1. Lack of quality in Advertisements for the
Hispanic Community in Las Vegas
BY NIDYA RIVERA
COS 250
A family watches one of the two
Spanish networks in the Las
Vegas valley while eating dinner
community well, “ said Horacio
Valdez, membership coordinator
for the Latin Chamber of
Commerce. “Sometimes all it
does is re-emphasize false
stereotypes.”
Vegas valley while eating dinner
on a typical afternoon. As their
show comes to a break, a
commercial for La Bonita Meat
Market appears.
An animated butcher carrying a
l tti k if h i
“Quality is sacrificed in the
process because there isn't
enough time to produce a quality
piece for a local account when
your department is saturated with
local accounts in need of
production and a station in need
of local business.”
Over the past decade, Las Vegas
has been growing at a rate of 86.5
percent. The Hispanic population
alone has grown by 22 percent.
“It’s amazing that in a city with
such a large Hispanic market,
advertisers still assume that we
are all the same,” said Mike
Johnson, president of L.A.E.
Advertising Agency. “We may all
large cutting knife chases a pig
running and squealing across the
screen. The accordion theme
song for the meat market plays in
the background as the announcer
rapidly yells the sales of the
week
g y p g g y y
speak Spanish, but our cultures
are very diverse.”
week.
For the producers, this is just
another one of their many
creations for the Hispanic
audience in Las Vegas. For the
family, it is one of the many
t t i l i l th
With a buying power of more
than $3.5 billion, and the
highest rate of small business
ownership, many of the valley’s
Hispanic residents question the
advertising methods of the
mass communication medium.
“Advertisings for Hispanics in
Las Vegas does not represent our
The Hispanic population in
Southern Nevada is divided into
four main nationalities; 67
percent Mexican, 6 percent
Cuban, 4 percent Puerto Rican
and 23 percent of other Spanish
speaking nationalities.
stereotypical commercials they
have to deal with while watching
the channel.
“Advertising directed towards
the Hispanic market is not taken
seriously,” said Xochitl Sandoval,
news director for Univision-
KINC 15. “It’s done in poor
quality and with much disregard
to our market, which is
dramatically underestimated.”
“Our station works with local
clients in the production of their
commercials because they can’t
afford bigger production
agencies,” Sandoval said.
Advertisement for Hospital uses sex to sell services.

2. Hispanic advertising from page 1
PAGE 2 LACK OF QUALITY IN ADVERTISEMENTS FOR THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY IN LAS VEGAS
Because of the relevant division
among nationalities, many
residents are concerned that
advertisers seem to ignore the
existence of 21 Latin countries,
and only emphasize México and
corporations have recognized that
‘Spanish’ is not a format, but a
language.”
“The recognition that they have
to produce ‘Banda’ or ‘Tejano’
specific theme advertisements
agree on the quality of the current
advertisements, each feel that by
having advertising agencies
managed and created by Hispanics
for the Hispanic population, an
improvement could be made.
its citizens.
Some feel that the reason why
they are misrepresented is
because Hispanic communication
media lacks Hispanics in
management positions who live
specific theme advertisements
shows their willingness to
change,” she said.
A majority of the Hispanic
population concludes that the
advertisements that exist today
t t i l d ti
The battle between those who
create advertisements and those
who receive advertisements comes
down to one thing, money.
g p
and understand the cultures.
“I would like to see the lawyers
who think they can speak Spanish
go back to school,” said Valdez.
“They need to respect our
language and our culture
are stereotypical, and sometimes
vulgar and insulting.
Quality depends on time and
availilability. Time and availability
depend on money.
language and our culture.
Advertising agencies need to hire
well educated Spanish speakers
who are raised within the Spanish
speaking cultures and who are
capable of obtaining upper
management positions.”
“The scripts for both television
and radio commercials are
ridiculous,” said Pamela Rivera, a
recent high school graduate.
“Actors speak with strong accents
that are hard to understand and
insulting because it is as if they
are assuming that we lack an
education and are incapable of
obtaining one.”
To target the right audience, the
target audience must first be found
by doing research. Research
companies such as Scarborough
not only require time, but are
rather expensive.
g p
Feelings are mixed regarding
the subject of misrepresentation
in Hispanic advertising.
As the Hispanic population
continues to increase and more
residents have the opportunity to
open businesses, the demand for
for advertisement production
will be even greater.
Those who work in the
communication medium feel
that the existing advertising
has improved in comparison to
what it was 10 years ago.
“Hispanic advertising has
changed tremendously over the
last decade,” said Bonnie Bartlett,
“If making us look like idiots
wasn’t enough, they assume that
by having half naked women
blabbing about services and
discounts, we are going to run to
their location and buy their
product or service,” Rivera said.
“If they really knew our culture,
they would understand that
portraying women as sex objects
isn’t smart for their business,” she
said. “After all, women are the
The more the demand is for
production, the less time will
be available to produce a
quality advertisement.
“Business owners are too much
into their businesses,” said Gabriel
Quioz, general manager of
Univision-KINC 15. “They don’t
care about the advertisements and
th thi k th t b th
, ,
marketing and promotions
director for Univision-KINC 15.
“For example, in Hispanic radio,
advertising agencies and
,
ones who run the household and
make the purchasing decisions in
the majority of Hispanic homes.”
Although neither the advertising
creators nor the audience seem to
they think that because they own
the business, they have the right to
do advertising as they see fit.”
Advertisers will continue to use
stereotypes and sex to produce

3. Hispanic advertising from page 2
LACK OF QUALITY IN ADVERTISEMENTS FOR THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY IN LAS VEGAS PAGE 3
low quality advertisements until
the Hispanic population realizes
their buying power and demands
respect and quality.
“You can’t tell the business
owners not to do a commercial aowners not to do a commercial a
certain way, because they still
want to do it,” said Quiroz.
“It’s like telling someone with
bad health not to eat fried foods
and them still wanting to eat
th ”them.”
“We are not their mothers,” he
said. “They need our production
capabilities and we need their
money.”
“We are here for business andWe are here for business and
nothing else.”
-
Advertisement uses sex and stereotyping to sell long distance telephoneyp g g p
cards for calls to Latin America and the Dominican Republic.