Today I want to talk about ugly ads. Really ugly ones. The kind that make you uncomfortable.
Because there are many ugly things in the world… but very few succeed because they’re ugly.
The Quiznos Strategy
In the early 2000s, while every fast-food brand was making clean, pretty, predictable ads, Quiznos did the opposite.
They showed strange, badly animated creatures singing off-key. People hated them. “This is awful.” “What am I watching?” “I can’t stand this ad.”
And yet — everyone remembered Quiznos. People talked about it. Sales went up.
They didn’t win by being pretty. They won by breaking the pattern.
Learning Spanish Works the Same Way
Speaking Spanish is ugly at first. You make mistakes. You sound strange. You feel uncomfortable. It’s not pretty. It’s simple. But it works.
The learners who actually get to speak Spanish are the ones who were willing to be Quiznos. To sound weird. To use the wrong word. To freeze mid-sentence and laugh about it.
The learners who wait until they’re “ready” to speak perfectly — they’re still waiting. Esperando. Siempre esperando.
The goal of How to Speak Spanish is not to make learning look easy or perfect. It focuses on what actually matters: using Spanish in real life. Ordering food. Asking for directions. Talking to real people. Ugly first. Better later.
Porque las cosas importantes take forever… y son simples.
📖 This method is in the book.
Everything on this page comes from How to Speak Spanish by Mónica Bernabé. 18€, one-time payment, includes access to La Tribu.
Mañana más. Besos y amor, Mónica.
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Monica Bernabe Perez | Spanish-English conversation teacher at BlanBla (blanbla.com) | Storytelling copywriter at nosoyisrabravo.es
— Monica Bernabe Perez