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Editor’s note: In this article, Adweek deviated from its style of using “Latinx” due to the writer’s preference. “Latine” is a gender-neutral form of the word Latino.
Music is a cultural connector. It gives marketers a glimpse of the future, especially from the perspective of today’s youth who are interconnected, multicultural and trilingual.
In August, Bad Bunny made history at the MTV VMA awards by becoming the first non-English language artist to win the Artist of the Year award. Half of Spotify’s top 20 list of the most streamed songs of the summer are by Bad Bunny and international Colombian stars like Karol G and Shakira.
Recently, two major storms made landfall: the fury of Hurricane Fiona and Bad Bunny’s viral docu-music video “El Apagón”—which began as a music video and was followed by a 20-minute documentary about inadequate government relief efforts after Hurricane Maria, which saw the displacement of Puerto Ricans on the island and the effect of gentrification. At the center of the video is Bianca Graulau, an independent Puerto Rican journalist who is dedicated to reporting the struggles of her community through her social media channels.
What can these recent headlines on international stars teach marketers about the Latine community? Read on for the three key lessons.
There is empowerment to show up as our full selves
In my parents’ generation, artists like Cuban American Gloria Estefan broke down barriers, leading with English language pop songs like “Conga.” The formula for many Latine artists in the U.S. was to crossover from English to the mainstream in order to gain more control in creating their Spanish language albums.
The message about this generation was to add “sazón,” or flavor, but do it in English first. In many instances, the same thinking applied to marketers that led with mainstream strategies that were then translated to Spanish.
Today we are witnessing international artists reach the mainstream in the U.S. by not changing their language—by owning their heritage and laying it all down with sazón and then some. The message that artists like Bad Bunny are telling us: Be exactly who you are. Show up as your full self in every single space.
Bad Bunny is building success from the ground up, listening to his fan base and raising awareness of multifaceted issues including taboo topics in our community. This means that our marketing strategies to the Latinx community will succeed when they are grounded in community-driven insights and tailored to the youth who are growing up in diverse neighborhoods, blasting a range of music from country to reggaeton to K-pop.
There is an intersection of social justice and music
Over the years, we millennials have witnessed artists band together to raise awareness of global issues (“We Are the World”) and pandemics (the RED campaign). Artists use their platforms to deliver a message, like Childish Gambino’s on guns and violence in America through his “This Is America” music video.
In the last two years, we have raised more discussions to speak up about injustices as marketers and as brands. The lesson to be learned from watching the “El Apagón” video is that we as marketers, like musicians, can be part of the solution by building purpose into our communications—because advertising plays a huge role in shaping our society. When we use our platforms to partner with people who are doing the work on the front lines and center our message on a real issue that our target audience identifies with, we can strike a chord that moves people beyond sales.
For example, in 2019, Pantene partnered with the Trans Chorus of Los Angeles and GLAAD for the “Going Home for the Holidays” video series in support of LGBTQ+ people who fear they won’t be accepted when they visit home. And in 2022, in celebration of International Transgender Day of Visibility, Pantene released a documentary-style short film chronicling the quinceañera of Isa, a trans woman in her forties who was denied one as a teenager. Marketers like Proctor & Gamble (Pantene’s parent company) have demonstrated a long-term commitment to delivering purpose-led communication that helps society better understand transgender people and stigma.
When marketers partner with musicians, there is an opportunity to support the message further when brands include a charitable donation with the purchase of products. For example, brands like M&M built in purpose the right way by partnering with Lil Nas X and donating money to a charitable organization, Sing for Hope, that acts as a resource for New York artists looking to give back to the community through their art.
The Latinx community has an influence on mainstream culture
As we continue to watch the music charts, please note that this is not simply pop culture news. This is a signal that points to how incredibly influential our Latinx community continues to be in shaping the mainstream.
Next time you see the music charts, ask yourselves these questions: What does this music say about how we are evolving as a society? How has Latin America influenced this? What does this tell us about Latinx Gen Z?
Overall, it demonstrates that we are trilingual:
- Fluency in languages other than Spanish. Some of us grew up in Spanish-speaking households or multicultural homes learning languages other than English. Our language preferences are varied, and messages targeted to us can also be varied.
- Fluency in digital. We are digital natives who can move easily from Web2 to Web3. As marketers, are you keeping our highly influential Latinx community in mind while building a presence in the metaverse?
- Fluency in culture comprised of multiple generations. As a first-generation Mexican American, my own identity is, in many ways, connected to my parents’ identity due to the power of travel, storytelling and digital connection with family in Latin America. I can quickly switch from ’90s hip hop to love ballads by Juan Gabriel, banda, salsa and bachata. As a marketer, keep in mind how influential the multigenerational household is to Latinx youth and how that impacts taste in music, food, products and services.
The marketers who choose to be pioneers are the ones who can take lessons from cultural signals, like music and language, to translate into content that represents our individuality, messaging that demonstrates care about the well-being of our community and investment in us for the long haul.
This article is part of a special Voice series, Let’s Get Loud, where industry professionals share their experience, expertise and advice on what brands need to know to form long-lasting relationships with the Latinx consumer.
