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Spanish Ads in English TV? Some Say 'No Way'
Critics say they might alienate the mainstream; others are embracing the bicultural wave
February 01, 2005
By Mindy Charski
After general motor's Chevrolet aired a Spanish-language spot during the 2004 World Series on Fox Sports — twice — the company fielded complaints from fans who didn't appreciate being fed ads that weren't in English.
But Sonia María Green, GM director of diversity marketing and sales, says the company would consider using the strategy again if the circumstances are right. "The creative truly broke through the clutter," she says. "We expected the ad to perform well among Hispanics and were delighted to see that it did better than we expected with general-market folks."
Running ads in Spanish on English media isn't a common practice, and the move is expensive, risky and has its critics. But those who have done it say advertisers can score big with their target audience if they can find just the right mix of sophisticated creative and media. And what a big target it is: According to the Simmons Fall 2004 Unified Study, of the approximately 28 million Hispanic adults in the country, 49 percent are bilingual.
For some the term "general-market Spanish-language ad" doesn't sound quite right. Advertisers are wasting money, they reason, if only a fraction of the audience understands what's going on.
That's how Joe Zubizarreta sees it, particularly when it comes to ads with heavy Spanish dialogue. The chief operating officer of Zubi Advertising in Coral Gables, Fla., says the strategy is inappropriate, "the same way it would be inappropriate to run fully English dialogue on Spanish-language television." He acknowledges that the execution may "make a small group of Hispanics stand up and take note," but adds even they "might wonder why you're running a Spanish ad while they're watching [English media]."
But Nanette Johnson, VP and director of diversified communications services at WPP Group's MendozaDillon in Irvine, Calif., views the concept differently. While she agrees heavy use of Spanish language isn't the way to go, she says there is a place for ads with minimal copy or with words that are familiar to non-Spanish speakers.
In fact, her agency currently is working on a campaign for an undisclosed candy client that will be aimed at bilingual kids watching specific shows on English-language TV. "They could be proficient in both languages but if you're talking to them in their original language, it resonates stronger," she says. The client is onboard with the initiative; now the agency needs to convince the networks why the idea makes sense. If they succeed, the ad could break within the next three months.
The idea to include the spot for the Chevrolet Silverado in the Chevy ad rotation during such a high-profile event came from the client and its general-market shop, Campbell-Ewald in Warren, Mich. "They felt it had appeal beyond the Hispanic market," says María Romero, EVP and director of client services at Accentmarketing in Coral Gables, Fla., "and it was a bold move of Chevy recognizing the diversity of the marketplace and the diversity of the audience that might watch something like the World Series." She says Chevy felt the complaints that came in were "within the levels of the acceptable."
The spot features Chevy lowriders "saluting" the Silverado as the truck passes by and a rap song in Spanish plays in the background. The voice-over at the end of the spot is also in Spanish.
Choosing an ad that would appeal to non-Hispanics, as well as the target, was key. "You have to make sure you choose the right property and the right creative so you don't alienate a specific portion of your audience due to comprehension," Romero says.
Why did the spot — targeted to men 21 to 30 — make the cut? "It's in, it's hip, it's cool and that's the appeal," she says. "You don't have to understand that much to get it, that this is a cool truck strutting its moves. It's just a fun ad."
When Coors Light asked Publicis Groupe's Bromley Communications to create a crossover ad aimed at bilingual men ages 21 to 34, shop group account director Sue De Lopez says the San Antonio shop proceeded with three requirements in mind: Don't offend non-Hispanics, make sure they get what's going on in the ad, and ensure "even at a deeper level" it connects with crossover consumers.
The result: an ad involving young men at a bar effusively spouting the word "güey," a term that many young Mexicans use today like they would say "dude." In fact, the ad includes screen copy that reads "Güey = Dude." The spot ends with a voice-over in English.
Bromley didn't find any red flags when it tested the ad among different audiences. "The general-market target was very excited that Coors was communicating in a cool and unique way," De Lopez says.
So are agencies feverishly working to create ads that can run in Spanish on mainstream television? Not quite. "I think it is something that happens rarely, to make a specific impact," Romero says. "I don't think any advertiser will do that, particularly the big ones, as a matter of course. ... You have certain properties and certain instances in which it makes sense. Media is becoming more segmented, not less."
See related story, page 16.
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