Painful Advertising Mistakes – #2

Posted by George San Jose in CPG, Digital Consumer Lifestyle, Healthcare, Insurance, Latin America, Multicultural Marketing, Nonprofit, Total Market, Travel and Leisure | 1 comment

We continue our blog on Painful Advertising Mistakes when launching a campaign to a multicultural market.

Painful Mistake #2

Rule: Be mindful of Hispanic cultural beliefs.

“Come to the Bank for an ‘Action of Last Resort’”

According to “Top Ten Mistakes Companies Make Marketing to Hispanics,” by The Marketing Edge Consulting Group’s Beth Goldstein, the word “mortgage” carries negative connotations to some Spanish speaking people, for it translates to, “action of last resort.” Additionally, in some Spanish speaking countries, banks are not viewed as a place people trust, and in the United States, some Hispanic immigrants have a phobia of handling financial matters outside of the Spanish language. As a result, many Hispanics are cautious about using banking services in the United Sates. If a bank suggests a Hispanic immigrant take a mortgage out on his/her house, the immigrant might be even more cautious because he/she does not see it as a good thing, but as the last resort.

Moral of the Story: With a culture as large as the Hispanic market, advertisers must gain an understanding of the many facets of the Hispanic culture. Advertisers should educate their target audiences on their products—making sure not to use language that might scare their target market away.

Stay tuned for Painful Mistake #3 in a future blog.