Government, brought to you by advertisers

By Timothy Pratt (contact)

Wednesday, Oct. 17, 2007 | 7:24 a.m.

The bald eagle's legs splay, 13 arrows stuffed into the right talon, olive branches spilling out of the left.

In case there's any doubt that you're looking at an official U.S. government Web site, to the left of the raptor, the brightly colored flag sits, full of shadows and folds.

Outside and above the site's frame, there's an ad for AAA, with "agentes que hablan espanol" ready for your call.

This situation - federal government information surrounded by private industry advertising - is the result of an arrangement between the U.S. General Services Administration and two companies, Terra and Univision, whose sites host the ads. The site, GobiernoUSA.gov, is a portal to all federal agencies and related information, en espanol. Its users see advertising only if they've accessed it through the Terra or Univision sites.

The arrangement might be unique, is for some reprehensible and at the least marks a signpost in a consumer-conscious, Internet-driven era.

"This is wrong," said Carlos Garcia of Garcia Research, a marketing research company. He thinks it's a case of the ends - reaching out to Hispanics - not justifying the means - blurring the public-private line.

Harley Shaiken, chairman of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, sees that blurring as a trend ranging "from ads in public parks to mercenaries in Iraq."

The consequence in this case, he said, might be that the Web site "gives the imprimatur of the federal government to private advertising."

Eleni Martin, spokeswoman for the General Services Administration, said that the federal government's site is in the public domain, which means anyone could link to it from any other site, whether that site has advertising or not.

The Association of Hispanic Ad Agencies had no comment, although spokeswoman Elinor Kinnier acknowledged that "there is possibly a chance that ads could be seen as an endorsement" by the government.

Another take on the ads is that we're in a new world where 21st century consumers know where the lines are drawn.

"It's somewhat a sign of the times," said Jeremy Aguero of the Las Vegas economic consulting firm Applied Analysis. "It's not always easy to reach out to a diverse community ... (and) we live in a very commercialized society. But just because ads are on a Web site, even a federal government Web site, I think people can separate the two."

Those who favor reaching Spanish speakers above all else see the situation as one of keeping eyes on the prize.

"I'm more of a pragmatist," said Otto Santa Ana, associate professor of Chicana and Chicano Studies at UCLA.

"I understand the (concerns about) blurring. But the real challenge is much more basic - materials aren't available in Spanish," he said.

Begun last fall and given its final touches this spring, the arrangement leading to the Web site is an outgrowth of a 2000 executive order telling federal agencies to supply services to members of the public with limited ability to understand English. At least 8 million Hispanics fit that description, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

There's no similar arrangement for the site's version in English, USA.gov.

The Spanish version is linked to from Terra.com or Univision.com through the word "inmigracion." There's a second link from the page each company has for all things immigration.

Neither company returned calls seeking comment.

Once on the page, consumers can click their mouse to find out about federal student loan programs, how to find a job in the federal government or how to apply for citizenship. Or they can move the mouse up and look into joining AAA.

Leilani Martinez, a Web content manager for the General Services Administration, pointed out that the federal government portal is enclosed in what is called a frame, meaning that users never actually leave Terra's Web site.

She also noted there was no money involved in the arrangement.

"It's good for them and good for us," Martinez said. "It's content for them, and for us, we're reaching out to people."

"We're being quite innovative," she said, adding that the agreement between the federal government and the two companies includes a proviso "that the ads be appropriate." A recent look at Univision and Terra showed ads for Farmers Insurance and the History Channel en espano.

Garcia, who learned about the arrangement at a conference for people in advertising and marketing to Hispanics, said the motives behind the project might be "pure."

But he has problems with it on at least three levels.

First, there's the Hispanic consumer. Many, he said, "are more gullible."

"Consumers don't know what Web site they're on," he said. "They see the flag, GobiernoUSA ... and (they) might make the assumption that these companies are somehow approved by the U.S. government."

Then there's the general issue of why this sort of arrangement was created in Spanish, with no similar set up in English.

"It seems like they're saying it's OK because it's Hispanics and no one will know," he said.

Finally, there's the fact of ads and government.

"We can't put banner ads on the White House," he said.

"Why not call Camp David Camp Kmart?"