Expertise

Se habla Spanglish: Why bilingual ads win in today’s market

When it comes to advertising, language isn’t just a medium, it’s a message.

Hand holding a smartphone displaying a video of a woman drinking coffee, with Spanglish text beside it reading: “¿Listo para el weekend? Grab your cafecito y ponte las pilas que vamos shopping.”

Importance of being bilingual

For bilingual audiences, particularly in regions like the U.S. Hispanic market and across LATAM, language reflects identity, culture and belonging. As a strategy-led creative and digital agency, we’ve seen firsthand how bilingual communication can move the needle, not just in engagement, but in brand love and loyalty.

Dual identity = dual opportunity

The data is clear: bilingual audiences don’t live in a one-language world. While some may feel more comfortable in English, a full 63% prefer using both languages throughout their day-to-day lives. This isn’t about translation—it’s about resonance. Bilingual users engage with content that mirrors how they think, talk and relate because language should feel familiar and authentic, not forced.

Bilingual audiences are twice as likely to appreciate bilingual ads because they reflect their cultural duality. And that appreciation turns into action: they’re 2.5x more likely to share multilingual content with friends and family. More importantly, they’re 3x more loyal to brands that advertise in Spanish.

This dynamic has played out in loyalty campaigns for CPG brands across LATAM and the U.S. Hispanic markets, where ads featuring familiar dialects, local slang or voiceovers from regional celebrities achieved better performance and fostered deeper brand affinity, particularly among younger consumers.

Influencers and representation matter

A majority of bilingual users want to see more influencers and celebrities from their culture. But representation isn’t just about the face in the ad. It’s also about the voice, the tone, the inside jokes and trends only specific communities would get.

Take, for example, our work with Newell Brands across LATAM and the Caribbean. We tapped local content creators in the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, Guatemala and Ecuador to co-create content in regional dialects. Not only did this lower cost-per-acquisition, it gave the brand social proof money can’t buy: community credibility.

Five smartphones on a pink background display cooking-related social media videos featuring chefs, food close-ups, and engaging expressions.

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Culture isn’t just for special occasions

One valuable insight is that many bilingual users appreciate seeing cultural references in advertisements that resonate with their daily lives, beyond just heritage months orholidays. This highlights the importance of viewing cultural marketing as an ongoing effort rather than a seasonal or superficial endeavor.

Consequently, when collaborating with brands on content we integrate cultural fluency intoevery aspect of the strategy. From crafting WhatsApp campaign copy to collaborating with influencers, we ensure that our approach is consistently authentic and resonates on a deeper level.

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The takeaway: speak human, not just Spanish

Bilingual marketing is not about running your English copy through Google Translate. It’s about understanding your audience’s world, their language, yes, but also their humor, frustrations and aspirations. And it’s about showing up consistently in a way that says, “we see you.”

As a creative and digital agency grounded in insight and strategy, we help brands go beyond tokenism. We create bilingual campaigns that feel personal, perform globally and earn trust in a multicultural world.

If you’re ready to craft marketing that speaks to real people—fluently—we’d love to partner with you.