Bush’s latest ad uses a female narrator, which Hispanic advertisers say conveys warmth and reflects the important role of mothers; a man provides Kerry’s voice-overs to indicate authority. The narrators for both camps utilize the neutral-dialect “universal Spanish,” which, while speaking to everyone, speaks to no one in particular. Using regional dialects “adds that layer of intimacy,” says Rochelle Newman-Carrasco of Enlace Communications Inc., an L.A. Hispanic ad agency. And customizing TV spots–for instance, by addressing immigration in ads for Mexican-Americans–would also help. So far, Kerry is 19 points up in the latest Gallup poll of Hispanic voters.
