By Valery Romero, student at the University Diego Portales (UDP) in Santiago de Chile. Translated by Santiago Bracho.
“I can’t believe it, I got sushi, and the cook was Chilean”. A comment such as this can appear innocent to somebody outside of Chile. However, this kind of prejudicial discourse associating a nationality to stereotypes of low-skill labour, delinquency and criminality are consistently seen across Chilean social and traditional media.
In news media, the nationality of those in criminal cases are emphasised, whilst on X (formerly Twitter), terms such as “Caribbean” or “Veneco” [informal term for Venezuelan] are recurrently used in a derogatory way.
The rise of these harmful narratives is often the result of differences between immigrant cultures and traditional Chilean customs. What is different is perceived as wrong or contrary.
This belief is reinforced by advertisements, which tend to exclude migrants in Chile in their representations. They refuse to present migrants’ narratives in the belief that they would not be well received by society at large.
However, the solution cannot only be selective representation of migrants. The advertising media have a greater responsibility.
Publicity with a conscience
Advertising and publishing media companies must ask themselves: how are they portraying immigration and migrants and are they reinforcing stereotypes?
If Chilean media remain apathetic, disturbing figures such as a 74% disapproval of migration by Chilean citizens will continue.
Nationally, very few brands or media outlets have starred or even shown migrants. One of the few companies which did was Santander Banking in 2024. After the release of its flagship commercial, most of the social media comments were negative. Unfortunately, this reaction probably reinforced the fear within the industry of addressing this timely issue.
Whilst small steps for inclusivity have been taken, when comparing Chile to the rest of international media, the lack of representation is very telling.
Positive and inclusive portrayals of migrants can be seen in the Migration Museum in London, which hosted an exhibition during the 2024 European Cup to display how without migration to and around Europe, most of the greatest football teams would not exist. Similarly, in the USA, during the International Day of Migrants, the advertising agency Eleven produced an international campaign to showcase migrants’ essential role in American industries.
If other industrialised countries have started to create an inclusive media environment towards migrants, why is Chile lagging behind?
Advertisement media in the background
One common feature in the inclusive media campaigns mentioned is that the brand or company does not take the centre stage. Rather they focus on the group seeking representation. This creates a powerful message, told in a direct way, highlighting the importance of representation without tampering it with a branding logo.
Chile being a conservative and sometimes inward-looking society, advertising media must create a subtle portrayal of migrants which can slowly improve most people’s views towards this issue.
One successful example of a Chilean advertising campaign was Colun (Chile’s biggest dairy company) whose 2024 advertisement emphasised the human story of its dairy farmers.
An example which more directly tackled the issue of inclusivity was Avon’s 2018 campaign in Chile, which took a principled stand against public harassment of women. It created a spotlight on an often ignored issue in order to instigate change.
Following these examples, advertisements can establish a genuine connection between migrant communities and Chilean society. They can build upon empathy and understanding of diverse realities, overcoming cultural differences.
Constructive advertisements
Additionally, advertising must play a crucial role in this cause, serving as a social bridge between migrants and more traditional narratives. The goal cannot simply be integration into society, but rather to portray migrants as unique individuals with short-comings and dreams, outside of their immigration status.
Brands involved in this process will therefore aim not just for recognition, but also to help create a more inclusive society. TA 2024 study by UNICEF emphasised the important role advertising campaigns can play in promoting social messages and moulding public perceptions, particularly in regard to social gender roles, thus either strengthening or challenging standard gender norms.
Therefore, this form of representation will aim to change the perception of migrants in Chile as “the other”, by including them into Chilean society.
Three key principles
Advertising media, as a portrayal of society, must reflect on how it represents migrants. The process can be encapsulated in three key principles.
- Firstly, these companies must examine their practices and review the current industry trends.
- Secondly, companies should consider adding migrants in the forefront as the ‘protagonists’ of advertising campaigns.
- Lastly, showing migrants alongside Chilean citizens is important to emphasise their inclusion in society.
If the advertising industry wants to make a difference and set an example, migrants must also be protagonists.
Photo from https://www.shutterstock.com/fr/g/Master1305
Disclaimer:
The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Media Diversity Institute. Any question or comment should be addressed to [email protected]
