How Bud Light, Chrysler Are Fighting to Stay Hot With Hispanic Customers

As courting Hispanic customers becomes a fixture of more and more marketing strategies, no one—even those who have long-standing rapport with the rapidly-growing American demographic—can afford to take a break.

Bud Light and Chrysler, two companies that have succeeded with Hispanic marketing campaigns, are taking that wisdom to heart. Both have re-committed themselves to the powerful market segment, emphasizing marketing messages they believe will click with the Hispanic-American population.

For Chrysler, it means re-introducing the Ram truck line, one which has historically been popular with Hispanics, with a campaign, "focusing on the important values of hard work, dedication, and commitment to family and community." Entitled "A Todo, Con Todo," the bi-lingual campaign shares Ram owners’ real-life testimonials across television, print, radio and digital media.

The campaign aims to communicate the idea that Ram ownership is a "way of life" for Latino customers. "Like the brand itself, there's a deep sense of pride in getting the job done, better and smarter, thanks to an uncompromising toughness." Two real-life owners, apparently unscripted, share how the Ram is an extension of their values.

The radio and newspaper ads will run in fifteen major markets with Hispanic populations, while the TV and magazine ads will be national buys on Hispanic-friendly television and in Hispanic-targeted publications.

It also builds upon other Hispanic marketing initiatives—the introduction of a Spanish website for the Ram truck line and a partnership with Yahoo! En Espanol to debut a Mexican regional musical channel.

Through a multi-channel effort to establish itself as both Spanish-friendly and value-friendly, the Ram campaign plays to the intrinsic character of the Hispanic-American community. Rather than emphasize flash and aspiration, it focuses on pride and the importance of hard-work in making one’s dreams come true.

Bud Light's new campaign, which makes an obvious play to the Hispanic community (though is technically labeled a "multi-cultural campaign" by Bud Light’s Mike Sundet in an interview with Advertising Age), focuses more on the former.

Created in English and Spanish, the new campaign features Cuban-American pop/hip-hop performer Pitbull, who is becoming something of a go-to for Hispanic and crossover marketing. Driven by music (and a tie-in with the Shazam mobile app), the promo, according to the Ad Age story, focuses on the "good times" that can be had.

According to Sundet, the campaign’s success will be fueled by connecting Bud Light to the Hispanic "points of passion," including soccer and music.

Budweiser is known as a major player in the Hispanic marketing space, and this new campaign emerges at a crucial time. In the interview, Sundet confirms that successful marketing is needed to fight off competition, which AdAge and Beer Marketing Insights confirm is coming, in force, from companies like Crown Imports (behind Corona) and Diageo (behind a long list of popular spirits).

Whether identified by the traditions of the Ram message or the excitement of the Bud Light message, veteran Hispanic advertisers are relying on honest connections to Latino customers.

The promotions are in both English and Spanish, emphasizing an appreciation for the fact that many Hispanics are proud to speak Spanish (and proud to access media that is also in Spanish). They link their products to actual Hispanics (actual, non-celebrity customers in the case of Chrysler) to demonstrate a real relationship with the community. They are either mindful of the specific values that are important to the character of Latino customers or conscious of what constitutes fun, excitement and youthful flare in the Hispanic community.

Those companies trying to break into the Hispanic-American market thus have to do more than simply make their value-priced products visible for members of the demographic community. They must make an effort to organically weave their products into the very foundation of America’s most-coveted, growing ethnic group.