Ruben Navarrette: Coca-Cola's Latino Tattoo Ad 'Proud to Be' Is Insulting Ruben Navarrette - Mercury News
go to original September 27, 2015

The Coca-Cola Tattoo Can (Coca-Cola)

I've always considered myself an authentic representative of that hip and exciting brand: American Latino. I've taken all the courses, passed all the tests, and obtained the necessary credentials. Then again, I don't have a tattoo on my neck.

So does this mean that, according to Coca-Cola, I'm not the real thing?

Recently, the multinational soft drink company marked the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15 to Oct. 15) by releasing a short film that was supposed to be inspiring but wound up being insulting.

The spot - produced by "David The Agency," which is based in Sao Paulo, Brazil, with an office in Miami - is titled "Orgulloso de Ser" (Proud to Be). It begins with a bright red Coca-Cola truck maneuvering through the streets of Los Angeles handing out free samples of the soft drink.

Stop the tape! Those of you whose knowledge of the nation's 54 million Latinos extends beyond margaritas and mariachis may be thinking that hiring an ad agency based in South America to produce an ad campaign centered in Southern California is not such a bright idea. Hold that thought.

Latinos may share the same language and culture, but they often come from completely different worlds. And that's just within the United States, let alone what happens when you bring in people from below the equator. Mixing them together, and treating them as if they're interchangeable, is not how you teach the world to sing in perfect harmony.

Read the rest at Mercury News

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