We have a new marketing term in the US Hispanic Market – – Racista

Over the past 35 years in the business, not once was I taught or asked to use insulting words to get my point across to marketers, ad agencies, the media or executives looking to target US Hispanic Consumers.

I believe there are over 100+ words to be used to indicate a client’s lack of interest, hesitance, misunderstanding, ignorance, decision to cut back on budgets, assign an account to another agency, etc., etc.

But not once have I ever had a conversation where the word RACIST was part of a marketing, sales or public relations discussion.

Last week, the well respected, Financial Times and business journalist Gary Silverman, wrote an article titled “Advertisers pull back from targeting US Latinos”.
 
The scope of the article is base on an interview with Linda Gonzalez who owns Viva Agency in Coral Gables and is also the Chairwoman of AHAA, the leading US Hispanic Ad Agency trade association.

We all know that all advertising agencies (Hispanic and Non-Hispanic focused), the media and our clients are encountering challenges to grow their businesses in a volatile business environment in the US and globally.
 
To the point that many advertisers are trying to better maximize their ad dollars and even mainstream ad agencies are looking to poach lucrative account assignments from our US Hispanic ad agencies.

Challenges are nothing new to maintain or grow your business and industry.
 
What we cannot accept is a portrayal of our industry in a light that is damaging to this end goal of growth and stability.
 
Ms. Gonzalez on her own accord decided to portray her company’s loss of sustainability and account/client retention on the what she sees as blatant RACISM and the clients not targeting US Hispanics and using Hispanic focused agencies.
 
That cannot be the only reason for the agency’s losses.
 
The sad part is that in this article and based on her role as Chairwoman of AHAA, the entire US Hispanic industry and the AHAA members are portrayed as agreeing with her view of RACISM and its impact on our Industry.
 
Her point is very clear, she believes clients are RACIST and are not advertising because they do not want to enrage RACIST Trump supporters by marketing to US Hispanics.
 
The ugly word of RACISM entered into our marketing lexicon in the US Hispanic Advertising Industry as a reason or excuse for losing or not winning an account.  
 
What a shame.  
 
We could list a dozen more important reasons for losing or not winning an account or challenges we face.
 
We also disagree with her completely and believe a political activist point of view was not appropriate to use to portray that RACISM as the overwhelming factor that out weighs the other more challenging issues we face as an industry.
 
Calling out advertiser as RACIST is not wise.

But, we cannot dismiss that the current political climate in Washington DC from the Right and the Left does impact business in our country and the world.  But an extreme posture of RACISM is probably not the reality in our Industry.
 
Historically, activism and political rhetoric has not been a marketing strategy to successfully earn a sustainable ad agency account.

This was a tactic used by the African American ad agencies over the past decades using some of the nationally known race merchants to get accounts for their agencies.
 
•    Where are these ad agencies now?  
•    How many accounts really were generated by using this tactic for these agencies?
•    How many accounts were lost with this strategy?
 
As the comments in Financial Times article indicated:

“The only reason an advertiser wouldn’t target someone is that it feels there’s no money in it.  I don’t believe any other nonsense.”

“The ones that are pulling back are going to suffer the consequences,” she said. Instead of blaming “racist” Trump supporters (because of course anyone who supports Trump is racist including the 29% of Latino voters who voted for him) for a drop in business perhaps Ms Gonzalez should focus on treating her clients better.  I’m not sure how threatening your customers is a good way to build a long lasting business relationship.”
 
The US Hispanic Consumer offers a great opportunity for advertisers and targeting them efficiently and effectively requires an expert.
 
That’s why an organization like AHAA exists.

We know based on our conversation with other AHAA Board Members, ad agencies and media executives and our own beliefs on the problems we face as an Industry, that AHAA or its members do not appreciate or approve of this representation of our clients, this reality in our Industry and condone the use of the word RACIST.
 
Ms Gonzalez, you should have used more common sense, as the Chairwoman of AHAA and you should have assumed from the start that interview request was based as your position of Chairwoman of AHAA and not your potentialy moribund agency.
 
Gene Bryan
CEO

HispanicAd.com
HispanicCMO.com
HispanicSocialMarketingReport.com
HispanicTVUpfrontReport.com
HispanicMediaSalesInc.com
 
*** In full disclosure, we at Hispanic Media Sales, Inc. and HispanicAd work closely with the professional executives that work very hard to earn positive and growth oriented coverage and promotion for our Industry and AHAA. They are responsible executives and we know that their advice must not have been headed for this article.  

We also help publish, promote and sell the Hispanic Market Guide, memberships and their annual conference.  

This relationship does not preclude us from comment on the association or industry matters and in such capacity we have done so in this article since we do not agree with this representation of our industry, its clients and this is not in the best interest of our industry to call our clients RACIST.