Latinx Communities Still Feel Typecast In Advertising

Grace Heskey, a student at Miami Ad School who is based in the Dominican Republic, said advertising in her country is defined by surface-level product pushes—made by the same brands that persistently win over jurors for their cinematic storytelling in other markets. In her country, she observed, marketing is often generic, and contributing to the industry is deemed a confusing choice for anyone with a creative inclination. Heskey pointed to basic mailed leaflets and Instagram posts from Burger King, which features copy including “Sundae on Sunday,” “Mozzarella Monday” and “King Ahorro,” which simply translates to “Saving King” to advertise a discount. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Burger King RD (@burgerkingrd) “It’s usually just, ‘Here’s a bunch of graphics in an Instagram grid and we’ll see what happens,'” she said. “Brands could take a different approach to people in my region by connecting to the culture and using the international tools at their disposal.” Brands like Burger King–which have swept industry awards with its advertising in other markets–can fall into the trap of approaching Hispanic and Latinx consumers with messaging that both leans into stereotypes and lacks original creativity. With unsophisticated consumer segmentation that perpetuates generic and sometimes offensive narratives, such marketers are missing an opportunity to use advertising as a driver of deeper conversation with these audiences. More Than Family and Soccer: Why HHM Campaigns Can Feel Hollow “There is an overuse of the term ‘cultura,’ because there is no one 'hispanic cultura',” said Havi Goffan, president of the agency Target Latino. "Not all Latinos are young, married, watch telenovelas and are interested in migration issues." Embracing uncomplicated opportunity Alejandra Salazar, founder and CEO of creative and social media agency Croing, said during a session at Brandweek that sometimes it only takes hearing one word in Spanish for her to feel emotionally connected to an ad. Amazon adopted this strategy earlier this year with its Super Bowl spot, which features a Spanish-speaking father who says “¿Quieres pollito?” to the dog and “Rápido Rápido” when getting his family out the door. “If you hear it and you belong, you will listen,” said Goffan. Just by employing a few nuances in communication "can make something that targets everybody feel more inclusive," she added. Avoiding embarrassment But Amazon was one of the exceptions to marketing that often stereotypes Hispanic audiences. Goffan observed that ads that run on Spanish channels often contain the same formula of repeating a message three times and “are just screaming at you." She also emphasized a clear discrepancy in production value, which is often most evident when studying translations. “The lip sync of a Spanish ad is always horrible because Spanish is longer, so they run it very very fast and it sounds like squirrels,” she said. “They really couldn’t have come up with a reason to buy Febreze in Spanish?” Michael León-Rivera, a creative strategy consultant who is vocal about the role of generational marketing in avoiding stereotypical creative, said the NFL is a prime example of a brand that involved the right talent in its Hispanic and Latinx outreach while presumably lacking a strategy led by people within the community. The brand faced backlash for its incorrect use of the tilde in the letter "Ñ” on its social posts. Por La Cultura. pic.twitter.com/pFoGGASAWt— NFL (@NFL) September 15, 2022 Miami Dolphins vice president of brand marketing Michael Shaw recognizes that his role in catering to a primarily Latinx and Hispanic audience is exercising the humility to let others take the lead. “While I have empathy and awareness, I want to make sure I can raise my hand and say, ‘I’m not the expert in this today,’” said Shaw during a Brandweek panel. “So who are the people around me to help me make those decisions?” Engagement without disruption Brands often lean into data to recognize where their product may not fit into a consumer’s lifestyle, which allows them to navigate other opportunities. General Mills did this when crafting a campaign for the Hispanic and Latinx communities. Glory Alcántara, director of multicultural marketing at General Mills, said expanding Pillsbury’s recognition and relevance in those communities meant understanding that familial connection does not just revolve around the holidays. Reflecting on her traditions growing up, when Christmas day dinner prep would start on Christmas Eve, her team also used research to identify a “savvy blender mom," who wants to maintain cultural traditions but is still positioned to look for everyday conveniences and shortcuts. We have to get comfortable with not every ad speaking to everyone.—Michael León-Rivera, creative strategy consultant “If we wanted to connect with the Latina mom more, we thought getting away from the holiday occasion and moving to the everyday, versatile meal solutions for her family was a better way to build that bond early on,” said Alcántara. Oversimplifying briefs—and overlooking audiences A marketer’s investment in elevated research reflects its internalization of cultural nuances, according to León-Rivera, who said brands go wrong by asking the question, “What do they all have in common?” “We have to be comfortable with not every ad speaking to everyone,” said León-Rivera, stressing that “the more people you talk to, the fewer people you will reach.” When considering a brand that effectively encompassed a segment of Hispanic consumers, Goffan said investment firm WeCapital’s “Data Tienda” stands out. Produced by agency DDB Mexico, the campaign addresses the specific roadblocks of Mexican women obtaining credit and presents a solution that depicts a reality without sensationalizing the problem. If the ad industry wants to make a concerted effort to dismantle stereotypes, he said marketers should start by asking themselves why “young mothers” would be considered a trivially broad target but “Hispanic women [aged] 19 to 50” would not. “A lot of national Hispanic campaigns tend to be very safe,” he said, adding that widening the consumer base negates the opportunity to tap into local dialects. “The question is whether you’re happy with being only somewhat effective, rather than creating local conversation.”

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Hispanic and Latinx Communities Still Feel Typecast In Advertising

Marketers can swap lazy translations and mediocre creative for meaningful engagement

Emmy Liederman

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Emmy Liederman