The idea that judgments we make regarding those we communicate with are affected by the language they speak is not a new one. This idea becomes particularly relevant in the multicultural marketing environment, where marketing practitioners are forced to make decisions about the language employed to communicate with bilingual customers.
Bilingual ads have being featured in the Super Bowl, an event considered to be one of North America’s most watched sports events. Radio stations alter their programming to offer bilingual content to their public. Home mailings containing both English and Spanish are not uncommon in the United States.
It is a well-accepted notion among sociolinguistic researchers that language is not only an instrument of communication, but also a symbol of social and ethnic identity. As a communication instrument and as a symbol of group identity, language is accompanied by attitudes or judgments towards the language itself as well as attitudes towards the language users. These attitudes become relevant when individuals from two sets of cultures are in continuous contact and begin an adaptation process. Under these circumstances, one language becomes the majority language, frequently associated with economical, cultural and political power, and prestige; the other language becomes the minority language (Grosjean 1982). Attitudes that individuals hold towards a particular language are intertwined with stereotypes of the ethnic group that speaks that language (Grosjean 1982; Lambert and Lambert 1973). Hence, individuals’ attitudes towards a communication are associated with the cultural symbolism attached to it.
Lambert and Lambert (1973) conducted a study among bilingual Canadians in which bilingual students, English-dominant speakers and French-dominant speakers, listened to recorded voices of English and French speakers reading the same prose. The students then evaluated the personality characteristics of each of the speakers. The researchers assumed that the students would not be able to disregard the language spoken and any differences in personality assigned to the readers would be attributed to the stereotyped attitudes already formed towards members of both ethnic groups. As expected, the English-dominant students evaluated more favorably the English readers; they were perceived more intelligent, more dependable, kinder, and more ambitious than the French readers. Unexpectedly, the French-dominant students evaluated the English readers significantly more favorable than the French readers on most of the personality traits. Lambert and Lambert’s results pointed out two main conclusions. First, judgments made about the speakers were affected by the language they spoke; language was used to identify the speakers as members of an ethnic group, eliciting stereotyped attitudes. Second, attitudes of members of the minority group (French speakers) were affected by their social, political, and cultural status.
The language employed in marketing communications is expected to be accompanied by judgments towards the language itself as well as attitudes towards the language users. Therefore, it would be likely to elicit stereotyped attitudes towards the language speaker, affecting his/her credibility (trustworthiness and expertise) and ultimately affecting brand judgments.
As concluded by Lambert and Lambert (1973), attitudes of members of the minority group can be affected by their social, political, and cultural status. It has been previously suggested that U.S. Hispanic consumers hold a language-related inferiority complex, due to an association of Spanish, the minority language, with adverse social conditions (lower economical status, discrimination, and stigmatization). Therefore, Hispanic bilinguals are likely to have a less favorable stereotype towards Spanish-speaking individuals compared to English-speaking individuals, resulting in a preference for English.
In summary, language is expected to affect consumers’ brand evaluations in two ways: directly, and through the spokesperson’s trustworthiness and expertise. U.S. Hispanics are expected to have a preference for English over Spanish and code-switching. The following study was designed with the intention to explore these relationships.
RESEARCH STUDY
Two-hundred and forty-four Hispanic bilingual students from a major state university in south Florida participated in exchange for extra credit. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three language conditions (English, Spanish, and code-switching) with the only difference being the language of the ad.
Students were asked to read an ad. The ad featured a fictitious spokesperson speaking of behalf of a fictitious online insurance company. The spokesperson’s surname was of Hispanic origin, and he claimed to have more than 10 years of experience as an insurance agent. After processing the ad, participants immediately reported their brand attitudes by answering how attractive the service was using a seven-point scale ( 1 = very unattractive to, 7 = very attractive) , as well as how they perceived the trustworthiness ( 1 = very untrustworthy, to 7 = very trustworthy) and expertise ( 1 = not expert at all, to 7 = very expert) of the spokesperson.
RESULTS
As expected, language showed a significant effect on participants’ attitudes towards the brand attitudes. The average brand attitude of the ad using code-switching (MCS = 3.03) were significantly lower compared to brand attitudes of the ad in Spanish (MS = 4.06); and evaluations of brands advertised in Spanish were significantly lower to brand attitudes of ads using English (ME = 4.59).
The effects of language on spokesperson’s trust were also significant. The results show that spokesperson’s trust when using code-switching (MCS = 3.46) was significantly lower compared to the trust generated when speaking Spanish; however, spokesperson’s trust when speaking Spanish was only marginally lower than when speaking English (ME = 4.16).
