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Has the great battle for the Latin audience begun?
It’s a fact! Latin America has become the crown jewel for digital platforms. Every day we see apps and brands choosing the region as their next destination, driven by a young, creative population that makes heavy use of social networks.
With mobile internet penetration at 65% and 413 million active users, and 94.2% of the world’s internet users on social media, it’s no surprise that attention is focused on this side of the planet.413 million active users, and 94.2% of the world’s internet users on social media, it’s no surprise that attention is focused on this side of the planet.
The Latin American audience doesn’t just consume; it also creates and shares trends that later go global. Just look at all the creators, online businesses, viral content and social media celebrities coming out of Mexico, Colombia or Argentina to understand why the Hispanic market is so sought‑after today.
The full story is told in numbers:
TikTok adds 189.7 million users in Latin America, according to Backlinko, which represents 18.29% of its global base and a 32.2% penetration rate among internet users.
YouTube, meanwhile, has more than 500 million monthly active users in the region. The size and engagement of these audiences are so significant that any company with global ambitions will want a slice of the pie. For content producers, the major barrier has always been language, and that’s where automatic translation begins to play a decisive role.
History and context of automatic translation
Why does translation become essential? Simple: because most Latin Americans do not speak English.
In Argentina, only 6.52% of the population has a high level, in Colombia the figure is 4.22%, and in Chile barely 9.53%.
The regional average of English proficiency has stabilized in recent years, according to this article from ef.edu, but it remains low for such a connected region. This means that the majority of the Hispanic audience consumes content in Spanish and that, without translation, it is difficult for a video in English to go viral in Bogotá or Lima. Hence the urgency platforms have to break down these language barriers.
Platforms have taken previous steps. For example, in 2016 Instagram launched its “See Translation button, which converts captions and comments into the user’s language.
Twitter (now X) allows posts to be translated by clicking a link below each message, and Google Translate has long been the best friend of many community managers.
These solutions helped to understand text, but they left out audio and video. Until recently, the voice of a creator remained unchangeable; those who didn’t understand the language were missing half the story.
New contenders in action: TikTok and YouTube
The race to win over the Latin audience isn’t limited to a single app. TikTok and YouTube are the places where people learn recipes, follow tutorials, and discover artists. For any brand, these spaces mean millions of eyes and ears waiting for content that speaks their language.
In light of this, both platforms have made advances in accessibility. TikTok introduced auto captions in 2021 to create automatic subtitles and, in 2022, added translations for captions, descriptions, and stickers. These options appear in the lower left corner of the video and allow a clip recorded in
Mexico City to be understood in Berlin or Seoul. The initial range includes languages such as English, Portuguese, German, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, and Turkish, opening the door to a global consumption of Latin content.
Last year YouTube took another step forward: its auto-dubbing feature, launched in December, generates audio tracks in other languages for creators’ videos. The system detects the language, creates dubbed versions that creators can review and delete if they’re not satisfied, and it supports languages like English, French, German, Hindi, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and Spanish.
It still sounds a bit robotic, we know, but it reduces the friction of reading subtitles.
A bold new move from Instagram
The announcement that set this battle on fire came in August 2025. Meta revealed that Instagram Reels and Facebook videos can now be automatically dubbed between English and Spanish, using artificial intelligence that clones the creator’s voice and syncs their lips. According to Adam Mosseri, the goal is to break cultural and linguistic barriers.
The tool lets you activate dubbing at the moment of publishing, review how the audio sounds before sharing, and provides language based stats to know how many views each version receives.
This update can be interpreted in two ways. On one hand, Hispanic influencers will face multiplied competition: any creator in the U.S. or U.K. can automatically appear in Colombian or Peruvian feeds, and algorithms will reward the best content regardless of origin. On the other hand, a brand new route opens for Latin creators: someone in Buenos Aires who never spoke English can now appear on the timeline of someone in Los Angeles with their voice dubbed into English. The language barrier fades and the market expands. It’s no longer enough to just be funny or creative; you’ll have to stand out among thousands of global voices, and as a parcero from Colombia would say, ponerse las pilas with the storytelling.”
