For the first time at Cannes Lions, the Latin US Day was held, which brought together executives and creatives from the Hispanic advertising industry, who discussed the different opportunities of this market, which is only growing. This meeting was powered by PRODU, sponsored by Adsmovil and Malka, and in parnership with Hispanic Marketing Council, Creyentes, Hispanic Star, Círculo Creativo USA, MEL, MXN and Sammy Allliance. Hosted by Adverstising Week.

“Latinos don’t feel represented in the media, nor do they feel identity with brands” said Claudia Romo Edelman, CEO & Founder, We Are All Human Foundation, who kicked off the event along with Chef Alfredo Oropeza.

Food, culture, music, family and language are the elements that unify and give identity to Latinos, agreed all participants. After Romo and Oropeza, the event continued with five other panels.

Cynthia Kleinbaum Milner, CMO, Moneylion, Warren Marenco Chase, VP, Liberty Mutual; Andrea Siqueira, ECD, Energy BBDO; Pete Lerma, LERMA/; Claudia Romo Edelman, CEO & Founder, We Are All Human Foundation, under the moderation of Bill Davaris, CEO, Malka, spoke about how Gen Z opened a new funnel and that the industry is witnessing an infinite loop of inspiration.

“The new generation is always in search of inspiration and content,” said Kleinbaum.

Michael Roca, Executive Director, Cross-Cultural Center of Excellence, Omnicom Media Group, Francisco Cárdenas, Principal, Digital Strategy & Integration, LERMA/ and Doug Melville, Chief Executive Officer, Jodie AI, said it will only be possible to create a connection with Hispanic users if there is a diverse team at agencies and brands.

This same conversation continued in the next panel, moderated by Mara Fernández, Chief Transformation Officer of PRODU, who together with Tanya De Poli, Founder & Chief Operating Officer, FOUNDERS; Jessica Ricaurte, CRO, Adsmovil, and Santi Lucero, Global Creative Director, Samy Alliance, discussed the importance of culture in each campaign and recommended avoiding adaptation. For these executives, authenticity is what translates into awareness.

“The only way to achieve a campaign with global reach and impact is with a multicultural team,” said De Poli, who added that his independent agency has 65 employees from 15 different countries.

And finally, in the context of the authentic bond that must be created, Luis Miguel Messianu, Founder-President-Chief Creative Officer, MEL, and Marco Vega, Co-founder, President & CSO, Creyentes, presented the Hispanic Marketing Council’s #StopLatinoCoating campaign, which seeks to educate North American CMOs about the Hispanic market, which, the executives explained, is the fifth largest country in the world. “If you’re not doing Latino marketing, you’re not doing marketing,” he concluded.