As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I would like to challenge marketers to skip the tired tropes that, unfortunately, still characterize far too much of the advertising directed to us. ¡Por favor! Instead of feeling the pride of having so many brands look our way during this period, many of us often find ourselves rolling our eyes at, or worse, completely tuning out the annual onslaught of campaigns and activations meant to garner our loyalty and win our wallets.
Working in advertising for more than two decades as a U.S.-born Latina of Mexican and Cuban descent (aka a “Cubican” in my family’s expression of our quintessentially American mash-up identity), I recognize the progress that’s occurred.
I’m heartened that many more brands now recognize the need to connect with my community. No longer do we necessarily have to educate clients about the size of our community (almost 19% of the U.S. population), our relative youth (median age 30) and our spending power (an estimated $1.9 trillion). And while I can still recall the days when “marketing to Hispanics” meant that a brand had a copy translation strategy and a plan to cast its campaigns with “ethnically ambiguous” talent, most brands have since recognized that such superficial efforts are doomed to fail.
Even as brands have largely rejected that sort of performative inclusivity, they still often pat themselves on the back for work that traffics in a flattened depiction of the Hispanic experience in this country. In too many Hispanic-directed campaigns, we are repeatedly celebrated for our work ethic, our commitment to our families (especially our abuelitas who are ubiquitous in so many spots) and our joyful and vibrant celebrations. Yes, we do work hard, love our grandmothers and many of us throw down a great party, but when brands turn to these same themes over and over, they become “Hispanic marketing wallpaper.” It’s all nice to see, but not necessarily differentiating or meaningful to the audience they’re meant to woo and win.