• Boston Globe, Monday, July 10, 2006 12:30 PM

Marketing history was made at this year's Super Bowl, and not the kind made famous by the likes of Janet Jackson. This time the important moment came in one of the game's commercials, which was neither racy nor controversial. The spot touted the new Toyota Camry Hybrid and featured a father driving the car with his son strapped in the back seat. The father was a Latino with a discernible accent, and the conversation he had with his son played on the word hybrid: the son represented a blend of U.S. and Hispanic cultures, the car represented a blend of fuels. The commercial overcame two sticking points in corporate marketing departments across the country. It rejected the prevailing wisdom that the only way to connect with Hispanics is in Spanish and through Spanish TV, radio, or print media. It also discredited concerns that prime-time advertising aimed at Hispanics would upset a non-Hispanic audience; the carmaker says it never heard from any disgruntled viewers. The Toyota ad "is a milestone in our industry, to say the least," says Alex Lopez Negrete, former chairman of the Association of Hispanic Advertising Agencies. Now other marketers like Reebok and McDonald's Corp. are beginning to follow suit.

Read the whole story at Boston Globe »