The old iron advertising was renewed as a parody due to gentrification issues.
TikTok user reopened the controversy over the transformed audio.
This is a simple example of how the rebranding on the marks.
According to the RAE, gentrification means renewing an urban area, generally popular or deteriorated, through a process that involves the displacement of its original population by another with greater purchasing power.
In Mexico City this problem has been increasing in neighborhoods such as Roma, Condesa, Polanco, to mention a few. This was triggered to a large extent due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the new remote work model, which resulted in foreigners coming to live in these colonies and with it the increase in rents to such a level that many people have denounced. have been displaced.
The UNAM refers that the problem is when new actors with more resources enter to compete in those areas of high demand, with other commercial interests that are changing the business of selling or renting housesdue to the short-term accommodation rental modality that is managed by transnational digital platforms.
“In recent years, short-term hosting platforms, such as Airbnb and many others, what they do is integrate into that competition other players and people who are in a more privileged economic condition, particularly those who earn in dollars or in euros and they are usually in another part of the world”, commented an academic from UNAM.
Old iron advertising in English
Several weeks ago, Omar Villegaz, content creator ironized about the new ways in which gentrification would be expressed in neighborhoods where there are a significant number of foreigners; he recreated the iconic old iron advertising audio, but in English.
“We’re buying matresses, drums, refrigerators, stoves, washing machines, microwaves or some old iron that you’re selling”.
In Spanish it says: “Mattresses, drums, stoves, washing machines, microwaves or something made of old iron that you sell.”
This audio quickly became a trend on social networks because, as a comedy, it represented a problem that has gained great relevance in the country’s capital.
However, Luis Uribe, TikTok user (@lospaysdeluigi), was the one who created this version of the audio in English.
Another TikTok user @dalmazanm1shared a video where a van dedicated to the purchase of old iron is passing through the streets of the Narvarte neighborhood, David recorded that moment and attached the audio of Villegaz, unleashing a series of comments from Internet users, such as: “What it was not cultural heritage”, “WITH THE SOUND OF OLD IRON, NOO”, “At least people can now learn some new words in English”.
@dalmazanm1 AUDIO BY @Villegaz #gentrificationcdmx ♬ original sound – David Almazán
This example of audio renewal exemplifies what great brands do to survive: renew or die, or rather, rebranding. This strategy is very risky, so companies must present their ideas well and communicate them effectively, because a rebranding poorly done can mean huge losses in sales.
This not only implies a change of logo, but of other elements such as fonts, color palette, namingpersonality, products or services, communication tone, marketing strategy marketing and everything that configures a brand.
Change the audio of the old iron in English, far from being a parody, talks about renewal in terms of how to offer products and services in areas where gentrification has had the greatest impact. In some comments on the aforementioned video, one of the Internet users commented that she attended a restaurant in the Roma neighborhood where the entire menu was in English.