It Pays to Advertise

This post at Stuck on the Palmetto mentioned a billboard ad by Honda praising Colombians. It's apparently part of a marketing scheme by the auto company to appeal to Hispanics.

They also send a valentine to Cubans, as pointed out in this Herald letter to the editor:

Slight to non-Cubans

There is a huge cloth billboard sponsored by Honda looming over downtown Miami Avenue and Flagler Street written in Spanish. Translated it says: ``The Cubans are responsible for making Miami a paradise.''

I'm not quite sure what prompted this ad, but I can only imagine how the thousands of people of other cultural backgrounds who have made wonderful contributions to this city must have felt upon reading it. (Both of my parents are from Cuba.)

What prompted Honda to put up this billboard?

DIANA QUINONES, Hialeah

The answer to Diana's question is easy: advertising. They don't care about Cubans, Colombians or anyone else for that matter. They care about our greenbacks. That's why I just shrug when I see these type of ads. Besides, just because Cubans may be responsible for making Miami a paradise doesn't imply that others aren't responsible as well.

But that's obviously not the point Honda is trying to make. Let's not turn this into another ethnic "I'm better than you" issue. It's an ad meant to make us spend money so that we can fund some Honda big-wig kid's education. That's all.