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Have you seen Machosalfa on Netflix yet? A cringe-inducing, yet original and humorous series set in Madrid. There’s now also a Dutch version: “Haantjes,” but it’s not the same. Views in Spain about gender roles and toxic masculinity differ from those in the Netherlands and the US: and that also applies to marketing.

Every country has its own brand of advertising. This reflects not only the country’s market structure, but also its media landscape, legislation, and competitive position. But most importantly, it reflects culture. How do people think about morality, humor, ethical issues, gender roles, and the vulnerability of young people? After Oldest, Dutch, Chinese, Belgian and German rainbows, now an interesting look at Spain.

Framework

First, the framework. How religion, terrorism, and diversity converged.

Spain was the third country in the world to have legalized gay marriage*, after the Netherlands and Belgium. Remarkable for such a traditionally Catholic country (?), and even more remarkable: it was an indirect consequence of the 2004 terrorist attack “11M” in Madrid. That attack took place the day before the elections, in which/which ultimately resulted in the surprising victory of the Socialist Party. They had promised to open up marriage. Within a year, it was arranged, and my husband and I chose Spain as our honeymoon destination in 2007.

The Spanish tourist organizations and destinations had long since discovered the appeal of the rainbow consumer: see my article “Spain has 6.8 billion reasons to love rainbow tourists.“

Spain also has a Minister of Equality. This position was created in 2008 and is responsible for all matters that promote equality. There’s even a special Directorate-General for “Real and Effective Equality of LGBTQ+ People.” The minister regularly speaks out on relevant issues, including marketing, such as:

The Snickers scandal – El Chiringuito (“the little bar,” 2021)

The now-famous commercial series “You’re not yourself when you’re hungry” revolves around diva behavior when you haven’t eaten enough. And you guessed it, a Snickers bar solves that problem. Besides historic Super Bowl commercials featuring divas and gay icons Betty White, Liza Minelli, and Joan Collins, lesser figures were also used to promote the bar. In Spain, it was gay influencer Aless Gibaja. In this commercial, he orders a “sexy orange juice” while his friend and the waiter exchange a surprised look. He says it very campy: “With vitamins A, B, and C… Little hugs (Abrazitos), little kisses (Besitos), and caresses (Caricias)… all over the world…” Take a look:

The waiter responds by giving Gibaja a Snickers ice cream, and after a bite, he transforms into a bearded man with a deep voice. “Better?” asks the friend. “Better,” replies the man, while the slogan reads: “You’re not yourself when you’re hungry.” So, is the message: it’s better NOT to be effeminate (or gay)?

The ad received widespread criticism, with some calling for a boycott of the brand. The Spanish LGBT Federation was among the critics, saying it is “shameful and deplorable that there are companies that continue to perpetuate stereotypes and promote homophobia.”

The Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, also weighed in. “I wonder who would think it’s a good idea to use homophobia as a business strategy,” she wrote on Twitter. “Our society is diverse and tolerant. Hopefully, those who influence what we see and hear in advertisements and TV programs understand that too.”

Snickers Spain apologized profusely, adding: “With this particular campaign, we wanted to convey in a friendly and lighthearted way that hunger can change your character. It was never our intention to stigmatize or insult any person or group.” Think about it, folks: yes, it’s creating a stir, but this isn’t the kind of stir that benefits your brand.

The video is ranked 7th on my YouTube channel, with 232,000 views and almost 1,000 comments. That last number indicates that this is a controversial topic. Note: In 2007, Snickers was forced to remove the homophobic “Love Boat” ad from its American website. Gibaja had previously created commercials for Domino’s, in true camp style, such as the one for the 10,000 pizza giveaway.

Tears with J&B: She (2022)

Diageo struck a completely different chord. They created this striking, moving commercial for their J&B whisky brand for Christmas in 2022. Well, they did not know what came over them. Or did they?

Ana, the main character in this commercial, is played by trans artist Ella. Di Amore, 26 (age is important, see below). The video went viral and generated a record number of comments. Many of these comments were about pedophilia (I already said: 26?), Satan, grooming (26?), and other misconceptions.

People wondered: why would a whisky brand make an ad about a transgender grandchild? Well, that’s called brand payload, through Diversity & Inclusion—in other words, a form of Marketing the Rainbow. Admittedly, it’s a bit less obvious for a whisky brand than for a clothing brand, for example.

J&B was honest: terms like “virtue signaling,” “queer baiting,” and “pinkwashing” don’t apply, nor does “Get woke, go broke.” The video is number 3 on my channel with 288,000 views and has inspired a whopping 2,500 comments. The majority of them were heartbreakingly negative. I’ve had a lot of work filtering through all that hate and reporting the worst comments.

IKEA – Redecorate Your Life (1999)

Rainbow ads have been seen in Spain much earlier. In 1999, IKEA had a striking video featuring a transgender person (which they also did in France and Thailand, not always without controversy).

Uber – Romeo and Juliet: Football, Passion, and Love (2019)

Twenty years later, we saw a hilarious love story with a twist. Uber sponsors two major football clubs in Seville: Real Betis Balompié and Sevilla Futbol Club. This can lead to conflict…

“We invite you to explore the story of Romeo and Juliet, a couple from Seville who have to fight against their family’s opinions. They won’t make it easy for them, as they are confronted with their ideals. Will they reach the altar or will they succumb to the pressure?”

Now that’s a completely different kind of coming out!

Zalando – Segunda Mano: Drama Away! (2021)

German retailer Zalando created a humorous short story about a support group for people who love secondhand clothing. One of them is drag queen Arantxa Castilla-La Mancha (drag queen names are often very creative).

In their series “Activists of Optimism,” they created a great episode in Spain about a huge mural.

And more…

Also funny is the 2011 video by Smint, and the 2012 video by Groupama about the misunderstanding with the name Reina (Queen). Burger King offered an alternative to Pride during the coronavirus pandemic, and Parship showed its gay side. Spain is fully participating in Marketing the Rainbow, as befits a progressive country. They learn from their mistakes, as evidenced by the series “Machosalfa.” Watch it!

* I always put this in quotation marks because it is identical to a heterosexual marriage, but when it was introduced in the Netherlands in 2001 it was officially called “opening up of civil marriage to same-sex couples” and that doesn’t sound very nice.