AEGEE-Zaragoza is one of the most famous antennae in the AEGEE Network. This fame derives partly because of the highly efficient branding campaign that they have done over the past couple of years with their “I love Jamon” t-shirts and stickers.
The original idea was originated by the masterminds of AEGEE-Zaragoza. Jonathan del Castillo Gil from AEGEE-Zaragoza took the responsibility of designing the different ideas that came up and in the end the “I love Jamón” was chosen. This slogan is a tribute to the famous “I love NY” t-shirt but they replaced NY with Jamón, bringing the theme closer to the great love for pig meat in Spain. “Aragón and the jamón is like Romeo and Juliet, an inseperable love,” Jonathan explains the thoughts behind the t-shirt.
In Zaragoza the phrase “I love Jamon” is furthermore well used in Zaragoza and the rest of Spain because it derives from a song by a group named Berzas, using the melody of “I love Rock N Roll” by Joan Jett. For some this may ring a bell because AEGEE-Zaragoza used this song in the EBM Izmir and Agora Skopje as part of their roll-call, a roll-call which was not nominated for the best roll-call award for The AEGEEans Choice Awards 2012. However, what did get nominated is the AEGEE-Zaragoza “I love Jamón” t-shirt which finished the Facebook poll in leading position with 76 votes (Nr. 2, the AEGEE passport, received 48 votes).
AEGEE-Zaragoza selling their t-shirts at Agora Alicante
I love jamón in every corner of Europe
Now this legendary t-shirt has been around for quite some time. The first edition was produced for their Summer University in 2009 “The Transiberian Jamón Express.” However, calculating how many t-shirts have been sold throughout the years is not an easy task. For one AEGEE-Zaragoza is very generous and always gave the t-shirt to all their participants in the Summer Universities that they organised. Another reason is that it has always been the responsibility of the different boards of AEGEE-Zaragoza and having had several boards pass in this “I love jamón” period makes it even more difficult making a calculation. However, pictures of different nationalities wearing this t-shirt with pride in all different corners of Europe proves that it is a high number, a number which Jonathan estimates to be around 1000 (in which about 100 have been given away as a gift.)
I love Jamón sticker
Developing the branding
Now RyanAir makes it quite difficult to transport 100 t-shirts to be sold at different AEGEE events so AEGEE-Zaragoza had to come up with something to promote their new “theme”. This resulted in the “Yo amo el jamón, y el pan untadico con tomate” sticker which as well can be found in different corners of Europe such as on the computer in which this article is being written right now, in Denmark. Several people have the idea that the t-shirt and stickers are a tribute to “Pantumaca”, which is bread with tomato from Cataluña, but actually the t-shirt is a tribute to the pig and moreover to a certain type of meat from Aragaon (Jamón de Teruel).
The future of AEGEE-Zaragoza branding
Back in December 2011 AEGEE-Zaragoza produced its last round of “I love Jamón t-shirts. This decision was made because times are changing. There are many new and super active people involved with the antenna and they have gotten the responsibility of coming up with an idea for a new t-shirt that will represent their march in the antenna. “We adore the “I love jamón” t-shirt and we always wear it with pride because we believe that we can be innovative with a new slogan, and triumph once again,” says Jonathan.
Top secret slogan
AEGEE-Zaragoza is on the verge of deciding which slogan will be the future of their antenna. They have various candidates but also feel the pressure of coming up with something extraordinary after the Jamón success. According to Jonathan it goes as far as the CD having anxiety about the next t-shirt, “Alfredo Sellitti calls us just about every day”. The whole world is waiting and AEGEE-Zaragoza has actually received orders on the new t-shirt even before knowing how it will look like. “AEGEE members are very crazy and they know that only crazy ideas derive from AEGEE-Zaragoza,” Jonathan continues talking about the project.
One of these crazy ideas could be “anti-cobra” which is a greeting technique out of the extraordinary created by AEGEE-Zaragoza member Samuel García Calleja. However Jonathan does not confirm nor denies that this will be the base of the new slogan. He tells The AEGEEan that it could be complicated using this technique for a t-shirt when it takes so many years reaching the expert level that master Samuel has.
What he can confirm is that the t-shirt is on its way. He says that the t-shirt should most likely be in Brussels during the upcoming week (for approval) and AEGEE-Zaragoza intent to bring it to Agora Enschede. However, the limitations that the cheap RyanAir flights bring make it difficult to bringing enough t-shirts for everyone. The only thing they can promise to the Network is that they will not disappoint.
Written by Patricia Anthony, AEGEE-København