Unlike spokesperson’s trustworthiness, language has a stronger effect on the perceived expertise of the spokesperson. According to the results spokesperson’s expertise when using code-switching (MCS = 3.91) was significantly lower compared to the expertise generated when speaking Spanish (MS = 4.59). Similarly, spokesperson’s expertise was significantly lower when speaking Spanish compared to English (ME = 4.96).
DISCUSSION
The study’s results suggest that language choice in print advertisements affects spokesperson’s credibility and ultimately consumers’ attitudes towards the brand. Ads in English elicited more favorable attitudes compared to ads in Spanish and the use of code-switching among U.S. Hispanic bilinguals. Bilingual consumers’ attitudes towards the ads were affected by the cultural stereotype of the ethnic group associated to that language.
The present research has several practical implications. Advertisers should be careful when choosing the language of their communications. Using code-switching as a communication tool in print advertising among bilingual Hispanics has negative implications. Spokesperson’s trustworthiness and perceived expertise while using code-switching to communicate is significantly less favorable; consequently, using code-switching while communicating to consumers elicits less favorable product attitudes compared to the conventional use of English or Spanish. On the other hand, English outperformed Spanish in creating more favorable product attitudes, and eliciting higher spokesperson’s perceived expertise. These results provide an indication of the potential attitudinal advantage of advertising exclusively in English rather than Spanish in multilingual societies as is in the United States.
Last, this study reveals the effects of language choice on print advertisements among bilingual U.S. Hispanic audiences. The consequences of language choice in advertisements in other societies are still unknown; the present study only begins to unveil the issues involved in language choice in advertising to bilingual U.S. Hispanic consumers. Advertisers have used English and code-switching to communicate to the Mexican audience, it remains to be seen if the effects of language in Mexico are similar to the effects in the United States.?
Referencias
Grosjean, François (1982), Life with Two Languages: An Introduction to Bilingualism, Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
Lambert, William W. and Wallace E. Lambert (1973), Social Psychology, Englewood Cliffs: NJ, Prentice Hall, 2nd edition.
Montes-Alcala, Cecilia (2000), “Attitudes Towards Oral and Written Code-switching in Spanish-English Bilingual Youths,” in Research on Spanish in the U.S., ed. Ana Roca, Somerville, MA: Cascadilla Press, 218-227.
What Language is More Persuasive and Credible?
The idea that judgments we make regarding those we communicate with are affected by the language they speak is not a new one. This idea becomes particularly relevant in the multicultural marketing environment, where marketing practitioners are forced to make decisions about the language employed to communicate with bilingual customers.
Bilingual ads have being featured in the Super Bowl, an event considered to be one of North America’s most watched sports events. Radio stations alter their programming to offer bilingual content to their public. Home mailings containing both English and Spanish are not uncommon in the United States.
It is a well-accepted notion among sociolinguistic researchers that language is not only an instrument of communication, but also a symbol of social and ethnic identity. As a communication instrument and as a symbol of group identity, language is accompanied by attitudes or judgments towards the language itself as well as attitudes towards the language users. These attitudes become relevant when individuals from two sets of cultures are in continuous contact and begin an adaptation process. Under these circumstances, one language becomes the majority language, frequently associated with economical, cultural and political power, and prestige; the other language becomes the minority language (Grosjean 1982). Attitudes that individuals hold towards a particular language are intertwined with stereotypes of the ethnic group that speaks that language (Grosjean 1982; Lambert and Lambert 1973). Hence, individuals’ attitudes towards a communication are associated with the cultural symbolism attached to it.
Lambert and Lambert (1973) conducted a study among bilingual Canadians in which bilingual students, English-dominant speakers and French-dominant speakers, listened to recorded voices of English and French speakers reading the same prose. The students then evaluated the personality characteristics of each of the speakers. The researchers assumed that the students would not be able to disregard the language spoken and any differences in personality assigned to the readers would be attributed to the stereotyped attitudes already formed towards members of both ethnic groups. As expected, the English-dominant students evaluated more favorably the English readers; they were perceived more intelligent, more dependable, kinder, and more ambitious than the French readers. Unexpectedly, the French-dominant students evaluated the English readers significantly more favorable than the French readers on most of the personality traits. Lambert and Lambert’s results pointed out two main conclusions. First, judgments made about the speakers were affected by the language they spoke; language was used to identify the speakers as members of an ethnic group, eliciting stereotyped attitudes. Second, attitudes of members of the minority group (French speakers) were affected by their social, political, and cultural status.
