Ford Reaches Out to Bilingual Latinos
One advertiser is exploring an unusual way to reach Latino consumers: a bilingual television ad.
Ford Motor Co. dealers in Southern California are airing a Spanish-language commercial on ABC and Fox television stations in Los Angeles. The spot, which uses actors from Mexican soap operas, has English subtitles.
The 60-second ad is aimed at an elusive group: bilingual Latinos who prefer Spanish. The car dealers found that their ads on network television and on Spanish-language stations missed many of these consumers.
“They watch more English programming but like to hear their own language,” said Don Kott, chairman of the dealers’ Latino marketing committee. “The problem was . . . how to handle that?”
The bilingual ad, produced by Los Angeles-based Via Hollywood Productions, shows a Latino family turning out to celebrate an elderly couple’s anniversary. When the grandson (played by Venezuelan heartthrob Luis Fernandez) arrives in a new Mustang, his relatives gather to admire the car.
The ad is airing during Sunday morning public affairs shows that deal with Latinos, such as KABC-TV Channel 7’s “Vista L.A.”
Some advertising executives said the ad risks alienating English-speaking viewers, especially when bilingual education is under debate. But the Ford dealers say reaction to the ad so far has been favorable, though it’s too soon to determine its impact on sales.
