• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, January 20, 2006

Toyota will make history Feb. 5 when it runs the first bilingual ad ever in the Super Bowl.

The car maker will plug the new Camry Hybrid in a spot with both English and Spanish. The ad, featuring a Hispanic father and son, was created by Conill Advertising, Toyota's Hispanic agency.

Although marketers such as Procter & Gamble have run Spanish-language ads on broadcast networks reaching general audiences before, a bilingual spot on advertising's biggest stage is a watershed.

"I think it's a natural progression in a country that's so multicultural now," said Bernice Kanner, author of a book on Super Bowl advertising. "Clearly, it shows that Hispanics are a large market for the Camry."

The Camry is the third most popular car in America among Hispanics, Toyota said. The company also said that 25 percent of Hispanics in the U.S. who are 18 and over watch the Super Bowl, this year on ABC.

The hybrid uses both gas and electric power, which provided Toyota with a creative hook. In the 30-second spot--Toyota's first-ever bilingual ad--the father explains that the car switches between the two and his son replies, "Like you, with English and Spanish!" The father responds that speaking two languages and purchasing a hybrid are related: "I'm always thinking of your future."