Beyond Hispanic Heritage Month: How Brands Can Support Year-Round Cultural Celebrations

By Louis Maldonado

As we enter the second full week of Hispanic Heritage Month, it’s encouraging to see so many in our industry publishing thoughtful opinion pieces on the occasion. The discourse has been rich and diverse, but one message stands out: Brands must engage with Hispanic consumers year-round, not just during Hispanic Heritage Month.

In general, the call-to-action is typically for brands to go beyond Hispanic Heritage Month by investing in dedicated media that reflects the size and opportunity of this growth consumer audience, as well as to tap compelling insights to create more relevant creative that reflects their lifestyles and category usage. That is all very wise and very important counsel, and we at DEX have proselytized and written thought pieces to make that case. But let’s also consider that, while advertising is extremely important to build brand love with Latinos – especially Latino youth who want to see themselves in the advertising plus expect brands to show up for their communities – doing it right truly requires a holistic approach that includes presence in the community and sponsorship of large, tentpole event properties that bring us together to celebrate in community; a statement that is validated with reams of research over decades.

This background brings me to the focus of this opinion piece, which was inspired by my recent experience attending the filming of the Hispanic Heritage Awards celebration, held at none other than The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in our nation’s capital. The program honored living, Latino legends like Carolina Herrera and Carmelo Anthony, as well as posthumous figures like Roberto Clemente, who were presented by other luminaries, like John Leguizamo, Lisa Lisa and Emilio Estefan. Importantly, the awards went beyond fashion, sports and entertainment to include lesser known but equally impressive honorees, like entrepreneur and creator of Beautyblender, Rea Ann Silva and writer, director and comedian Julio Torres. The presentation was a joyous, well-rounded and pride-filled approach to recognizing and showcasing the impressive breadth of talent and achievement across a variety of fields. More importantly, the TV broadcast airing this Friday, September 27 on PBS, is incredibly needed by families seeking to encourage and inspire younger generations of talent that may not see the possibilities for themselves; especially during our current sociopolitical backdrop that is heavily laden with derogatory narrative about our communities.

Attending this awards ceremony was just the latest but very palpable reminder of why our world needs these celebrations and why we, multicultural marketers and advertisers, need to be staunch and unrelenting champions that encourage our clients and media partners to invest in sponsoring them. If we don’t do it, who will?

I underscore that last statement by tapping into my personal experience on the non-profit/community side of life – my 10 years of experience serving on the Board of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade. Since 2014, the Board has closely collaborated with community institutions, like CUNY’s Center for Puerto Rican Studies, El Instituto de Cultura Puertorriqueña (Institute of Puerto Rican Culture), the Nuyorican Poet’s Café and many creators and contributors from the community to ensure this iconic celebration fulfills its purpose and builds upon a 68-year legacy of preserving, promoting and celebrating Puerto Rican heritage, culture and achievement. But, much like the Pride Parade, the genesis of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade came from community activism and a tremendous desire to counter the second-class treatment experienced by the Puerto Ricans in New York City and across the U.S. Our ancestors were committed to countering the common narrative in the media about “the Puerto Rican problem” by showing NYC and the world the best of who we are and the tremendous contributions we have made to society.

The Parade is now one of the largest in the country and is as iconic to New York City as the Statue of Liberty, a yellow cab or a bagel. NYC’s Fifth Avenue is steeped in cultural pride, with a sea of Puerto Rican flags, anthemic music and exclamations of “¡wepa!” galore, but the programming, themes and tributes are carefully and intentionally curated to go way beyond that. The Parade highlights historical figures and cultural tributes that are often not taught in daily life. We showcase the achievements of honorees that represent a broad swath of fields, from TV, film, music and sports to the sciences, the fine arts, literature, the visual arts and many more. We drive awareness to issues currently affecting our communities, both in the diaspora and across the Puerto Rican archipelago. Through our scholarship program, we have awarded over $1.6 million to outstanding college students of Puerto Rican descent, since 2014. And thanks to our media partners at Disney and ABC, our 3-hour live broadcast and livestream on ABC and Hulu, the celebration engages Boricuas across the U.S. and around the world.

These are just two examples of the many parades, festivals and other cultural celebrations that occur across the United States and throughout the calendar year, but they need our financial support and active participation in order to continue surviving and delivering positive impact. So, to everyone that is calling for Hispanic/Latino heritage to be celebrated beyond Hispanic Heritage Month, here are your calls-to action:

1. Encourage your clients, employers, and foundations to sponsor these events. Without financial backing, these celebrations can’t continue their critical work.
2. Get involved. Brands should do more than just place their logo on banners—they should immerse themselves in the culture and engage authentically, contributing to the richness of the celebration.
3. Participate. Encourage your communities to show up for these events, either in person or by tuning in to broadcasts. When our communities show up, brands will see the value of their investment.

Our commitment is more important than ever, especially as budgets for supporting diverse communities come under threat. The call for year-round celebration of Hispanic heritage is already loud and clear. Now it’s time to take the next step: supporting the celebrations that keep that culture alive throughout the calendar year.

And don’t forget—tune in to the Hispanic Heritage Awards on PBS on September 27. Let’s continue the celebration, and more importantly, let’s continue the work.

 

About Author

Louis Maldonado is Partner and Managing Director at d expósito & Partners, a multicultural communications firm and is Board Member and former Chair of the National Puerto Rican Day Parade.