If you have ever been exposed to Latin American channels that target Latinx¹ audiences in the U.S., you may notice that commercials are one of the primary sources of representation for this group. Since the Hispanic market is growing faster than ever, marketing companies are trying to connect to this audience mainly through the use of the representation of family and family values² . In many of those commercials, featuring brands from Progresso to Target³, advertising companies usually highlight the strength of family because it seems to be a value prioritized by Latinx consumers over many others.

Indeed, last year, former vice president candidate Tim Kaine gave a speech about the value of family for Latinx. He began to talk about his experiences as a missionary in Honduras, when halfway through, he stopped speaking English and began to speak Spanish. This way, he connected with the Latinx community of voters through the use of language. At the end of his speech, he emphasized that, through this mission, he learned that Honduran community values were "Fe, Familia y Trabajo," or "Faith, Family, and Work." He added, "Los mismos valores de la comunidad latina aquí en nuestro país. Somos americanos todos." His slogan represented the same values of the Latinx communities in the U.S., which meant that they are also American. Through this effort to create a connection with the Latinx population, Kaine highlighted that family is one of the most important aspects of Latinx communities. This is the direction in which my research is taking.

As I examined each commercial, it became apparent that these ads were portraying the same issues expressed by Tim Kaine’s speech, how to connect traditional Latinx values and customs to the American culture and way of life. In the commercials analyzed, this identity struggle is expressed by the use of the Spanish language, the representation of gender stereotypes and the trope of the extended family. Although there are parts of each family that cling to traditional customs, the ads demonstrate how there is an adaptation to a new context—living in the United States.

1. While discussing Latin American people in the U.S., the term "Latinx" will be used instead of  Latino/a to be inclusive and gender non-conforming.
2. From Angharad N. Valdivia's book, Latino/as and the Media: "By 2010 Hispanic market advertising expenditures will increase to about $4.3 billion, and urges marketers to attempt to capture the attention of this growing market," (144).
3. Valdivia: “‘Latina/os have larger households and are younger than national average’ means that they ‘spend a bigger portion of their incomes on household items, supplies, and clothing,’” (144). Marketing household items is usually ideal for a Latinx audience.