Comments on: Toyota targets Hispanic customers with Super Bowl ad

By: ANTON

ANTON — Wed, 31 May 2006 11:16:00 +0000

>
> UGLY CAR!

By: Roberta

Roberta — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 22:13:00 +0000

Well, Rach may have gone a little too far in the ‘wax poetic’ direction for this crowd, but beautifully idealistic just the same. Obviously this ad has unintentionally struck at some very core and emotionally charged opinions. Though I doubt the ad will have the backlash effect that was implied (people not buying a toyota to avoid a fabricated stigmatism), I don’t think that this ad will have much impact attracting a minority market, either, simply because I don’t think it’s a good commercial. It’s definately not suited towards a superbowl premeire (aside from the fact that the slot guarantees bunches of viewers), the father’s accent sounds ridiculous to me (not authentic), the dialogue is laughable, and well, I’m just not impressed. Seeing a hispanic looking individual with an accent in a commercial that isn’t advertising food is a step in the right direction, but it takes more than that to sell cars.

By: rach

rach — Wed, 15 Feb 2006 01:37:27 +0000

Because I am a human, I have been given the right to think for myself. Because I am an American, I have been given the right to speak and write these opinions freely. Because I am both of these things, I have been given the responsibility to handle these gifts wisely. I have procured neither my humanness nor my American citizenship, so I will not credit myself for that which I have not earned. I did not choose my origins, so I will not boast in them. I can only accept that my humanness is a gift and is something to be cherished. It is what makes me the same as every person in this country, whether he came here by boat, by train, by foot, illegaly or legitimately, citizen or no, he is human. And my equal. Because my heart beats and my lungs breathe and my eyes see as his do, we are the same. But because my lips utter different words than his and my perspective on reality is distinct because of the language that we do not share, I have a responsibility to remember our oneness—that it does not depend on the words of our mouths, but the beats of our hearts. Progress is made when the two become one. Not one language, but one perspective. One understanding. We move forward when we realize that the more we know about our differences, the more we realize that we are beautifully different, but breathtakingly the same. When we can hold more than one perspective in our human mind, that is the “power to move forward,�? which is in fact what we need “for our future.�?

By: Iris

Iris — Mon, 13 Feb 2006 16:37:05 +0000

Wow, can I say that some people here got completely off topic for no apparent reason other than unjustifiable ignorance and prejudice? (And I’m going to help perpetuate it, of course.) Some of you seriously make me ashamed to be from the United States. And for the record, in case anyone gets confused, I’m white, middle class, from a very urban area.

It’s a freaking ad, it’s not some sort of poster vetting illegal immigrants. Just because someone speaks Spanish doesn’t mean they acquire things by illegal means or that they’re uneducated or shady or whatever. If anything, they should be proud that they’re bilingual and trying to adapt to a different culture that tends to be prejudiced towards them (as several of you so kindly demonstrated, monstrous pricks that you are), and they should feel superior over the slough of idiotic rednecks who refuse to believe in anything other than misguided nationalism along with the notion that everyone should speak English. Granted, if you come to live in another country, it’s generally a good thing to speak the language, but it’s not required that they become assimilated! Someone’s been watching too many sci-fi movies. Living in the US, or any other country, should never mean that someone has to lose their sense of culture. They should simply adapt with an eye toward the future, as the ad suggested. Learning the “native” language simply demonstrates this adaptation.

By: Christina

Christina — Wed, 08 Feb 2006 01:15:05 +0000

I, a white middle class woman of (probably) European origins, agree 100% with Bambino. And by the way, English was not the native language of the Americas. For that matter, neither was Spanish. Both were forced on people by colonists. Remember?

Also, you should care what other countries think of us. Ever heard of the fall of Rome?

Fear comes from ignorance. Better do some book larnin’!

Peace.

By: HighRoller

HighRoller — Mon, 06 Feb 2006 18:59:53 +0000

Bambino’s arguments have a huge hole in them known as “the rights of a sovereign nation”. Since when is it required of a sovereign nation to bow down to the desires of other nations? I could give a rat’s ass about the world’s “opinion” of America because they are the result of jealousy. All these indignant nations have never done anything to solve any world problem except run their mouths. As the adage says, “those who say it cannot be done should get out of the way of those who are doing it.” We have been the world’s leading superpower because of our actions, not our words. And if you want to be a part of our country it is YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO ASSIMILATE YOURSELF TO OUR COUNTRY, not vice versa.
The demand that America accomodate non-english speaking individuals is preposterous. We have long since passed the point of diminishing returns in regards to immigrants in this country. The burden they represent dwarfs the supposed “contribution” they make to our economy, and the problem worsens by the day. Our tax dollars are being swallowed by people who want a handout but are not willing to pay taxes. They use our infrastructure but do not contribute to its funding. Our schools and medical care systems are being bankrupted by these freeloaders slowly but surely. If you doubt my claims, reference the stories about the closure of almost 100 hospitals in cities near the southern border due to the demand placed upon them by non-paying individuals.
As far as diversity, I agree that it is a good thing when allowed to occur naturally. But “forced” diversity is folly. Does Baskin Robbins sell ice cream that tastes like pine tar just for the sake of expanding their menu? No! The diversity of their offerings is a result of demand. Similarly, we should not accomodate the needs of selfish individuals from other countries just because we want a diverse culture. Let them prove their worth to us and strive to become productive members of our society who actually want to contribute to the common good of our country. A part of that is learning to speak the language so that they do not impose a burden upon others around them.
If you doubt that the inability to speak the native language is a burden, you are delusional. I deal with this every day in my business. Those who are unwilling and/or unable to speak English represent a huge drain on my productivity. A phone call that should take one minute takes 5 minutes or more while the person on the phone acts as translator to the actual customer. I lose the ability to serve 4-5 customers in that time. A majority of the time the order does not get placed correctly due to their inability to comprehend and communicate English. This leads to more time spent attempting customer service issues, which usually leads to a comical game of charades and a resulting deer in the headlights look on their behalf when I ask even the most basic question.
Finally, with regards to the Camry ad, the child asked why they spke English. the father’s answer should have been “we speak English because it’s a small price to pay for the freedoms we enjoy in this great country.”
I have a suggestion for those who do not like America; live somewhere else and mind your own business. You can be content in the fact that we Americans are “suffering” through our horrible lives here.