Conclusion: translation is not enough
Automatic translation is just the first step. Marketing experts remind us that localization and cultural adaptation processes are needed for the message to truly resonate. Localization adjusts content to the idioms and nuances of each country, while transcreation reimagining the idea so that it becomes emotionally relevant creates authentic connections. Without that work, a dubbed video may sound correct but fail to spark empathy; a cuate in Mexico or a pata in Peru will notice when something feel sout of place.
This is where Positive Agency comes in. We are an agency specialized in opening the doors of the Latin American market to brands and companies from other countries.
We understand that translation alone is not enough: you have to adapt the discourse, incorporate local references, and tell stories that connect with your audience’s passions and concerns. If your brand wants to seize the boom of the Latin audience, you need a partner who masters the art of transcreation
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How to explain to your CFO that branding is not an expense: 3 key metrics
Let’s face it. CFOs aren’t exactly known for their unwavering enthusiasm towards branding campaigns—especially on social media. They see these initiatives as flashy marketing endeavors that drain budgets without a measurable return. You've probably heard it before: "How do we know we're not just throwing money away on likes and followers?" Trust me, you're not alone in this conversation.
But what if you could show your CFO that a social media branding campaign isn't an expense at all, but rather an investment yielding measurable financial returns? Sounds ambitious, but totally doable. Here are three key metrics that will shift your CFO’s perspective and finally get them on your side.
1. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
Here's the thing: your CFO cares deeply about long-term profitability. That’s their job. But what they might overlook is that a strong social media presence directly increases Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). When your brand consistently engages customers through high-quality social content, it doesn't just attract new customers—it builds lasting relationships with existing ones.
This relationship translates into repeat business, higher average orders, and increased customer retention. Simply put, loyal customers who engage with your brand on social media are worth significantly more to your business in the long run. So next time, don't just show your CFO your follower count; demonstrate growth in CLV driven by your social media branding efforts.
2. Brand Sentiment and Reputation
We marketers sometimes roll our eyes at "soft metrics," but your CFO might be completely allergic to them—unless, of course, you connect sentiment to profitability.
Think about brand sentiment this way: Positive brand reputation lowers your cost of customer acquisition. Why? Because when your audience trusts your brand, they're far more likely to choose you over competitors, even with minimal promotion. Social media branding campaigns actively shape consumer perceptions and boost your brand’s credibility, directly impacting acquisition costs and sales conversions.
Use tools like Brandwatch, Sprout Social, or Mention to measure shifts in brand sentiment pre- and post-campaign. Show these numbers in correlation with decreasing acquisition costs or higher conversion rates, and watch your CFO’s skepticism fade into intrigued approval.
3. Conversion Attribution from Social Channels
Here's the metric every CFO dreams about at night: ROI. Social media branding campaigns can be tracked, attributed, and measured just as rigorously as paid ads. Tools like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or Adobe Analytics allow you to track the direct pathway from social engagement to website visits, conversions, and even offline sales.
The magic lies in attribution models that clearly demonstrate how social interactions contribute to conversions over time. Present your CFO with a clear picture: Social media isn’t burning cash; it’s fueling your sales funnel. Highlight direct social-driven conversions, and your CFO will quickly recognize that this isn't an expense—it's strategic growth.
Wrapping Up
Convincing a CFO requires more than enthusiasm; it requires data-backed proof. So arm yourself with metrics your CFO values: increased Customer Lifetime Value, measurable positive brand sentiment reducing acquisition costs, and concrete attribution of conversions from social channels.
Finally, remind them gently but firmly: In today’s hyper-connected marketplace, branding isn’t optional, and social media isn’t a cost—it’s your best ally for sustainable growth. Once your CFO sees the numbers, they'll realize that ignoring social media is the real expense.
iPad, Paper and Scissors. Mix Media Emerges as a Creative Alternative
It’s becoming increasingly hard to surprise anyone with what we see on social media. Fortunately, there are still techniques that break the mold — like collage.
