Three advertisements in Spanish

On Tuesday, on Telenotícies vespre, we were informed of the creation of the office for the protection of linguistic rights by the government of the Generalitat. It is born with the intention of accompanying people who wish to file complaints regarding possible violations in the use of the language. This was communicated by Salvador Illa at the event celebrating the first anniversary of the National Pact for Language, where the Minister of Linguistic Policy, Francesc Xavier Vila, admitted that there was still work to be done. And he is right. The same day, during the very long commercial break of El petit peó, the Sense ficció dedicated to Arturito Pomar, we thought about this news. We swallowed ten minutes of ads: a total of twenty-five spots and four self-promotions from the channel. During this commercial break, three ads in Spanish appeared, which, coincidentally or not, were broadcast consecutively. The first was an advertisement for Gillette razor blades designed for female users. Lo and behold, the presenter was the influencer Laura Escanes, who told us that “Hay días que necesito tiempo para mí” and that “el mango pivotante me deja la piel suave incluso en zonas difíciles”. Taking into account that the content creator is part of the channel's roster of signings, it is strange to see her on the same television for which she works addressing the audience in Spanish. Of course, it is not her fault but that of the commercial department, which should take into account this type of contradiction. In the same commercial break, we saw an advertisement for adhesive silicones where the veteran journalist Pedro Piqueras spoke in Catalan with an expert on this product. The other ad in Spanish was for Michelin. If other international brands like Bimbo, Ikea, Carrefour, and Verisure are interested in advertising on TV3 in Catalan (and this is what happened during this long break), surely the very famous tire brand could also do so. Considering the number of Catalan chefs awarded stars by their guide, they know perfectly well that Catalonia has its own cultural identity and language. The other ad in Spanish was, lo and behold, from the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and the 2030 Agenda. A spot narrated in Spanish and subtitled in Catalan. Thanks for the detail. But it is outrageous that an advertisement from a ministry of Spain is not recorded in the different co-official languages of the State. Take note, Councillor Vila. It is unheard of that the Spanish government uses Catalan public television to communicate with citizens in a language that is not the channel's own, because this reinforces the idea that in the institutional sphere, Spanish is the universal main language and Catalan, in subtitles, is of an inferior rank. Normalizing exceptions makes the duty to advertise in Catalan on TV3 lose its meaning. If some companies don't do it, why should others? It deactivates the possibility of applying a criterion and turns it into an inconsistency. And inconsistency affects the legitimacy of any future demand.