Over a fast-moving shot of a city skyline and an American flag rippling in front of the Texas state banner, a deep-voiced man reassures: "En nuestro pais ha llegado un nuevo dia." (In our country, a new day has arrived).
The narrator continues in Spanish about Gov. George W. Bush's family values in a 30-second TV commercial that features good-looking students, scientists and cheerleaders who could presumably benefit from his presidency. The spot concludes with the Republican candidate, wearing a cotton work shirt and jeans, saying four words: "Es un nuevo dia."
Not only is it a new day, as Bush says, that day has arrived unusually early. The Bush ad is set to begin running today in advance of Arizona's Republican primary Feb. 22. It's the first time, industry experts say, that a Spanish-language ad has been used in a presidential primary. It's also a sign that spending on political advertising in Spanish will reach unprecedented levels this presidential year.
More immediately, the ad will reach out to Latinos who have been steady supporters of the man who trounced Bush in the New Hampshire primary, Sen. John McCain of Arizona.
Usually, White House hopefuls turn to Latino voters only in the final stretch before the general election, often dropping in Spanish narration over English-language ads.
But the Bush commercial appeals to the basic demographics of the Latino population: at 27 it is, on average, eight years younger than the general population. The commercial also adheres to a common rule in Spanish-language advertising, which is to produce images of groups of Latinos, rather than lone characters.
The ad also emphasizes Bush's role as community patriarch, often surrounded by schoolchildren.
"We relate to family and society differently," said Hector Orci, who handles the Spanish-language ad accounts for corporations like Honda and Allstate Insurance. "The center of the universe in Latino culture is the family. The center of the universe in non-Latino family is the individual."
The Bush campaign plans to use the commercial in other states with significant Latino populations, including California, that have become more important to Bush since his loss to McCain. Bush, the most well-funded candidate, knows the benefits of spending campaign resources to court Latino voters. In 1998, he used Spanish-language TV commercials to win a second term as governor, winning 49% of the Latino vote.
