Vons Ad on Anglo TV: a Real Spanish Accent

Vons is bringing a commercial in Spanish to Anglo television.

Last week, the big Southern California supermarket chain aired a 30-second ad--entirely in Spanish--on four major television stations in the San Diego area. If the ad--complete with English subtitles--is considered a success in San Diego, it will also be shown in the Los Angeles market later this month.

“We figure it will turn some heads,” said Bill Davila, president of the El Monte-based chain of 190 stores. Davila is the featured spokesman in the tongue-in-cheek ad. “We’re always trying to find something that will be different,” he said.

Davila, who is a Latino, has starred in nearly 30 Vons ads on both Anglo and Latino television over the past two years. In the Los Angeles area, the Spanish-language Latino ads have appeared on KMEX Channel 34 and KVEA Channel 52. But this is the first Vons ad made for Latino television that will also be shown on channels aimed at English-speaking viewers.

The ad, titled “Salsa,” was created by the Los Angeles office of the ad firm J. Walter Thompson, which has handled Vons $20-million advertising account for three months. At first, the light-hearted ad appears to be very serious. It opens with a subtitle: “Bill Davila on foreign affairs.”

But suddenly, festive music begins and Davila asks in Spanish, “Do you know who invented salsa?” Talking about the spicy red and green sauces used in a number of Mexican dishes, Davila then answers his own question. “It originated from creative minds,” he says in Spanish. The commercial then shows the ingredients for a tangy salsa and notes that Vons carries them all. It is mostly an appeal to visit the Vons produce section.

“There could be people who don’t understand Spanish who might resent the commercial,” said Davila. “But I think that most Anglos will look at it with some amount of amusement.”

Indeed, the ad agency has not ruled out the possibility of Davila speaking in other languages. Perhaps even French. “It might work,” said Bonnie Baruch, vice president at J. Walter Thompson, “say, if Vons were to suddenly open a French wine department.”

Davila does not speak French. “But,” he said, “I have an ear for accents.”