Thea Caribbean Alliance Carnival Queen 2008

Ms. Caribbean Alliance shows off her Carnival Queen Show costume

Crowns and Sponsors: The Glitz ‘n' Glamour

She came. She smiled. She conquered. She was crowned. But most have forgotten her name. Many cannot even remember her talent. And the buzz had long since died with the 2008 Carnival season. Even I had a hard time remembering what her talent was (still can't remember to be honest).

My colleagues were no help as they then asked me in turn, "Who won Carnival last year?"

So, I thought they were joking to emphasise that many crowned queens over the last decade or so have been easily forgotten outside of the Carnival season, ‘til they resurface to pass on their reign.

Sad to say, their faces slowly become stern and I stopped laughing, "No seriously ... who won last year?"

A beautiful smile, with what many will attest to be a beautiful personality, 2008 Queen of Carnival Derri-Anne Browne, her petite frame and luminous smile certainly made a fantastic photo finish for the Carnival. Her appearance on the posters and flyers and Web sites for this year, guest appearance in mas' launches perfect. She is a beautiful girl.

But ... outside of the season of Carnival, apart from her face, her name and presence were sadly forced into hibernation – perhaps a fault of hers? The CDC? Or perhaps even the fault of her sponsors?

Albeit, one contestant, though not awarded that glittering crown of glory, has certainly outshone her queen. Definitely, one contestant will not be easily forgotten.

We will remember her somewhat controversial talent that many musicians will say snuck by the slumbering judges but scored high in the "wow" factor.

We will remember seeing her give high energy, on and off the Carnival stage. We will remember the sound of her voice – so much so, that we've memorised her commercials and can recognise the sound of her voice on cue.

Indeed, first runner-up Thea Joseph, is one Queen of Carnival contestant who will not be easily forgotten.

A Rain of Reign

While she may not have been crowned Queen of Carnival last year, Thea Joseph has certainly shown many that ‘tis not the crown that matters at all. ‘Tis the sponsor!

True to their word, huddled in the conference room at the Ministry of Tourism last year, the representatives from Caribbean Alliance Insurance Co. Ltd., did say that Thea would reign as their spokesperson/ambassador for a year. And that she has done indeed.

Who needs a crown anyway? ‘Tis the sponsor that really counts.

From billboards to commercials to pamphlets to public appearances, overnight, Thea Joseph has joined the country's list of local celebrities. She may even have had more of a public reign than even reigning Soca Monarch Claudette Peters ... maybe.

Explaining that her "experience, as Ms Caribbean Alliance, has far exceeded what I had initially expected" Thea has enjoyed every moment of it, and was somewhat sad to see her reign come to an end.

True to her sponsors and squeezing every drop out of her last run, she added, "The thing about Caribbean Alliance is, they are such a simple, yet caring and informative company. They also do invest in culture and sports. What I can say is that they are a good Corporate Citizen."

During her reign as Miss Caribbean Alliance, Thea visited numerous schools giving motivational speeches. She even spoke at a few graduations including that of the Princess Margaret School last year. She's been present for company sponsored events, if not to be heard, to at least be seen flashing her smile, waving her hands, and socialising with the patrons at these events.

Nothing was too small, not even being present to simply award some student for an academic or athletic feat.

Miss Caribbean Alliance was on the scene, and she was certainly seen.
Then, of course, there are the radio ads! Flooding the airwaves with her voice, you can now listen and say, "Oh that's that girl from Queen Show." Some even add a follow-up question, "Ah she min win, right?"

Little do some know, in this case, winning proved not to be as fruitful as landing sponsors who saw their sponsorship as a year-long commitment. When asked last year why Thea was selected, Marketing Manager Gregory Manners had said they'd chosen Thea because of her confidence, assertive yet warming personality – qualities that reflected their company.

Commenting on her reign, Thea notes, "I have really matured. I think now I know where I want to go. Things were placed into perspective the night of July 29th, 2008. Things took off from there, I have really done some wonderful things alongside Caribbean Alliance. "I now know I have a creative side. It is being unwrapped slowly, and I think the new me will be out shortly. Definitely for the better, I have a deeper appreciation for life. I see the meanings in different little things."

Right Sponsor, Right Reign

For well over a decade, only a few Queens have really stayed at the forefront of the memory – and most have been for their performance on the night of the show. In those pageants, however, where there was not much to be remembered on stage, offstage presented an even more difficult bit of Alzheimer's.

After that glorious night of glitz and glamour, the truth is, outside of a vehicle (notice the way they're getting smaller, I mean more compact each year?), the glitz and glamour ends when the last picture has been snapped.

Perhaps following the footsteps of Caribbean Alliance, the CDC can take a page or two from this sponsor's notebook to keep the Carnival Queen in the public's eye until her reign is complete – at least enough so as to remember her name.

For the fairytale adventures of Cinderella's car turning into a pumpkin, Dorothy clicking her heels to go to Caribbean Alliance, and that rather long voicemail while executing safe driving, will be remembered.

Even if you've gotten annoyed by the sometimes corny nature of it, I'm sure many marketing execs will tell you that whether sucking your teeth or smiling at it, the point is – you remember the ad.

Whether you mock the words or you talk along with her for the fun of it, the point is – you remember the ad. Whether you discuss how creative they were, or how annoying, the point is – you discussed the ad. Whether she was your pick for the night, or you eventually got fed up of hearing her voice, the point is – you'll always remember first runner-up Miss Caribbean Alliance Thea Joseph of the 2008 Queen of Carnival pageant.

Date of Release: July 10th 2009