I’m Kayla. I run ads. I test them, tweak them, and watch the numbers. And you know what? Spanglish ads work. Not magic. Not always. But when it feels like real talk, people lean in.
Quick what-is-it, but simple
Spanglish ads mix English and Spanish. Not a full switch. Just code-switch. A word here. A phrase there. It sounds like home for a lot of folks, me included.
Not sure where the line falls between casual code-switching and true Spanglish? This LinkedIn explainer draws the distinction better than I ever could.
I use it for food trucks, phones, banks, and even a sports drink. Some wins were big. A few flopped. I’ll show you both.
If you’re curious how mainstream brands are navigating the same terrain, this Marketplace report breaks down the trend.
For a deeper playbook on multicultural performance campaigns, check out HuntMads, whose case studies pair perfectly with the experiments below.
You can also dive into my hands-on review of Spanglish advertising for the raw briefs, spend levels, and side-by-side creatives.
Real examples I ran (and what happened)
1) Taco truck in East LA (OOH + Instagram)
Goal: more foot traffic on weeknights
Audience: families, young workers, lots of bilingual chat in line
Ads I wrote and posted:
- “Come hungry, leave bien happy.”
- “Parking es tight, flavor is grande.”
- “Two al pastor y one to-go? We got you, mija.”
Result: Tuesday visits went up 28% in 3 weeks. Saves on Instagram doubled. Folks told me, “It sounds like my tia.” That’s what you want.
A similar local vibe clicked when I consulted with a few Santa Barbara advertising firms earlier this year—regional flavor, same code-switch magic.
What I learned: Keep the Spanish short and warm. Don’t overdo slang. “Mija” worked on this block. It wouldn’t in every city.
2) Back-to-school for a mid-size retailer (Stories + SMS)
Goal: move sneakers and notebooks
Audience: teens and moms
Copy we shipped:
- “New year, new kicks. Stay fresh y listo.”
- “Notebooks y vibes. Prices that don’t bite.”
- SMS: “Heads up—40% off hoy. Grab ’em antes que se vayan.”
Result: CTR up 32% vs the all-English control. Store traffic up 11% weekend one. The word “hoy” beat “today” every time. Simple, right?
3) Fintech app for pay advances (Paid social + Push)
Goal: lift signups, reduce drop-off
Audience: hourly workers, many bilingual homes
Lines that hit:
- “Get paid Friday? Paga renta sin drama.”
- “Save más. Stress menos.”
- Push: “Tu dinero’s here. Withdraw cuando quieras.”
Result: Signup rate up 19%. Drop-off down 12% on the last screen. Short, calm tone helped. No jokes about money. Respect matters.
4) Prepaid phone plan (OOH + YouTube bumper)
Goal: switchers
Audience: price-sensitive, family plans
What we ran:
- “All data. Cero drama.”
- “Keep your number. Keep tu paz.”
- “No te quedes out. 5G en every esquina.”
Result: Landing page CVR up 21%. The word “paz” did heavy lifting. People want peace with phone bills.
5) Sports drink launch (Campus + TikTok)
Goal: trial
Audience: students
Copy that worked:
- “Zero sugar. Full sabor.”
- “Study late, stay chill—pero focused.”
- “Hydrate y dale.”
Result: Sampling QR scans up 44%. “Sabor” beat “flavor” with bilingual students. Short. Punchy. Done.
The flops (yes, I messed up too)
- “No te worry.” People clown on fake Spanglish. Me too. It felt try-hard. CTR tanked.
- “Muy delicious.” This one sounds like a cliché tee. Folks rolled their eyes.
- A joke about accents. Never again. Humor didn’t land. Comments went sour fast.
- Mixing regional slang wrong. I used “qué chido” on a Miami buy. It missed the mark. Should’ve gone with “qué cool” or kept it clean.
Lesson: Spanglish is local. LA Spanish is not the same as Miami, New York, or San Antonio. Check your ear.
A hyper-local mindset even matters when you leave the U.S.; for instance, dating-app copy in northern France reads differently than it does in Paris. If you want a quick cultural snapshot, scroll through the profiles and taglines gathered on PlanCul Lille where you’ll see the exact slang, tone, and calls-to-action that resonate with singles in Lille—perfect inspiration when you’re adapting creative for that market.
Closer to home, you can see the same language dance inside nightlife classifieds around Orange County—phrases like “chula VIP” bump up against “no drama, cash only.” A quick scan of the regional listings on Erotic Monkey Orange reveals how bilingual hooks and street-level Spanglish make offers pop, giving any copywriter a real-world lab for studying what feels authentic versus forced.
How I test, plain and simple
- A/B: Version A in English. Version B with light Spanglish. I watch CTR, saves, and adds to cart.
- I run 15-second voice notes in research. Folks read lines out loud. If they cringe, we cut it.
- “Abuela test.” If it sounds rude to abuela or feels goofy to a teen, rewrite.
- Keep the Spanish easy. Words like “hoy,” “más,” “sabor,” “paz,” “sin drama” travel well.
When to use it
- The audience code-switches in life. Then do it in ads.
- The brand voice is warm and human.
- You can support it with real service in Spanish (CS, FAQs). If not, say so and guide folks to help fast.
When to skip it
- You don’t know the region.
- It’s a medical or legal message. Keep those clear and formal.
- Your team treats Spanish as a gag. If it’s a joke, it shows.
Craft rules I follow
- One or two Spanish words per line. Let English carry the weight.
- Don’t mix flags, foods, and family as a lazy trope. People notice.
- Keep verbs clean. “Paga,” “ahorra,” “compra,” “envía.” They read fast.
- Rhythm first. “Save más. Stress menos.” It snaps. People remember.
A few more real lines that did well
- Grocery: “Fresh produce. Precios that feel right.”
- Credit builder: “Build crédito, sin the stress.”
- Streaming: “New shows cada semana. Couch ready?”
- Gym: “Leg day? Dale. Recovery? También.”
Simple. Friendly. A wink, not a caricature.
My take, with heart
Spanglish ads feel like my block. They sound like the line at the panadería. They also take care. One wrong note and trust slips. But when it’s warm and true, results rise, and people feel seen.
Final score: 4.5/5. Use with care, con cariño.
If you’re stuck, start small:
- “Más for you.”
- “Fast help, sin drama.”
- “We see you—te vemos.”
Then watch the comments. The crowd will tell you if you nailed it—or not.
And if you’re hunting for partners who already get this nuance, here’s my shortlist of the best advertising agencies in the USA pulled from campaigns I’ve actually run.