During the 2012 NBA Finals, Ford made a move in reaching Hispanic consumers that few brands had considered at the time – running a Spanish language ad for the Ford Escape on English language network ABC. Over the past two years, Tide, Target, Taco Bell, and JC Penney have all joined the party running Spanish language executions, or executions partially in Spanish, on English language media.
The trend has picked up during the 2014 World Cup, given the popularity and passion among Hispanics for soccer. JC Penney, Hyundai, and Dish Network all ran Spanish language spots with English subtitles on English language channels. According to one JC Penney spokesperson, the brand hopes that “hearing the Spanish language with subtitles will be a compelling disruption that should cause the commercial to disrupt better than if it was translated.” (Zmuda, Ad Age, July 2, 2014). This also extends beyond television as visitors to the US National Team website had the opportunity to engage with a Spanish language Chips Ahoy execution.
While running Spanish language executions on mainstream media venues poses the risk of alienating the non-Hispanic viewer, it can be a great way to engage bilingual consumers. Communicus data indicates that bilingual Hispanics are heavy consumers of English language media and are very likely to engage with English language, general market communications. Even Spanish-dominant consumers connect with English language media. These consumers often use advertising to learn about brands, and as such, this strategy may provide another potential touch point for brands to connect to those consumers.
The addition of Spanish language executions to the pool of ads that bilingual or Spanish-dominant consumers are likely to see on English language channels can help to convey the brand benefits. These executions can create a cultural nuance that could be highly motivating, helping consumers feel that the brand ‘gets’ them and is ‘for someone like me.’
While the trend is likely to remain somewhat limited in scope for the time being, the early adopters’ forays into this tactic, especially during events with strong Hispanic viewership, demonstrate its future potential as the Hispanic population increases in size and purchasing power. Brands considering this approach need to ensure strong integration with existing general market advertising content, as well as to balance the cultural nuances of the general market consumer with that of the Hispanic consumer. While ‘best practices’ for this approach are still being developed, this practice represents the increased focus, attention, and strategic thinking marketers are placing on this highly important consumer segment.
