- Latin American consumers are not content with brands sitting on the sidelines during difficult conversations.
- Advertising plays a significant role in shaping society. Companies that are committed to a social cause need to adhere strictly to their brand values.
Latin America is full of paradoxes. It is home to one the largest racially diverse countries in the world. Yet, many groups remain underrepresented and stereotypically depicted in the advertising.
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There are immigrants from Europe and Asia-Pacific as well as the Middle East and Amerindians. The population also includes descendants of slaves, including African tribes descended from Amerindians. According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, a United Nations regional commission that promotes economic cooperation, it is also one the poorest regions of the world in terms wealth and income.
Although Latin America broke away from Spain and Portugal’s colonial past 200 years ago, the advertising industry in Latin America is still plagued by a lack of diversity and representation.
“While brands have made a conscious effort to improve their representations from different racial/ethnic backgrounds and to disengage from traditional portrayals of gender roles within marketing materials, a large portion of consumers still don’t feel represented in advertising,” Matteo Ceurvels, eMarketer director Latin America research at Insider Intelligence and author of our recently released report “Analyst Take: How Latin American Brands Address Diversity and Representation in Advertising.”
Latin America advertising stats
According to a Penthera survey, 72% of adult internet users in Latin America (or 70.2%) said that they felt unrepresented in most digital video ads. This was according to EMI Research Solutions’ March 2021 survey.
As consumers in Latin America become more attuned to brand purpose and messaging, it is increasingly important that companies accurately portray the local communities they target—while also fully embracing diversity in their marketing campaigns. This belief was shared by more that three quarters (78%) internet users in Latin America aged 18-74, surveyed by YouGov for Getty Images in July 2019.
Latin America companies promote diversity
Latin American ecommerce company Mercado Libre, is an example of a regional business that embraces diversity in marketing materials. In its July 2020 video ad entitled “Libre de serquien Soy”, the company reflected on how diverse employees are empowered to bring all of their selves to work to infuse innovation at the company.
In an official StatementMercado Libre declared, “We continue promoting equality opportunities because we believe in diversity as the foundation of innovation.” [for our users]That diversity can enrich and drive growth.
Brazilian sandal and flip-flop company Havaianas has taken steps to include diversity in its advertising content. #DiasMaisColoridos, the summer 2020 campaign of Havaianas, aims to promote Brazil’s rich and diverse culture while using color to celebrate the product’s positive energy. The sandals are present in happy moments: playing samba with friends, relaxing on the beach or just enjoying a peaceful afternoon at the sea.
In Interview with Brazilian news outlet Propmark, creative director Henrique Del Lama said, “The campaign seeks good feelings and all the positive energy associated with each color—an element that is very present throughout the . An example: Orange represents joy, red signifies passion, black signifies strength, yellow symbolizes optimism, lilac wisdom and white signifies peace.
Young, Gifted, and Black was also a part of the campaign. YGB, an image bank, offers photos taken by Black women, and images of Black women. YGB provided images of six women to participate in the campaign’s OOH and social media elements.
Joana Mendes, founder of YGB, said in the same Propmark interview that “Doing this job to Havaianas was very significant.” [to us]We were able to show them off [Black] women in different positions than people are used to seeing—both in front of and behind the camera.”
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This article was first published on eMarketer.
