Since I started watching shows Hulu a few weeks ago, I have had the opportunity to watch commercials again after Netflix threw Cable TV out of my life. As a PR person, I relate to my advertising comrades and cannot help but view these commercials from the perspective of idea cultivation and execution. One commercial particularly stood out and I would like to give my summary of the ad because I cannot seem to find a copy online. I will not be giving any brand names either.
The ad is for an online communication/video call platform — quite common to see during COVID-19. The story of this ad has a son is video calling his mom for help on making a family recipe. A generic upbeat/inspirational commercial song is playing to set the tone. Initially, you see the son’s hand’s carefully wrapping corn husks presumably in order to make Tamales. A narrator interjects, saying something along the lines of, “in a world with social isolation, with [our product] you can keep tradition alive.” The scene continues, showing shots of a tablet with Mom giving directions, her son lining up the husks to be steamed. For a moment, the ad reminded me of my first time living alone and cooking for myself. Right at the climax of the ad, the son is successfully revealing his Tamales, the mother is shown on screen, proud as can be, and then I hear…trumpets. The Narrator tells us about the product once again, and the ad ends.
My reaction was a mix of recoil, laughter, and cringe.
If you have not already realized, whoever created this ad meant to appeal to Latino viewers. While none of what happened in the ad would be considered incorrect or offensive, allow me to describe why I believe it does not work.
To add context, I am mixed European and Filipino, which as far as race-by-sight goes, most would call me White. Recently I was tasked to create messages which targeted African American/Black people as well as Hispanic people. Because I am minimally immersed in these groups’ cultures, I found myself wondering how I would approach my messages. It is key to note, that targeting these groups does not mean you are just talking to them, effectively you are representing them. Without a voice who knows and understands their culture, you preach to them just as much as you reveal how you view them.
My solution? I chose to detach race from my messages, and I think the result would resonate more. The story of my message was a parent who was apprehensive about having medical work done on her son. But she realizes that this treatment would also affect her son’s future wife, her daughter-in-law, and likely the best thing in her son’s life. The phrase, “it isn’t just for him,” against a photo of a wedding ceremony, the bride’s silhouette clearly missing from the image was what I created.
Nothing in that story referenced race, yet it was my message for the Black community. The only indicator I chose was to have the subjects of the wedding photo to be a Black couple. I differed from the Tamales ad by choosing to not celebrate the group I was speaking to. It is my opinion that these “celebrations” of race and culture are not necessary, especially in a business/monetary context. The main reason being that cultures already celebrate themselves more than any Advertising team could, but also advertisers run the risk of being too preachy. The Tamales ad began tastefully, but by the end was basically saying, “Look! Tamales, Tradition, Trumpets! You get it right?!”
Just thinking of how many people reviewed, approved, and budgeted the ad baffles me. It is even possible that they had a Latino person advising the process, I can already picture the executives saying, “make it more…y’know.”
So, the moral of this story is to show and not tell. The Tamales ad would have been great if they cut the white-sounding narrator talking about tradition, and instead let the story tell itself. Regardless of race, or any other demographics, no one enjoys being put on a pedestal. Sometimes the best way to resonate with a specific group, is by not making them special at all.
Here are some commercials which do right. This one by State Farm is well-known, and this New York Times article gives comparisons as to how race can affect the same story.
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