04 Nov What Secret Walter Mercado Teaches Us About Public Relations Messaging…and Life

If you were in a Spanish-speaking household, there’s no doubt that you know and love Walter Mercado. For those who don’t know this icon for Hispanics and Latinos, Walter extravagantly reported the horoscope for more than 120 million people a day. He gave people hope, entertainment, and felt like a friend. He recently died of kidney failure in Puerto Rico at the age of 87 and the news has rocked those who loved him.

As public relations professionals, Walter teaches us a valuable lesson. We always advocate the importance of bilingual messaging and teach organizations that it is much more than translation. Simply adding Spanish language to an advertisement, billboard or flyer won’t necessarily trigger the hearts of Hispanics and Latinos.

That’s where Walter Mercado’s lesson comes in. If you want to truly reach Hispanics and Latinos, you must understand what is important to their hearts.

“Today, we expect businesses who truly want to target Spanish-speaking communities to pay tribute to Walter.  We expect gifs, memes, and other social outreach showing love for this icon,” says Jennifer Vickery, President of National Strategies Public Relations (NSPR). “Those who truly ‘get-it’ will incorporate Walter’s tribute in their messaging and their audiences are very likely to respond with engagement.”

Messaging to a bilingual audience shouldn’t be about simple translation; that’s easy. Businesses must understand culture, pop culture, and staples that are truly important to their audiences. That’s how effective bilingual messaging is completed.

“Businesses should aim at being aware of these types of events,” says Elizabeth Domenech of NSPR. “Hispanics in the U.S. have strong connections to their countries. The glory and misfortune of their own (when showcased) goes right to their hearts. When I saw the story about Walter, I literally got teary-eyed.”

At NSPR, we have bilingual capabilities and truly understand the demographic need of our clients’ audiences. We complete in-depth and ongoing research and are aware of important current affairs influencing the essence of our messaging.

Rest in peace Walter. ¡Con mucho, mucho, amor!