Jorge Plasencia: Why Diversity Means Progress in Any Language
It’s fine to be a little uncomfortable, at least when it comes to discussing DEI. The CEO of Republica Havas believes discomfort is a sign of growth — and progress.
“This was just a hunch then, as the industry was still evolving, to create a place where a brand could go for help in meeting their goals and objectives around working with diverse suppliers.”
By E.B. Moss
As the co-founder and CEO of Republica Havas, one of the country’s leading and fastest-growing multicultural advertising and communications agencies, Jorge Plasencia is focused on driving advancements – and enhancements – in the way brands reach and communicate with the Latino population. The agency was born from the need to “not just translate” but to communicate, with all the insights and nuances that bring an intended message to life. Plasencia shares that clear stance with solid takeaways in this conversation with The Continuum.
How have consumer expectations this past year driven demand for greater DEI (diversity, equality and inclusion) and brand purpose?
Generating meaningful work that resonates with consumers is now more important than ever. 2020 was a year that highlighted many of our country’s social and racial disparities, bringing the social justice conversation front and center. As a result, work that is inclusive at its core has become the standard for connecting with consumers in a meaningful way.
Consumers not only wish for their favorite brands to speak to DEI, but they also now expect brands to walk the walk — and talk the DEI talk. The growing trend toward diversity, equity, and inclusion is forcing brands to show support for DEI across the board — through their talent hiring, the people and cultures being featured in their advertisements, and by taking a stand on topics in real time.
Can you share an example of how “not just translating” drove greater awareness and results?
When it comes to reaching multicultural audiences, efforts must go way beyond simply translating work into another language. It is about truly understanding the nuances of other cultures and adapting the messaging to be one that resonates authentically with the audience.
Soccer has a special cultural significance for Latinos. They say the three most important things to Hispanics are faith, family, and fútbol…with that order being interchangeable depending on their love of the sport. Many fans unapologetically claim that the World Cup is their cathedral.
Our client, Telemundo, bid for and won the Spanish-language rights to broadcast the largest sports event in the world, beginning with the 2018 World Cup in Russia for the first time in 40 years. Telemundo knew it needed to shift decades worth of perceptions and establish itself as the new Spanish-language home of the World Cup. To accomplish this lofty task, it created the most significant campaign ever attempted by a Spanish-language network, to make Telemundo the only place to be for the World Cup.
That meant the network needed to win the battle for bilinguals. With this in mind, it created the first-ever campaign using Spanish words that are easily understood in English — words like Pasión, Amor, Drama, Acción, Fenomenal, Amigos, Gooool, etc., allowing the network to speak to Spanish-dominant, bilingual, bicultural, and English-language audiences with equally impactful communications that delivered a clear message in any language: “Fútbol = Telemundo.”
A full arsenal of tactics was employed to strategically target media, creating ownership and disseminating messaging through video content, display advertising, unique digital partnerships, social media, search, radio, and a streaming app.
The campaign was an instant “Gol.” The creative and highly strategic media efforts scored big, winning 37 million viewers, making it the No. 1 Spanish-language broadcast network in Total Day for the full tournament, and setting records for the network’s most-watched daytime slots for every day of the week. Actually, the 2018 World Cup was the most-watched sporting event in Telemundo’s history and delivered the Spanish-language game with the most viewers ever, regardless of platform.
But delivery continued with massive app downloads that made the Telemundo Deportes app number one in the Google Play Store and number two in the iOS App Store in any language.
How have you applied brand and demand efforts in marketing pro-social initiatives with culturally appropriate messaging?
When COVID-19 took its toll on America, the Latino population across all 50 states paid the highest price. A lack of in-language information, higher levels of government distrust, the nature of their jobs (many are essential workers), and their lack of access to health care made this group especially vulnerable to the negative effects of the pandemic.
