It was expected from last Christmas, when Tio Pepe -Uncle Joe- could not eat the 12 grapes on the roof of the once upon a time Hotel Paris at Sun Square -Puerta del Sol-. “Kidnapped” in a warehouse after the move from its roof “by reform works”, the neon is said to be evicted by a very Mexican landlord and a very US Apple. May be none of them like fino or flamenco.
The Spanish people in general and the people from Madrid in particular are not in the same case, this is clear, because they are kicking up a fuss on Twitter protesting because they want back Tio Pepe’s neon. At its 76 years old the outdoor ad has become such an icon of Spanish culture as the famous Osborne bull.
Gonzalez Byass -the winemaker, which owns the sherry brand and the neon- thanked yesterday the support in social networks to the “crusade”. The comapny noted that Tio Pepe’s “eviction” had become a trending topic on Twitter on 6th June.
One might think that the Spanish people actually do not have anything better to fight for, while they are suffering under this deep economic crisis in full run, but the fuss kicked in social networks shows that both Madrid locals and other citizens of this country, do not just live on bread and butter.
The completion of the lease contract on the space where the neon was placed and the lack of agreement between the winemaker and the current owner of the building, the Mexican family Diaz Estrada, facilitate making this iconic touristic ad neon desappear from Sol Square. It seems neither Apple Retail Store, SL nor the owners of the building do feel confortable having theTío Pepe neon on the roof.
It’s true that the fino -white Anadalusian wine- has not much to do with the Apple, but maybe, an Apple who wants to live in Spain should learn how to wear the comb in order to connect with its clients and fans in this country.
Eastwind has asked Apple Spain about this matter, but we have received no answer so far. The same is said to have happened to other media.
Meanwhile, the neon is withdrawn and kept in awarehouse located at Arganda del Rey (a village near Madrid) while awaiting its fate.
The ad, designed by Luis Perez Solero, and hanged from a chassis installed for the firs time in 1936 to commemorate the 100 anniversary of Gonzalez Byass is a structure 25 meters wide, 10 high that weighs 70 tons. It was removed in April last year to better allow working on the reform at the ancient Hotel Paris. Ever since, the “bottled sun of Andalusia” -this is the claim of the ad- has never illuminated again the nights of Sol Square -Sun square-.
“Let’s allow Tio Pepe stay quiet”
If the popular clamor in favor of leaving Tio Pepe on its place is sound, the people in the Spanish marketing and advertising world feel as if their own uncle had been expelled from home. They got “their neurons” down to work. They have conceived thousands of graphic and written demands telling Apple and the Mexican owners of the building that they should allow this neon, “who” has become a living part of the history of this country, return to its spot.
The popular movement in favor of Tío Pepe’s return to Sun Square is not new, but never so intense as it happened to be in the latest days.
“Let’s allow Tio Pepe stay quiet” -“Dejad tranquilo al Tío pepe”, the Facebook page created earlier this year by Juan Perez Solero, advertising professional, who is a family descendant of the creator of the ad, has experienced a boost in the number of members after some media started to report on Tio Pepe’s “eviction” on 4th June.
On 7th June in the morning the page had 821 members, mostly new.
Victor Garcia Hoz Bañares, launched another Facebook page on the same dates. This is called “Apple, keep Tio Pepe’s neon at Sun Square” -“Apple: manten el luminoso de Tío Pepe en la Puerta del Sol”-
On 5th June, a day after the media had started telling about the issue, 1,500 signatures were registered in favor of this proposal.
The amount of signatures had increased on 7th June in the morning, only one day and a half later, to the 13,534, adding to the 342 active friends on the page.
Also on Facebook, the community, “Save Tío Pepe” -Salvad al Tío Pepe-, which is operative from early 2012, had reached a peak on 7th June in the morning with 5,464 likes. And these are just some examples.
The reactions on Tio Pepe’s issue remind me, though without the Internet – because at that time there was not such Internet penetration in Spain-, a collective cry in favor of the Osborne bull bursted, when the Act on Highway Security banned all outdoor advertising placed on the margins of the highways to ensure a more secure driving conditions. The arrogant Osborne bull was affected, but it was “indulted” because the giant black bull is part of the cultural and historic heritage of the country. And there it is still standing on the fields, defying the wind and the regulation under the Spanish sun.
I know that letting Tio Pepe back again on its spot is not so easy, because in this case there is a private lease contract that legally comes to its end. But couldn’t it be possible for Madrid’s City Council or the Ministry of Culture doing something to avoid this cultural icon “murder“?.
A true survivor
The Tio Pepe’s neon survived the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent bombing of the capital of Spain. The ad, which currently lacks of any kind of special legal protection has not been included, I can’t understand why, in the catalog of unique elements of the city. But it was was “indulted” in 2009 when under former Mayor of Madrid, Alberto Ruiz Gallardon’s tenure, it was aproved the regulation against light pollution caused by outdoor advertising.
The neon was saved, despite the excess of light intensity, along with the Sweppes ad placed at Plaza de Callao, the Firestone neon on the facade of Schools Aguirre -Escuelas Aguirre- and the one of BBVA placed at Avenida de la Castellana. Reasons why?, the symbolic and sentimental value inside them, both values that the Townhall appreciated and took into account to make an exception. In February 2010, as a result of that regulation, 431out of a total of 1,503 neons, which were operative in the capital of Spain got removed.
Not a war, even a regulation, but a plain private and internal reform has managed to “evict” Tio Pepe from home.
The first Mayor of Madrid, once approved the 1978 Spanish Ground Law, Enrique Tierno Galván, didn’t consider there was a need for removing the neon during the profound remodeling of the Sol Square.
Now what?. It has been reported by some media that Coca-Cola was thinking about inviting Tio Pepe to move in her Spanish headquarters at Barajas-Ifema-area. It seems that Coca Cola loves the Andalusian Fino.
Eastwind asked Coca-Cola about thi issue, but the US beverage multinational has not answered us so far.
Tio Pepe is said to be currently looking for another roof in the same neighborhood. Gonzalez Byass could be negotiating another lease contract to get another roof on any building at the same place. This solution would be the less intrusive, as we all, Spanish people and tourists, are used to watch Tio Pepe standing as a true number one on the roof top of the nº1 of the Sun Square.
Image over the headline.- Tío Pepe neon on the roof of Hotel Paris at Sun Square before its removal. Photo by Tamorlan. Source of the image Wiki Commons.
