Social Advertising and Social Change: Campaigns about Racism in Latin America and Mexico

This article discusses the role of social issue advertising as a tool for social change. It especially focuses on the case of campaigns on racism in Latin America, with a specific focus on racism within Mexico. Analysing Latin American campaigns carried out between 2000 and 2017, this article uses a comparative methodology to identify how the campaigns address the issue of racism. This paper also contemplates campaigns specific to Mexico and the difficulties and successful strategies that have been developed. In order to have a greater impact on the public sphere, it seeks to identify the perspectives that influence the campaign designs as well as develop creative strategies for future campaigns on racism in Mexico. This text also addresses ideas regarding social change, progress and development. Furthermore, it explores the differences between commercial advertising and social issue advertising, discussing common problems faced by social issue campaigns in Mexico and Latin America.