Whether static, animated, or mixed with physical objects, collage and mix media are experiencing a revival on social platforms driven by Gen Z.
We’re talking about a visual storytelling style that blends illustration, archival material, real-life objects, and animation — transforming into small films known as video collages, analog interventions in a digitized world, or a combination of various elements that grab attention and stand out in a saturated feed.
Let’s take a closer look at the impact of a technique that once seemed reserved for editorials or contemporary art — and is now ready to be used in brand content.
Is Mix Media a Response to AI?
We’re seeing more and more campaigns that feel like they came from the same prompt — which might be a normal curve in the creative industry’s process of adapting to AI. (Remember when there was a time all brands were basically posting the same things on social media?).
In the midst of that debate, collage emerges as an alternative. With its imperfect nature, it brings back the human touch, artisanal detail, and the beauty of chaos.
Each piece is unique, non-replicable. And in these times of digital saturation, that feels like a breath of fresh air.
Latin America is no exception to the growing interest in alternative techniques. More and more creators are taking cutting, pasting and digitizing very seriously — not just as a hobby, but as a new visual language.
Here are some of the names worth following:
Latam Creators Who Are Seriously Killing It
- Cortaypega: Colombian artist who creates editorial collages and collaborates with brands. Her style is poetic, rich in symbols and soft narratives.
- Vero Calderon (@elvlogdetrin): Peruvian writer and artist. She has collaborated with Buscalibros, showing that more intimate content can also be part of a campaignKamiru: This Peruvian artist has a music video-style aesthetic that grabs attention. She created a video collage for Reebok with a very compelling editing rhythm.
- amiru: This Peruvian artist has a music video-style aesthetic that grabs attention. She created a video collage for Reebok with a very compelling editing rhythm.
- Valcollage: Venezuelan artist who teaches how to create collages, shares resources, and has over 40,000 followers on her platforms.
- Mara Ocejo: Mexican collagist who has illustrated for major outlets like The New York Times — a clear example of how this technique can reach global media.
- Magu Villar: Argentine collagist who blends illustration, collage, and storytelling for social media.
Would This Technique “Stick” with My Brand?
Can you imagine a campaign where the product doesn’t float on a white background, but instead becomes part of a handcrafted scene — built with paper, threads, and cutouts that move in and out of frame? Or a reel where, instead of generic motion graphics, there’s a small, handmade story?
This type of content can:
- Be the hero content of a product launch.
- Work as content hooks for social media.
- Stand out during seasonal campaigns (Christmas, Father’s Day, etc.).
Connect with audiences tired of “more of the same.”
One thing we love about this technique is that it forces a previous step that makes all the difference: the analog one. And that’s key. Before anything is rendered, creators play with paper, fabric, magazines, modeling clay, and scissors. That physical process gives the piece a kind of soul that digital simply can’t replicate.
So, How Do We Build This Together?
At Positive, we can help you:
- Find and connect with these types of creators.
- Develop editorial, product, or campaign ideas using mix media.
- Integrate collage into your content strategy.
- Explore other techniques that can enhance your brand’s visual identity.
According to this LinkedIn article, in the coming years there will be a growing trend to value human-made content over artificial output.
This isn’t about cutting and pasting for the sake of it. It’s about telling stories differently. Because in a world where everything starts to look the same, daring to stick things together in a new way might be exactly what your brand needs.
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Prime Time is Latin: What Bad Bunny’s Presence at the 2026 Super Bowl Reveals About the Cultural Power of This Side of the World
A perspective from Positive Agency on the new protagonism of Latin culture in global marketing.
The year is coming to an end. Christmas lights are already glowing in shopping malls, and among them, that synthetic 80s music—born from MIDI rhythm boxes—blends with what’s coming through my headphones.
As I warm up my coffee and open my laptop to join the first meeting of the day, I think about how everything changes. At the agency, we understand that movement as something natural. Our work is not just to communicate but to read and decode the digital culture of a region as dynamic as Latin America.