As cities began to lock down, Spanish-dominant Latinos braced themselves to battle the virus without the resources and information needed to stay safe. AARP stepped up to help this at-risk population navigate the health crisis by educating Latinos through AARP’s robust and timely in-language, culturally relevant resources. And, to help U.S. Hispanics aged 50+ and their loved ones, AARP deployed a holistic campaign that offered an array of much-needed free information on health, wellness, and finances. This initiative underscored the brand perception among Hispanics that AARP has their backs.
We also had the opportunity to expand our services and capabilities with the launch of a new division, Havas House, led by seasoned media executive Marisa Beazel. Havas House works with brands worldwide in collaboration with Havas network agencies to facilitate custom-owned media, publishing, and content.
A version of your recent "Language and So Much More" post skewed towards how Hispanics benefit from and respond to important cause messages. Are brands taking the hint?
Research shows that 55% of Hispanics report that they tend to find and remain loyal to brands that support their causes (versus 37% of the general population). With a population approaching 60 million, that’s a lot of support on the line. In fact, Hispanic shoppers represent $1.5 trillion in buying power, and that number is expected to grow to $1.9 trillion by 2022 (Nielsen).
For brands that wish to reach, meaningfully engage with, and ultimately win Latinos over, it’s crucial that they understand different cultural nuances. It is not ‘one-size-fits-all.’ Latinos come from a very broad range of Spanish-speaking countries, each with its own heritage and culture. Understanding these cultural differences and engaging Latinos with a message of authenticity is key.
One of your principles is ensuring both intellectual as well as human connections. How is that manifested, and how does that dovetail with principles of diversity and inclusion?
By focusing on the strengths of our internal cultural differences, we became known for our ability to cross-pollinate multicultural and general market strategic insights to deliver campaigns rooted in the truths that resonate with consumers.
We also have a complete open-door idea policy at the agency. Everyone, regardless of position, is encouraged to share ideas, whether it’s a way to strengthen a client pitch or make improvements at the office. Getting to view things from a new and different perspective helps us all learn and grow.
Republica Havas has a portfolio of 50% multicultural and 50% general market brands at a regional, national, and global level. We get to help our clients reach their targets with meaningful work grounded in authenticity and culturally relevant insights.
How does Havas approach DEI at the company level, and does Republica Havas help spark change?
Over the last year, we’ve been inspired to generate a series of cultural shifts. We realized there was a need to address these changes and made it a point to lean in to the sometimes difficult yet always enriching conversations together. From this, “The Greater Good” was born. This employee-led committee spearheads our agency's DE&I with the mission of embracing Havas’s “All In” global goals and #CommitToChange objectives at a local level. The committee works to diversify minds and celebrate cultural differences by facilitating dialogue and outreach around topics such as Juneteenth, Black History Month, and Women’s History Month, among others. I am also honored to serve on Havas North America’s DEI Advisory Committee.
“When it comes to reaching multicultural audiences, efforts must go way beyond simply translating work into another language.
It is about truly understanding the nuances of other cultures and adapting the messaging to be one that resonates authentically with the audience.”
How has even a multicultural-focused agency ensured it is embracing diversity and equality as well?
From an internal perspective, I can proudly say Republica Havas is a leading creative, media, and communications agency thanks to our talented employees who come from all walks of life and represent 27 different countries, speaking five different languages, and sharing one common thread — an undeniable passion for delivering great work that’ll knock your business socks off.
We also pride ourselves on having a deep understanding of the ever-growing U.S. Hispanic market, trends, and culture. In 2020, our in-depth multicultural insights allowed us to develop impactful campaigns aimed at addressing the overwhelming social disparities experienced by Latino communities during the COVID-19 pandemic across the country.
You have said ‘it’s okay to feel uncomfortable’ around discussing DEI. Why?
Experiencing discomfort is a sign of growth and progress. If we fail to challenge ourselves at a personal and professional level, we will only experience comfortable redundancy. This can lead to stagnation, which holds us back from exploring our full potential. Whether it is the challenge of learning a new skill or taking on an ambitious project, I have found that great things come from the discomfort of pushing yourself outside your comfort zone.
March 30, 2021
