A refreshing look at our city, how young people discover the world and not forgetting the things we take for granted
Logroño and the rest of the Rioja region – Rioja Alta, Rioja Alavesa and Rioja Oriental – recently received unexpected advertising support from a young American couple, the Smiths and their young son. The couple recently moved here from Kansas in the USA.
The Smiths relate their experiences on Instagram and TikTok, where they have 500,000 followers.
FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND FOLLOWERS
When one considers that dozens of websites, regional governmental agencies, regional wine routes, the Rioja Regulatory Board and almost six hundred wineries promote the virtues of our area, the fact that one family and its TikTok account has such a huge reach is nothing short of amazing.
The Smiths are clearly in love with Logroño: the friendliness of the people, the relaxed ambiance, the fact that the city is walkable, the food, the wine, the affordability, it’s safe, it’s surrounded by mountains… In short, when readers ask, “Why Logroño?” The Smiths reply, “Why not?”
The latest post I’ve watched on TikTok shows Mrs. Smith reading a children’s book in Spanish to her young son Quinton, born in La Rioja and as Mrs. Smith says, “a Riojan”. It’s worth pointing out that the three members of the family are wearing matching pajamas.
In their Instagram account smithsinspain, Jess and Eric Smith were interviewed about their impressions of Logroño for six minutes on Zapeando, a popular national TV show. I can’t begin to imagine how much this would cost if it were a paid ad. Another Instagram reel showed the couple looking at apartments to rent.
ERIC SMITH DISCOVERS INTERESTING FEATURES OF SPANISH APARTMENTS
Once inside their apartment, Eric Smith discovered two unknown features: the portero automático, a telephone you use to identify a caller who buzzes your apartment from outside the apartment building – and that allows you to open the apartment building door.
The second feature is persianas, interlocked plastic slats similar to venetian blinds but built into window frames, that you raise in the morning and lower at night.
These features exist in every Spanish home, and we of course take them for granted. It’s amusing however to see a midwestern American’s amazement when discovering them.
When discussing this with my wife, she pointed out that she had read that new hotels have curtains rather than persianas in the windows because foreigners don’t know how to use them!
AN IMPORTANT MESSAGE FOR TOURISM AND WINE MARKETERS
This kind of easygoing, free advertising should make us rethink what young people – our future tourists and wine drinkers – are reading (or rather, watching) nowadays and how those of us who write about wine, food and tourism should tailor our communication strategy when addressing different age groups.
Inside Rioja 