Something felt different during this year’s Hispanic Heritage Month.
Fewer campaigns. Fewer stories. Less emotion.
Where there used to be color, pride, and celebration, this year, many of us only heard a faint echo: coquí, coquí, coquí.
And just as the noise faded, one phrase lit up social media:
“You’ve got four months to learn Spanish.” — Bad Bunny
What sounded like a casual comment became a cultural statement: Emotion, language, and identity still matter.
At BOLD, we believe this moment reveals something deeper:
Brands need a new way to show up for the Hispanic community — not with empty slogans or literal translations, but with emotion, intention, and cultural truth.
We call that Sentimental Marketing.
What Sentimental Marketing Is (and Isn’t)
Sentimental Marketing is not playing Latin music in the background or sprinkling “familia” into your copy.
It’s not posting a bilingual message once a year in October.
It’s a way of building a brand where emotion is the starting point and culture is the vehicle.
It means creating experiences that make people feel, not just buy.
That sparks pride, nostalgia, belonging, and connection.
And yes — it can be measured.
But first, it has to be lived.
Why It Matters Now
Hispanic consumers make up over 20% of the U.S. population and have a collective purchasing power of $2.8 trillion.
But beyond the numbers lies something more powerful:
An emotional need to see themselves reflected in the brands they choose.
According to Nielsen (2024), 82% of Latinos prefer brands that reflect their cultural values.
That means language, yes — but also family, faith, resilience, community, flavor, rhythm.
Those aren’t buzzwords.
They’re cultural codes that can’t be improvised — they have to be built from within.
How to Apply Sentimental Marketing (Without Sounding Forced)
Here are a few principles we live by at BOLD when helping brands connect authentically:
- Identify emotions, not just segments.
Behind every data point, there’s a story.
Before you think about age or ZIP codes, understand what your audience feels — nostalgia, pride, ambition, fear of losing their roots. Start there. - Speak their emotional language.
It’s not always Spanish. Sometimes it’s Spanglish or silence that speaks volumes. What matters is that it feels real, not rehearsed. - Create moments, not just messages.
A campaign doesn’t need to shout to be remembered. It can whisper something your audience will never forget — a letter to mamá, a familiar dish, a song that bridges generations. - Lead with heart, measure with mind.
Metrics matter, but connection comes first. Engagement, time spent, spontaneous comments — those are emotional signals worth more than a click.
A Real Example: Bad Bunny as an Emotional Campaign
Was it intentional or spontaneous? We’ll never know.
But when Bad Bunny said, “You’ve got four months to learn Spanish,” he didn’t just sell tickets.
He ignited a cultural conversation.
He sparked pride.
And he achieved something most brands can’t: An emotional wave — no brief, no media plan, just truth.
Emotions can’t be bought. They have to be earned.
If your brand wants to be part of Latino culture, it’s not enough to speak Spanish.
You have to speak from the heart of the community with respect, intention, and soul.
Ready to make your brand feel as real as it sounds?
👉 Schedule a session with BOLD and let’s build your sentimental narrative — one that connects emotion and culture with purpose.
