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This post is part of our Ads Gone Bad series. Share your thoughts and memories of this ad in the comments, and be sure to check out our other posts on marketing gone wrong.
Blending cultures is a particular challenge for advertisers. How do they appeal to one culture without offending others, who may misunderstand references and not recognize noted figures featured in ads? These are questions that Cablevision (NYSE: CVC) is probably asking.
To market its "Triple Play" offering (bundled cable, broadband, and telephone), the company hired globalWorks to create ads featuring the music and stars of reggaeton. Reggaeton, urban music that became popular with Latin American young people in the 1990s, is a fusion of Caribbean reggae and Latin forms such as salsa with rap and hip-hop.
Featured in the ads is a singer resembling the famous reggaeton star and Latin Grammy winner Daddy Yankee (Ramon Ayala), rapping and cavorting with three nubile young women/mermaids. The ads are rather camped up, but no more so than most music videos.
Nonetheless, some viewers found the rapper-style ostentation demeaning to Spanish-speaking Americans. Others took offense at the "Triple Play" tag, in some circles a very coarse term describing the menu of sexual possibilities.
I suspect, though, that many of those who criticized the ad were simply upset that the U.S. continues to evolve to integrate other cultures. For many, change is bad. And reggaeton is not their father's rock and roll.
See other examples of Ads Gone Bad.
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Reader Comments (Page 2 of 2)
9-09-2008 @ 10:56AM
reachtomasz said...
???? your offension? what the heck is offension? now just curious did the red line under that word not clue you in to spelling error? would figure you were offended but i am offended by your poor vocabulary and frankly i may not have liked the music or the medium but really offensive is a stretch
10-22-2008 @ 7:34PM
wendy said...
Guys get a grip!!! We have people starving in our country and people loosing their jobs homes and cant even survive on the Island... and this is what you are complaining about....Wheres your priorities.... Who cares whats on the commercial just CHANGE THE CHANNEL or better yet turn the T.V. off and spend some Quality time with your Family!!!!!
10-25-2008 @ 11:15AM
JJMusic said...
Just so the writer of this articles knows, the rapper is not Daddy Yankee. This rapper from the video is an unknown...
10-26-2008 @ 11:08AM
tito said...
I been watching how the latin music ahs been progresing, but "REGETON" is not our real roots is nothing else then a musical frankestain a kind musical mess then someone try to conbine other style with salsa and ragee and the result is really bad no salsa no rage and some stupid rap that make non sense........in other words "MUSIC TRASH" for ghetto people who don't have any intelectual concept of waht good music meant.
10-26-2008 @ 8:29PM
latina said...
I just don't understand what all the issues are
about this commercial/I am latina born in the
U.S.A. (a baby boomer) at times the commercial can become annoying hearing it on almost all commercial breaks/but it is also
a catching commercial/I don't feel that it is
discriminating me latin heritage/it's just
a commercial/advertising products...have you
listened to what your children listen/see on
their ipods????? much worse.....
10-26-2008 @ 1:26PM
sandi said...
I agree with Wendy much more going in this
world to worry about a commercial/all this
company is doing is advertising services to the
latino community.....if you don't like it just turn off your tv/anyone who's seen daddy yankee/knows this is not him in the commercial/reggae music is what our young
people are listening & dancing to...
It amazes me how many people can take the time out & complain about a commercial
but don't take the time out to vote to make
changes in our country....go out & look at
our younger generation & notice that they
wear much less in clothing attire than what
they show in the commercial......
Well there is a new Cablevision commercial
on tv/waiting to find out what they're going to complain about this one.....
11-19-2008 @ 1:31PM
jOnjOn said...
Who are the people that complained about this ad? Those "viewers [that] found the rapper-style ostentation demeaning to Spanish-speaking Americans"? I don't believe it was the actual Spanish-speaking Americans, because as a Latino I don't find this offensive. Stereo typing does piss me off when it is done to demean a certain group of people, but in this case it's funny how they show that "reggeatonero" watching soccer, latino news, and soap operas!! Those three things do form a great part of Latino television, so it holds some kind of truth which makes it a funny stereo type. Anyone knowing a little bit of latino culture and our music would know that is not Daddy Yankee! None the less, this was such a poor attempt to target the Latino audience.