mexico) or Sol but Modelo Negra is by far my favourite lager so far, although Argentina´s Quilmes Bock is a close second.

Who cares about advertising # 6

When there are active volcanoes...

...to climb up...



...and slide down at 40kmph

Brands I now love # 3 Bum Bum

More of a case of my girlfriend loving Bum Bum bikinis but for obvious reason I´m all for this brand living long and prospering, although I´m not sure if it would go down well on Brighton beach this time of year. Apparently they do various shapes and sizes depending on how brave you are rather than your size. You can also mix and match tops and bottom which I´m told is a great thing.

I kid you not even the most buxom women (and that is being polite) strut their stuff. You can even see generations of grandmother, mother and daughter walking the beaches of Rio and men do not even bat an eyelid. Despite all the flesh on show to go topless would be almost blasphemous.

Who cares about advertising # 5

When you don´t see much of it...

The Communications Room is a bit light on plannery type stuff since I´ve been away because a) I´m not really looking out for it and b) I´m consuming less of it. In some cities such as Sao Paulo I am quite literally being refrained from consuming it. In this instance I actually think that advertising might add to the City. It´s not the most attractive places I have been to.

Hopefully by the time I get to Sydney there will be loads of brands doing cool things I haven´t seen or heard about for ages that will get me excited all over again. But at the moment I´m quite frankly enjoying life without a lot advertising.

HSBC - The world´s local bank...really?

I´m not sure what HSBC´s position is supposed to mean, other than the fact that they are all over the world. However, I´ve just found out that this position doesn´t benefit me in the slightest. It costs me more to use my HSBC card in an HSBC bank abroad than it does to use my Nationwide card in exactly the same HSBC cash point. On every withdrawal it is about 5 quid more. Work that one out.

Things I like # 2 Brazillian graffiti

The graffiti in Rio is some of the best I have ever seen. Unfortunately the best ones were in places where I certainly wasn´t getting my camera out. Hopefully this will give you a taster.

Who cares about advertising # 4

When you are away and get to see sunsets like this one

...need I say more

Brands I now love # 2 Freddo ice cream

You have not had a real ice cream until you have had a Freddo. Freddo is an Argentinian chain of ´helados´that sell the finest ice cream you have ever tasted. I recommend their ´Dulce de Leche con Brownies´.

ppppp - pick up a Penguin

Whatever happened to Penguin bars. I haven´t seen them since I had last opened a lunch box when I was 12.

No penguins were harmed in the making of this photograph. I merely used my thumb and forefinger and the use of a Canon Powershot. Clever stuff hey.

Does Ben have a Grandson?

Unless something has happened since I´ve been away I´m unaware of there being a new Sherman on the fashion block.

Who cares about advertising # 3

When the world speaks the language of football...

From Mexico to Argentina, from street kids kicking a ball about, to passionate fans singing in all seater stadiums like the Maracana, football is the one thing that you can almost always rely on to break those language barriers.