The language employed in marketing communications is expected to be accompanied by judgments towards the language itself as well as attitudes towards the language users. Therefore, it would be likely to elicit stereotyped attitudes towards the language speaker, affecting his/her credibility (trustworthiness and expertise) and ultimately affecting brand judgments.
As concluded by Lambert and Lambert (1973), attitudes of members of the minority group can be affected by their social, political, and cultural status. It has been previously suggested that U.S. Hispanic consumers hold a language-related inferiority complex, due to an association of Spanish, the minority language, with adverse social conditions (lower economical status, discrimination, and stigmatization). Therefore, Hispanic bilinguals are likely to have a less favorable stereotype towards Spanish-speaking individuals compared to English-speaking individuals, resulting in a preference for English.
In summary, language is expected to affect consumers’ brand evaluations in two ways: directly, and through the spokesperson’s trustworthiness and expertise. U.S. Hispanics are expected to have a preference for English over Spanish and code-switching. The following study was designed with the intention to explore these relationships.
RESEARCH STUDY
Two-hundred and forty-four Hispanic bilingual students from a major state university in south Florida participated in exchange for extra credit. Participants were randomly assigned to one of the three language conditions (English, Spanish, and code-switching) with the only difference being the language of the ad.
Students were asked to read an ad. The ad featured a fictitious spokesperson speaking of behalf of a fictitious online insurance company. The spokesperson’s surname was of Hispanic origin, and he claimed to have more than 10 years of experience as an insurance agent. After processing the ad, participants immediately reported their brand attitudes by answering how attractive the service was using a seven-point scale ( 1 = very unattractive to, 7 = very attractive) , as well as how they perceived the trustworthiness ( 1 = very untrustworthy, to 7 = very trustworthy) and expertise ( 1 = not expert at all, to 7 = very expert) of the spokesperson.
RESULTS
As expected, language showed a significant effect on participants’ attitudes towards the brand attitudes. The average brand attitude of the ad using code-switching (MCS = 3.03) were significantly lower compared to brand attitudes of the ad in Spanish (MS = 4.06); and evaluations of brands advertised in Spanish were significantly lower to brand attitudes of ads using English (ME = 4.59).
The effects of language on spokesperson’s trust were also significant. The results show that spokesperson’s trust when using code-switching (MCS = 3.46) was significantly lower compared to the trust generated when speaking Spanish; however, spokesperson’s trust when speaking Spanish was only marginally lower than when speaking English (ME = 4.16).
Unlike spokesperson’s trustworthiness, language has a stronger effect on the perceived expertise of the spokesperson. According to the results spokesperson’s expertise when using code-switching (MCS = 3.91) was significantly lower compared to the expertise generated when speaking Spanish (MS = 4.59). Similarly, spokesperson’s expertise was significantly lower when speaking Spanish compared to English (ME = 4.96).
DISCUSSION
The study’s results suggest that language choice in print advertisements affects spokesperson’s credibility and ultimately consumers’ attitudes towards the brand. Ads in English elicited more favorable attitudes compared to ads in Spanish and the use of code-switching among U.S. Hispanic bilinguals. Bilingual consumers’ attitudes towards the ads were affected by the cultural stereotype of the ethnic group associated to that language.
The present research has several practical implications. Advertisers should be careful when choosing the language of their communications. Using code-switching as a communication tool in print advertising among bilingual Hispanics has negative implications. Spokesperson’s trustworthiness and perceived expertise while using code-switching to communicate is significantly less favorable; consequently, using code-switching while communicating to consumers elicits less favorable product attitudes compared to the conventional use of English or Spanish. On the other hand, English outperformed Spanish in creating more favorable product attitudes, and eliciting higher spokesperson’s perceived expertise. These results provide an indication of the potential attitudinal advantage of advertising exclusively in English rather than Spanish in multilingual societies as is in the United States.
Last, this study reveals the effects of language choice on print advertisements among bilingual U.S. Hispanic audiences. The consequences of language choice in advertisements in other societies are still unknown; the present study only begins to unveil the issues involved in language choice in advertising to bilingual U.S. Hispanic consumers. Advertisers have used English and code-switching to communicate to the Mexican audience, it remains to be seen if the effects of language in Mexico are similar to the effects in the United States.?
Referencias