From Misunderstanding to Misstep: The Role of Accents in Marketing Campaigns
ACCENTS AND MISUNDERSTANDINGS 2 MARKETING NERDS
A recent experience with Accents in Marketing…
Accents in marketing are double-edged swords, so we will address a recent failure I witnessed while watching Copa America. I recently watched an ad for T-Mobile, one of my old employers, that made me cringe as a Latino marketer. It was surprising because I had previously seen an ad for Metro by T-Mobile that nailed the way we should market to Latinos, regardless of when they arrived or were born in the USA.
What’s an ad?
Before addressing accents in marketing, let us start by establishing common ground. Ads are messages you must deliver in 30-60 seconds, ensuring the message is positioned correctly in the audience’s psyche and recalled with the right stimulus, driving the audience to take a specific action. Based on this definition, we must avoid any noise that can detract from the message at all costs and add as many tools as possible to help deliver and retain the message.
It’s an ad and an accent to cringe.
The ad showed people interacting with a voice-over speaking with an intentionally thick “Latino” accent. The accent was reminiscent of how people imitate Latinos speaking English to ridicule them. I know because I have been ridiculed for my accent before, and mine is less thick than how the ad portrayed Latino accents.
Accents in a T-Mobile ad?
The use of accents in marketing in this ad made me cringe as a marketer because it revealed a profound misunderstanding of the Latino community and those who, like me, speak multiple languages. I wondered how T-Mobile could adopt such a misguided campaign during the continent’s most prominent soccer event. The number of resources spent on creating an ad that nearly offends its target audience is perplexing. However, someone, somewhere, thought it was a great concept.
It made me cringe as a Latino because the use of the accent in a national ad ignores that people with accents do not hear their accents and disregards the negative traits our society associates with them.
Accents, messages, and trait associations
In our country, people tend to associate accents and not speaking perfect English with low IQ, lack of intelligence, or education. Interestingly, this association is only geared towards what we consider minorities. When a Norwegian person speaks English with a strong accent, nobody considers them dumb or lacking intelligence in the same way they do for Latinos.
How does the environment impact perception?
In marketing, we must know the negative and positive associations with different accents. According to a study by BYU, the current social and political environment affects the perception of accents and associated traits. As culture constantly changes, it is essential to research an accent’s perception before using it.
According to the BYU study, the Latino accent is perceived as the lowest in education and second lowest in trustworthiness. These negative traits have increased due to current political and social conditions. Based on the Prestige Theory, accents from countries with traditionally strong political and economic backgrounds are viewed positively, while accents from the opposite are associated with negative traits.
Cultural biases in messages
Accents in marketing, and accents in general, are associated with cultural biases stemming from past social structures. For example, people with solid accents are often linked to poverty, crime, and, nowadays, a lack of legal status. Accents serve as quick references to perceived intelligence or cognitive ability. They can prime the receiver to receive the message in a negative light.
The perception of accents affects both the receiver and the sender of a message. The sender is aware of the negative connotations associated with their accent and is not very receptive to their accent. Furthermore, first-generation Americans must be more receptive to this accent due to negative connotations and a desire to assimilate. The question is, who did T-Mobile think the ad was targeting?
This article by HipLatina.com, gives a good view of accents and stereotypes
A failure to understand accents in marketing
This apparent failure to craft a well-designed and culturally relevant message highlights why it is essential for modern marketers to go beyond traditional practices. A good marketer will ensure that every aspect of a message is investigated and understands how different elements can either help or hinder it.
The desire of the Latino audience to assimilate and be seen as equals is such that, as a native speaker of Spanish and English, I have encountered other Latinos who would not speak Spanish to me because they spoke English. Highlighting an accent or a perceived “deficiency” in English makes the audience feel different rather than unique or considered.
What makes a good marketer?
A good marketer will be aware of an accent’s cultural and historical connotations and knowledgeable of the current political and social environments in which the message will be deployed. Regardless of the message’s purpose or the product being promoted, marketers should avoid using accents since they can be offensive and divisive.
Accents are not practical tools.
Accents are not practical tools for messages as they are associated with the personal experiences of the target audience. Accents have significant consequences for people because, as explained before, accents influence the perception of a person’s intelligence, trustworthiness, and even physical attractiveness. Although we tend to oversimplify complex problems and think, “It is just an accent, no big deal,” imitating or using another group’s accent continues to reinforce societal stereotypes and limit opportunities for said group.
Accents in marketing
While accents can be used effectively in marketing campaigns, they can also be a dangerous thread to pull. As a marketer focusing on cultural marketing, I advise avoiding them.
In my career, the key has been understanding different groups beyond how they look or sound. It has been about researching how they feel, desire, and view the future. It is about looking beyond demographics and stereotypes. A person will identify with a character in an ad or narrative not because of the accent they use or the caricature they portray but by finding common ground between their reality and needs and the solution and behavior depicted in an ad or narrative.
If you are a marketing creative, check out pain catastrophizing and marketing as a science and an art.
Alex Villamar
