Futbol, not football

When I was in Spain two years ago, some friends and I went to a soccer, or futbol if you will, game at Camp Nou in Barcelona, the largest stadium in Europe. The game was Barcelona FC v. Valencia, Alicante's premier club team. Even though we thought of ourselves as Alicantinos, we didn't dare cheer for the Valiencian team since we were surrounded by hundreds of passionate Barca fans. We somehow scored awesome seats - I mean we could see the sweat on the players. Graphic, I know. Barca won and everyone left happy.

The game was like nothing I've ever seen before - the fans and environment just doesn't compare to any other sporting event. Spaniards are CRAZY about futbol.

Well, Messi is the star player for Barca, but he happens to be from Argentina. In fact, he is the primary reason why Argentina is in the running to win the World Cup this June/July. Not to mention the Argentina Olympic gold win in 2008.

The last night I was in Spain, Spain won the Euro Cup 2008. It was perfect timing- the entire final month I was there we watched Spain as they progressed through the entire tournament, eventually winning the championship game. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep that last night. We packed our bags the day before, went out to watch the game, celebrated the victory in the streets and on the beach and went straight to the airport at sunrise. Throughout Alicante, people were shooting off fireworks, passing the sangria and in full-out party mode. It was awesome.

Watching the World Cup with the Argentinians will be interesting, especially to compare and contrast with my experiences Spain. While I'll cheer for the USA (probably quietly to myself) I would love for Argentina to win. Nothing beats happy fans after their team wins the big game.

Project Approved. IRB?

As of approximately 3:25pm CST my project, "Glocalization in Buenos Aires: Cultural Effects on Advertising Practices" was officially approved by my faculty committee. Boom.

Who is my faculty committee you might ask? Great question. It's headed up by Dr. Margaret Duffy, chair of the Strategic Communication Department. Next up, we have Dr. Maria Len-Rios, who specializes in public relations and and cross-cultural communication. Rounding it out is Dr. Fritz Cropp, director of international programs for the School of Journalism.

My committee has been an indispensable asset as I have written my proposal, offering much appreciated guidance and suggestions. They will be in touch with me throughout my research via weekly updates. Once my final paper is completed, I will come back to MU to defend my paper in front of my committee, receive their approval and GRADUATE (in December).

Next Step: Approval from the IRB or Institutional Review Board. Research involving human subjects must have advance IRB approval before any research can begin. This was mandated by the US government to protect the rights, safety and well-being of research subjects. Basically, they need to make sure that I will not cause mental or emotional harm to the people I interview... no pressure. Receiving approval involves writing a detailed application with the approval of your committee. Hopefully I will have this done by the end of the week. It's a work in progress right now.

In other news, I took the Spanish placement test last week. This will help the program director know where we should begin in our intensive Spanish language boot-camp upon arrival. The test wasn't as bad as I was expecting- with the exception of a few compound past tenses I hadn't seen in a while. I haven't had a Spanish class since Spring 2008 when I was in Spain. It's been a while, but it's all comin' back. I was VERY glad I watched Evita last week because the entire test was about her life and political accomplishments. I need to watch it again because last week I had it on in the background as I was working on other homework- multi-tasking aka half-way paying attention.

Last night I downloaded a bunch of Spanish podcasts and walked around Stankowski field for about an hour. Sort of talking to myself- not really, it just helps me to repeat some words here and there. Good thing I'm too old to know too many people in this town- right?

So starts the journal of my Argentine adventure.

I will be spending this summer completing my Professional Project, the final requirement to earn my Master of Journalism degree from the University of Missouri.

My research proposal in a nutshell:

"The purpose of this professional project is to gain a deeper understanding of the role cultural differences play in developing targeted advertising for Hispanics, specifically Argentineans. The researcher will spend three months working at an international advertising agency in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In order to more fully understand the business decision-making process used in large multinational advertising agencies when ‘glocalizing’ or localizing a global brand, the researcher will conduct depth interviews of advertising professionals at eight-to-ten of the largest multinational advertising agencies in Buenos Aires, Argentina."

This blog will include both my research journal and personal thoughts. Come along for the ride.


In 18 short days I need to:

-have my project proposal approved by my faculty committee
-have my research approved by the International Review Board (IRB)
-write a meta analysis for my convergence editing class
-write a annotated bibliography for my digital case studies class
-wrap-up my run as Manager of Operations for Mojo Ad
-pass along my clients at Mizzou Rec
-move out of my apartment in Columbia
-put everything I own in my parents' basement
-practico mi espanol
-pack (what am I going to pack??)
-go to my brother's college graduation (May 15)
-leave town (May 16)

No problem, right?