Infusing pasión (passion) into mainstream advertising: Using an emotional model to improve the measurement of advertising effectiveness

Abstract

Hispanic marketing in the USA has traditionally centred on Spanish language advertisements. But effective advertising may not rely on language or ‘message’. This paper asserts that the most efficient communications are emotional and work by drawing people closer to the brand and enabling fast, emotional and instinctive ‘System 1’ decisions in its favour. This paper shows that communicating a ‘message’ actually restricts advertising's efficiency. If ‘message’ and language are less important than previously believed, the implications are far-reaching for how multicultural advertising is conceived and bought in the USA. This paper suggests that the opportunity for marketers may centre on developing culturally appropriate tactics within an emotion-based advertising model.