From Melting Pot to Salad Bowl
By Luis Miguel Messianu Principal/Chief Creative Officer del Rivero Messianu DDB

There is a lot of distortion surrounding the concept of "multicultural advertising." Many people read "economies of scale" into it, and some advertisers even believe they can lump all ethnic efforts into a single program, a very dangerous and somewhat absurd approach.

Each ethnic group has its own cultural idiosyncrasies, which even transcend language preference. As a creative director for a Hispanic firm, I cannot judge the work of an Asian American or African American team. I am not familiar with the culture and the insights so it will be very hard for me to evaluate the real potential and the effectiveness of an idea. In contrast, I feel extremely comfortable when analyzing work aimed at Hispanics who live in this country. I completely identify myself with the personal and professional experiences, the aspirations, the restlessness, the likes and dislikes and the dreams of this group. I can really speak with knowledge about Hispanics because I am very close to the consumer.

Hispanic advertising must continue to be Hispanic advertising. The same applies to African American or Asian American advertising. The only type of advertising that will be forced to change if it purports to accurately reflect the country as it is, is general market advertising. General market advertising will have to become multicultural advertising.

The fact is that the United States is influenced by other cultures. As far as food, sales of Mexican Salsa have surpassed those of Ketchup. The fashionable restaurants are the Japanese, Mexican, Argentine or Cuban. In the world of music the true "main stream" is conformed by Marc Anthony, Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Shakira, Christina Aguilera and Jennifer Lopez. But this is certainly not new. Before Ricky Martin there was Ricky Ricardo and Carlos Santana, both of whom enjoyed years of success. Multiculturalism has existed, exists and will continue to exist.

In the case of Hispanic advertising, the more we as marketers and advertisers understand the constant duality in which we live in this country - a mix of North American adoption and Hispanic resurgence – the more success we will have.>

Take McDonald's as an example: For the general market the concept is more of a vending machine approach while in the Hispanic market itÕs more of a dining room. For Hispanics it's not so much about convenience, but about the experience. And that is why Hispanic stores generally outperform their general market counterparts.

Though there is no denying that there are ties that are universal – love, family, friendship, etc. – cultural and linguistic nuances are what link us together as groups, as communities or even "tribes."

Our point of view can vary from one product category to another. We can have a very Latin mentality when it comes to food, music, cars or clothing. But it can turn into a very American view if we talk about insurance, mortgages or real estate. This duality makes us different from the average American consumer. Or even from the rest of consumers in our continent.

Ultimately brands are like people. You want to be close to the people you likeÉ to the ones you empathize with. Hispanic advertising should be based on fresh and innovative ideas, beyond features that are extremely ethnic in nature, and that have only been created in order to justify the existence of Spanish-language campaigns.