I'm a poor excuse for a Hispanic and even poorer excuse for a Mexican, even though I'm half Mexican. Can many members of my family clearly communicate in Spanish? Yes. Do some of those same family members successfully run businesses and employ primarily Hispanic folks? Yes. Am I in either of those categories? No. But at least I know it. I realize not in touch with any particular ethnic segment of the market, unless suburban, professional mom counts. I get embarrassed for companies that think they get it and are in touch with whatever ethnic group they are targeting. I wince at their campaigns. Apparently I'm not alone in my anguish.
Some Shops Have Painted Themselves Into a Hispanic-Only Corner:
You'll Need to Be a Hispanic Professional, not a Professional Hispanic, to Go After General Market
As a regular joe, I can't stop laughing. Conan with a mustache,
sporting a borrowed jacket from Los Bukis and speaking Spanish is funny
stuff. He's a comedian, after all, and comedy deals in broad
stereotypes — and here, he's not making fun of Hispanics but rather
the general market's attempts to reach out to the Hispanic market.
However, if I had seen the same formula applied to a brand or product, I don't think it would be nearly as funny.
General-market agencies are now seeking more and more Hispanic
business in order to grow their shops. The question is: As that
continues to happen, will general-market shops take the Conan approach
and use stereotypes to address said Spanish speakers? I hope not.