Advertising Age published a lengthy report on how Latino representation in Super Bowl LX advertising waned at a critical time for the segment.
In short, Latinos got iced while ICE reigned.
Hispanic representation wanes in Super Bowl ads at critical time
By Lindsay Rittenhouse
Diversity is waning in Super Bowl LX advertising, and noticeably scarce this year is Hispanic representation.
Several diversity and inclusion experts interviewed for this story said the lack of Hispanic casting and storylines is particularly disappointing given the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s targeting of this community, leaving them already feeling isolated and vulnerable.
“Latinos in the U.S. are navigating significant injustices in the current political environment, and non-Hispanic allies are increasingly showing up to support and protest alongside the community,” said Myles Worthington, CEO and founder of agency Worthi. “As marketers, knowing there is a massive influx of this audience watching the Super Bowl, it’d simply be poor strategy not to find a specific way to connect.”
Rocket Mortgage’s “America Needs Neighbors Like You” is one of the only national Super Bowl ads this year to prominently feature a Latino cast and promote a more earnest message of unity in a sea of in-game creative that leans heavily into humor. In the ad, friendly gestures by members of a Latino family new to the block help ease perceived tension with their new neighbors.
Meanwhile, of the 107 celebrities starring in Big Game spots this year, only eight are Hispanic, including Sofía Vergara, starring in Boehringer Ingelheim’s in-game spot; magician David Blaine, who appears in YouTube TV’s spot; and Danny Trejo, who is in Novo Nordisk’s ad. That finding is part of Ad Age’s annual report that evaluates how national advertisers in the game prioritized diversity and inclusion on the screen and behind the cameras.
Worthington said seeing so many brands fail to prioritize Hispanic viewers—especially on the biggest night in advertising when so many will tune in to watch the halftime performance of Puerto Rican star Bad Bunny—“is a signal of cultural illiteracy, not prudence.”
Missed opportunity to reach Hispanic viewers
Lisette Arsuaga, the co-president and co-CEO of DMI Consulting, a strategic marketing firm specializing in diverse segments, and the co-founder of the Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing (AIMM), speculated that perhaps brands felt that because Bad Bunny is performing the Apple Music Super Bowl Halftime Show, “the Super Bowl had already taken care of Hispanics.”
But that thinking is flawed. “If a white talent were doing the Super Bowl, brands wouldn’t be thinking, ‘Oh, I don’t have to represent whites in my ad because that’s already part of the Super Bowl,’” she said.
It’s not clear why exactly the majority of Super Bowl advertisers left this demographic out of their spots. If anything, the highly anticipated Bad Bunny performance should be proof of the power of Hispanic culture and talent, Worthington said, pointing to the fact that a teaser posted to Instagram for his halftime show already reeled in the most likes of any teaser for a halftime performer ever.
Many of our interviewees praised the NFL for choosing Bad Bunny and championing diversity while so many brands sat silently on the sidelines. As a result, “the most powerful statement” isn’t going to be made during the commercial breaks but when Bad Bunny takes the stage, said Nicole Simpson, VP of inclusion and impact at Omnicom-owned Rapp.
“At a moment when the Latine community is particularly vulnerable, spotlighting the world’s top global artist who is fresh off historic Grammy wins and responsible for over $400 million in economic impact for Puerto Rico, isn’t just smart business,” Simpson said, “it’s a declaration of whose stories deserve center stage and a clear signal that the league sees its future as undeniably global.”
Arsuaga also took issue with what she said was a misrepresentation of Hispanic culture in Instacart’s “Bananas” commercial in which the mustachioed duo of Ben Stiller and Benson Boone sing about the grocery delivery platform’s feature that lets customers choose how ripe they want their produce. The ad has drummed up some backlash as some people have interpreted Stiller and Boone’s accents in the spot as faux Hispanic.
An Instacart spokesperson stressed that this was not the case in a statement. “The characters are intentionally fictional and stylized, inspired by a specific musical era and genre—not by any real individual, culture or community—and any perceived resemblance in accent, attire or presentation is unintentional.”
Rocket’s ad promotes unity
There were, of course, some welcome exceptions. Rocket Mortgage continued to champion a storyline promoting inclusion and unity in its in-game spot, “America Needs Neighbors Like You,” as it did during the Super Bowl last year.
The spot, created by agency Mirimar, shows a Latino family moving into a seemingly unwelcoming neighborhood, set to the tune of a Lady Gaga rendition of Fred Rogers’ “Won’t You Be My Neighbor.” A storm prompts young girls within a white and Latino family to find friendship and leads to other neighbors putting aside their differences to help each other out.
“These diverse characters were very intentional in the scriptwriting process—we wanted to represent America’s diversity and showcase the authentic tensions that exist in neighborhoods,” a Rocket spokesperson said. “We also wanted to show how kindness and neighborliness are a way to overcome our differences, and to remind the country that a simple hello or offer to help those who live next door brings us closer together.”
It seems that as other advertisers lean into humor and nostalgia, Rocket Mortgage is one of the few overtly providing a deeper message promoting unity at a time when the U.S. feels increasingly divided.
Still, Rocket Chief Marketing Officer Jonathan Mildenhall stressed in a statement that the ad promotes “a civic message not a political message. We want to encourage intentional kindness and neighborliness,” he said.
Boehringer Ingelheim’s first-ever Big Game spot, starring actors Octavia Spencer and Vergara, also stands out as a good representation of Hispanic culture, some people said.
Kai Wright, an industry strategic adviser and lecturer at Columbia University, uses a five-point system to evaluate ads for inclusivity. The five areas he said he grades an ad to determine if it well represents the community it intends to reach, includes “lexicon,” meaning it “is doing something unique that the community would identify with”; audio cues that resonate with a particular community; strong visuals that captivate the audience; “experience drivers,” meaning the ad is reinforcing some sort of ritual a particular community can get behind; and strong cultural connections.
Based on this system, which he calls the LAVEC method, Wright said Boehringer Ingelheim’s spot scored high (an 89 out of 100). The pharmaceutical brand worked with the American Diabetes Association, National Kidney Foundation, WomenHeart and The Mended Hearts on a campaign to showcase the importance of health screenings.
Spencer and Vergara appear in the action-packed ad on a mission to help people understand how to manage high blood pressure and Type 2 diabetes. Wright said the actors represent Black and Hispanic women, two groups that are prone to such conditions, and they provide actionable steps to improve their lives.
“The ad incorporates community values of advocacy and proactive care,” Wright said. “By reframing ‘silent signals’ as a call to action, it aligns with the tribe’s desire to ‘know their numbers’ and advocate for their own health before it’s too late.”
Both actors were good fits for the ad because they share personal and family health histories with these conditions, he added.
Boehringer Ingelheim declined to comment.
Arsuaga also praised the ad for being one of the only so far to prominently feature a Latina celebrity. She did note, however, that she’d like to see more brands branch out and hire Hispanic talent more under the radar than Vergara, who rose to fame as a lead on the hit sitcom “Modern Family.”
“When people think about Hispanic talent, it’s like, Sofía Vergara is your token person,” Arsuaga said. “I don’t want to minimize her because she’s a great actor and is doing great things, but there are a lot of other people that could be used for important talent during these ads.”
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