By: d

Mon, 30 Jan 2006 18:01:25 +0000

toyota doesnt care about diversity. they know that americans wont stop buying toyotas just because they see some immigrant speaking english and spanish. toyota just wants to make more money. thats what everything is all about these days. if they wanted diversity they couldve used a chinese, german, itallian, or any other father/son combo. they used spanish b/c that is the largest minority invading the u.s. now. they know that they will be buying cars, its all about the money.

By: Bambino

Bambino — Sat, 28 Jan 2006 02:17:43 +0000

Great idea for a commercial; bad advertising moment. It’s common sense that only 7% of Super Bowl viewers are Hispanic! We don’t like sissy-sport Football, what with all those pads and helments and such. Hispanics (and, quite frankly, 80% of the world) prefer fútbol (”soccer”, for you Americans).

Another thing… “sick and tired”, “low-IQ”, “dubious elite”. You guys think you own the world, don’t you? I am the one who should be sick and tired of all this bull you “Americans” have! You think that because you live in the United Stated you are better than anybody else! Everybody is the same, we are ONE in this world!!! (Notice “Americans”, not Americans. Why was that? Well… (1) “America” is a continent, not a country; (2) Mexico, Canada, Brazil, Costa Rica, and even my little island Puerto Rico are a part of America; (3) Get a map, educate yourself).

In related news: ” however large parts of the south west are spanish speaking only, which quite frankly frightens me. as americans we should emphasize unity instead of divisive diversity.” Oh, please! Diversity is what drives the world (Don’t you like to have a choice of ice cream flavors when you go to Baskin Robbins? Don’t you like to pick between a manual or automatic transmission when you buy a car? Don’t you “Americans” call it FREEDOM OF CHOICE? If it wasn’t for “freedom” of choice, you guys wouldn’t even have either an ESPN or an MTV! Now, back on track…) Why don’t YOU guys learn more than one language? If you see all arond you, in most countries (including mine) we get taught more than one language: our native tounge and some other one, maybe even more. (Example: Puerto Rico has Spanish and English. Japan has Japanese and English… they all learn English, so why can’t you guys learn something else… there’s more than 200 languages in the world! Pick one!!! I myself know two and am learning French and Italian… diversity!)

And those are my 5¢. And now, on with the haters.

By: Carlos

Carlos — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 20:01:32 +0000

Uh… this ad is about an immigrant who realizes the value of learning English and has made sure his son speaks it fluently. There’s no sign that the son even speaks Spanish. What is there to complain about?

By: neo

neo — Fri, 20 Jan 2006 10:45:41 +0000

stuart: you are absolutely correct.
Immigration is one thing. mass invasion is quite another. add political correctness and “dual language schools” and you have balkanization. I actually like diverse cities, such as new york, however large parts of the south west are spanish speaking only, which quite frankly frightens me.
as americans we should emphasize unity instead of divisive diversity.

By: Justin DeJesus

Justin DeJesus — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 23:02:54 +0000

I don’t think it would be a good idea to advertise the Camry by favoring the hispanic viewers. One would consider a transfer affect with the Camry to set forth class and elegance. Don’t focus too much on the driver or passengers, let the car sell itself. A fusion of culture and language to sell the car might work, overall it’s not a bad ad, but lets just consider this one fact, most people watching football is into the hardcore, ballbusting action, why not use that and rule a more rock-solid, seriously classy commerial ad.

By: Carlos

Carlos — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 22:40:08 +0000

That demographic wouldn’t be watching the Superbowl, but… I don’t know many people like that, at least not here in San Jose.
I do know a lot of people who don’t speak English, but they encourage their kids to learn it, and I have to say they’re not buyers of cars in the mid $20k range (either poorer or a lot richer than that). Spanish language TV is full of ads for English programs, so I don’t think this’ll stand out in that way.

By: paperycow

paperycow — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 20:10:58 +0000

it may work with the younger generation of hispanics, but it seems like they pushing “conform to US ways”. may offend some who are so proud of their heritage, that they would never learn english.

By: Carlos

Carlos — Thu, 19 Jan 2006 17:55:46 +0000

I can relate, and it sounds like a good ad to me. But it doesn’t sound like a Superbowl ad…