The World Cup Is Back, But U.S. Brands Are Still Lost in Translation

Representation in media actually moves the meter. 

When Zappi surveyed U.S. Hispanics on their perception of Bad Bunny’s performance, we found that more than half (54%) said it felt meaningful to them, compared to just 30% of non-Hispanic viewers. And in Puerto Rico—where Bad Bunny is from—that figure jumped to 89%.

The opportunity cost of a monolingual mindset

59% of U.S. Hispanics also report speaking English very well. Among 5-to-17-year-olds, that figure jumps to 76%. Many younger generations speak Spanish with abuelita, but English at work, and a mix of both at home. The same person watching the World Cup is shifting languages across the room, and often, within the same sentence.

It’s a creative problem just as much as a media planning one. Marketers who pick just one linguistic lane risk missing the household. The brands that win consumer attention in the World Cup and beyond will stop asking “which language?” and start asking “which moment, with whom?” Spanish for the radio ad that plays in the kitchen, English on the teenager’s mobile app, and both languages when the family is on the couch together watching the game. Each is a real opportunity. None of them is well served by a 30-second spot with a half-hearted translation.

Most U.S. Spanish speakers don’t identify as monolingual, monocultural, or even as being part of just one nation. They are fluent in code-switching, adapting based on the situation at home, or with friends or at work. They expect brands to do the same. But this requires a different playbook—one that’s a clear departure from legacy models, which are built on an individualistic, monolingual, and predominantly white view of the consumer.

What Telemundo gets right with its campaign offers a lesson for marketers across categories. To win the U.S. market today, brands need to reach more than the individual consumer. They need to reach the family, the community, and the household where the World Cup is being watched together. Not just in English, and not just in Spanish. En ambos idiomas, al mismo tiempo.