Who spilled the beans on Hispanic Advertising?

Hispanic marketing has a language all its own. You say to-ma-to, I say to-ma-to. What does it matter? I say beans, you say frijoles…or is it habichuelas? Those Latinos all sound alike. After all they all speak Spanish. Or do they?

Who is Gary Bentz? A marketer with a subjective opinion that has the Hispanic advertising and marketing industry buzzing. This tempest in a teapot has all the ear marks of a mini Don Imus debacle. Instead of an off hand sexist remark about a causal hairstyle on a woman of low repute, it soars into the heights of raging contoversies such as English only in our schools or the immigration debate. Ok maybe I’m stretching it a bit here. At any rate, he touched a raw nerve for many who make a living in the marketing industry. Should Hispanic marketing campaigns focus only on the Spanish predominant client? Or do we allow for second or even third generations who have become acculturated but still long for mi tierra.

Gary Bentz is a Latin owner of a nationally respected advertising agency. His clients represent some of the the top brands we all know and love. His opponent in this debate is also a well known and respected industry insider. Gene Bryan is the Chief Executive Officer of a nationally respected Hispanic online ad industry trade publications, HispanicAd.com and ADnotas.com. When researching this argument, I found the debate raging with both pro and con opinions from people in the marketing industry. They represented a variety of ethnic and racial backgrounds. Frijoles vs. habichelas has even affected the bean eating variety of everyday consumers.

One thing missing and, and much needed in my humble opinion, are frames of reference in which to set the context for argument. These professional men are both interested in the advancement and evolution of the Hispanic advertising market. Bentz asserts that most Latinos enjoy a variety of interests. He states advertising should be defined by creativity and not culture. Bryan, asserts that it takes an expert in Hispanic marketing to really understand a successful ad campaign for the Latin consumer. Bryan goes so far as to to accuse Bentz of being an example of marketers who discount the need for experts in understanding the Hispanic consumer.

When looking at both Bentz’s original article and Bryan’s response, the real issue lies somewhere between the lines. Without guidelines, the issue of targeting Hispanic consumers becomes a free for all debate. Everyone is right in their own mind. This is great for creating buzz but does nothing to aid those in need of expertise to have greater success.

One way of looking at advertising is to view it as a communication science that can be quantified by understanding the critical elements of this language just like any other science. Look at these basic reflections:

Communication is not about what you say or intended to say but about how it’s perceived and processed by the target audience. A campaign fails when it does not engage the consumer with its message.

While everyone is shouting to Hispanics, few create strategies to reach all the levels of assimilation. This requires a carefully crafted message for every segment. The message would be very different for the newly arrived emigrant, as opposed to those 3rd and 4th generations who are completely assimilated. The message is not simply target all people who speak Spanish. We may all look a like on the outside, at least to marketers interested in the almighty consumer spending dollar. The fact of the matter is, Latinos are as versatile and varied as the frijoles, or habichuela recipes they have brought from their native home town.

Successful communication addresses both the surface and deep processes of the psyche. To illustrate this, on a recent trip to Puerto Rico I was intrigued by a poster inside of a KFC store with a picture of an African American child holding out a bucket of fried chicken. This was an acceptable ad for the area. Move this ad to the deep south and the message might be catagorized as a racial slur. Remember Don Imus and his off color remark about a casual hairstyle on women of ill repute? Al Sharpton would have had a field day with this poster. Why? The message could have potentially been processed very differently as racial stereotyping. This is no different than the Hot Latina ad campaign for a Mexian beer. On a surface level the beer and cute Latina model were isomorphic on a deeper level it was asymmetrical to some Hispanic activists as a negative sexual sterotyping of Hispanic women.

Effective communication in advertising can be measured by bottom line results. The issue of whether one should brand his or herself as Hispanic or general market agency is complex. In the final analysis, all that really matters is whether you deliver when others have failed or had lack luster results. Both approaches have their advantages and disadvantages. Which side you gravitate towards depends on your short and long term strategies. Many, like myself, will take the road less traveled. We look for growing opportunities in this infant niche. Most importantly, big fish, or small fish, its up to you to choose your pond or ocean.

Knowing the deep structure of the rules organizing a group or culture allows optimal communication This is what separates stellar from mediocre ad campaigns. Being able to keep a broader perspective in a Hispanic market can hit multinational Hispanics of all generations. Its not frijoles or habichuelas, its the spice of the people themselves that hold the edge for marketers. The superstar Hispanic marketers are those that know that they know all the necessary elements for a spherical theoretical approach to get the message to Hispanics. Buen provecho! Me entiendes?

By Victor Escalante
Hispanic advertising division of the Houston Chronicle