What I'm Bringing Back From Spain

My journey of exploring Spain and learning about the culture has come to an end. I have learned more about the culture, media, social customs, and lifestyle than I ever could have imagined. Through my studies I have found that the media consumed in Spain is mostly digital, which is the same in the US. Print, radio, and other traditional media is declining fast even in this laid back culture. Because of high rates of digital consumption, journalism in Spain has to adapt with what the majority of people are using. This includes advertising, public relations, and news.

The lasting aspects of Spanish media that I will remember are how people in Madrid are constantly on the go and looking at their phones when they are not busy doing something. When riding the metro, I would look around and see people playing games, scrolling through social media, messaging people using WhatsApp, listening to music, or reading. In less urban cities in Spain such as Segovia, Toledo, and Avila, there is a slower pace of life than in Madrid. Because of this, you might find elderly couples sitting on a bench. More traditional media could be better for these more disconnected cities.

My media habits probably won't change but I think I will definitely be more aware of how the media in the US compares to the media in Spain. For instance, most of our news outlets lean a certain way politically. There is not a major news source that I consume that is not biased. I actually avoid the news in the US because of how biased I think it is. In relation to advertising, I have a much better appreciation for the steps that US advertising is making. Our ads are more diverse, inclusive, and body positive than those in Spain. Our advertising here is changing rapidly to include more people of different races, sizes, sexualities, genders, and disabilities. The advertisements in Spain are about a decade behind us in that aspect.

The things I have learned about the media in Spain will help me when I am creating advertisements in the future. I will think about the ways in which what I am producing will be perceived by people of different cultures. I will think about how my target audience will react based on their own media practices and consumption. If an European brand is trying to come to the US or vice versa, I will be able to study the audience and culture to find what will appeal to them and what won't.

In Spain I noticed lots of people wearing American brands (Nike, Converse, Adidas, Levis), eating at American style fast food places (Taco Bell, Burger King, McDonalds), and even shopping at Taste of America (American food items). Europeans have a desire for American brands so that means that American media matters. The ads that Nike and McDonald's produce have a global importance. What does this mean for advertising? You have to figure out why foreigners consume your product and media. Why do they follow American celebrities? What songs in English do they know by heart? Since digital media is global, that means there are opportunities for ideas, products, and brands to be global as well.

Through this experience I have realized how much of an impact America makes on the rest of the world. Everyone wears our brands, watches our movies, listens to our music, follows our celebrities. It actually blows my mind because you don't really understand how massive our impact is until you see people wearing shirts with CocaCola on it in Madrid, Spain.