Most brands just play it ‘safe’, using Latin / a models and maybe a little Spanish in their advertising. For example, Coca-Cola tweeted in Spanish that the best way to celebrate the month is with homemade guacamole. Unfortunately, guacamole is not a staple dish from all Spanish-speaking countries.
La mejor forma de celebrar este mes es con guacamole casero y una @Coca Cola helada. Visited http://t.co/2HDo6tyWlV pic.twitter.com/ylumjZ1Ofo
– Coca-Cola (@CocaCola) September 9, 2014
Unsurprisingly, most mistakes seem to happen because marketers think Hispanics or Latinos – generic terms commonly used to describe various peoples from 21 different Spanish-speaking countries – are all the same.
Latino rebels Point other odd ads.
It’s Hispanic Heritage Month! Discover a hint of culture in your cup of #Coffee by adding @NestleAbuelita or @NestleLaLechera all the month!
– Coffee companion (@Coffee_mate) September 15, 2014
Perhaps the strangest thing is Coffee Mate’s introduction of two “steamy new Latin flavors”. Another specimen says: “What could be better than a new Latin like? Two. ”The new flavors are Mexican chocolate, which is“ sweet [and] spicy ”, and Dulce de Leche, your“ sweet and dreamy caramel soulmate ”. That’s right – dairy cream is sexy now that it’s Latino. The ads came out a week after Sofia Vergara’s pedestal gag at the Emmys, proving that old stereotypes, like the overexualized “Latin lover,” are dying hard.