The overly simplistic, but SUPER-insightful video released last week by Microsoft titled “Bring the Love Back“….yes MS…reveals the often one-sided, ego-centric relationship that exists today between brands (and their agencies) and the consumers that buy their products.

In the Hispanic market, brands, to some degree, have had to do a great deal of listening in order to correctly service their Hispanic consumer base. Not by choice, but because they are afraid of public failure. Many only get one shot to do it right. But in the general market, that is really not the case. And as marketers become savvy of the Hispanic market, I believe this too will begin to occur.

I think this video was cast and written in such a funny way. Note that they cast the “Advertiser” as a male and the “Neglected Consumer” as a female. This one-sidedness is often found in intimate male/female relationships making it rather insightful. This must be the reason why in the first 40 hours of being posted, the video received + 14,000 views. What is most refreshing is the fact that they portray the Consumer as confident and ready to make a new change. It is a reality! We have seen this in the American automotive industry and many others in which consumers are fed up (divorcing) with not being taken into consideration in the development of quality goods and services.

All consumers seek to engage and relate to the brands they buy. As the Mega-brands like Downy and Tide continue to dominate the Hispanic landscape with their one-sided messages, what advantages/disadvantages will grassroots brands like Suavitel, Mistolin and Fabuloso have in a market where the pulse of the market is almost as important as the 7-figure marketing and promotions budget. Applying the Long Tail Theory to the situation implies that the sum of all these small brands makes a significant impact in marketshare to the rest.

Branding as we know it now will evolve over time as it is dynamic, but branding is here to stay.

- Written by Miamiadguy