In the virtual waiting room, someone has left their microphone on. A Caribbean track seeps in—a mix of percussion and Spanglish that takes me back to the first days of the year, close to my birthday. I don’t have photos on my desk, but one thought pops into my head: “I should’ve taken more pictures.”
Curious title for an album, I think, right as I’m about to join a meeting where images mean everything—and where we’d never think of “throwing them away.”
Musical tastes aside, that coincidence makes me pause. Between metrics, strategies, and deadlines, we sometimes forget why culture matters so much in what we do. Maybe hearing Bad Bunny in the waiting room, while scrolling through Resident Advisor, helped me connect the dots.
A Cultural Game-Changer for Global Marketing
When the NFL confirmed Bad Bunny as the headliner for the 2026 Super Bowl Halftime Show, it didn’t just announce a performance—it sent a message to the marketing world.
The Puerto Rican artist, who sings mostly in Spanish or Spanglish, represents a generation that embraces its roots and celebrates cultural identity.
While millions prepare to watch the biggest game of the year, brands are preparing to understand how Latin culture has become the emotional engine of the U.S. market.
The Latin Shift of the U.S. Market
Over the past decades, the growth of the Latin audience in the United States has reshaped the country’s consumption map.
Latinos now represent over 20% of the total population (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024) and show one of the fastest-growing rates in purchasing power
Yet, according to a 2025 study by XR Global source , only 4% of Super Bowl commercials featured Latin talent or cultural references—a figure far below America’s demographic reality. That gap signals a clear opportunity for Latin marketers.
The distance between cultural influence and commercial visibility remains wide—but it’s closing fast.
Bad Bunny embodies that transformation. He’s no longer a “Latin artist succeeding in the U.S. but a global artist redefining
the mainstream, reflecting decades of Latin American culture exported to the world.
For brands, this means an open door to step into the landscape of Latin cultural storytelling—a space that deeply interests us.
In 2025, the advertisers who dominated the Super Bowl conversation—Anheuser Busch, Michelob ULTRA, Lay’s, and Pfizer— did so not only through visual creativity but through narrative authenticity.
Audiences no longer respond to spectacle without purpose; they seek coherence, tone, and cultural rhythm.
In 2026, Spanglish will be the event’s native language.
“Spanglish, Latin aesthetics, and cultural references will no longer be creative winks—they’ll be the first lights of a new era in global communication.”
The challenge isn’t to speak like Latinos, but to speak from a culture that has become collective—and no longer foreign—to the American market.
The Power of Creating from Culture
Advertising has learned that translation isn’t enough.
The next step is to co-create from within culture, not just represent it superficially.
This means integrating Latin talent across every level of the creative chain—from copywriters and art directors to strategists and data analysts—to generate genuine and original campaigns.
That’s the approach we take at Positive Agency.
As a team, we believe cultural identity not only inspires creativity—it defines strategy.
We combine local insight, regional sensitivity, and global execution to help brands connect with audiences through emotion and cultural truth.
Bad Bunny is proof that we’re on the right path. Latin culture is no longer overlooked—it’s the starting point of a new, hyperconnected, transcultural form of communication.
Brands that understand this will stop “including” and start belonging to cultural movements.
According to Think with Google, bilingual consumers process emotions more intensely in their native language.
For the 2026 Super Bowl, using Spanish or Spanglish won’t be a differentiation tactic—it will be a manifestation of cultural authenticity.
In this context, language stops being a code and becomes a form of connection.
Latin Culture Is Inevitable
The challenge for brands isn’t to “ride” the Latin wave, but to understand that this wave already sets the rhythm of global culture. Brands that grasp this will be closer to what’s now known as cultural leadership.
“In 2026, it won’t be enough to be at the Super Bowl. Brands will need to be in the conversation across their digital ecosystems.”
Brands That Already Understand the Latin Power
Before Bad Bunny takes the world’s biggest stage, some brands have already opened the path for Latin culture in U.S. advertising.
Coca-Cola, with its Hispanic Spark campaign, proved that a Latin narrative can coexist with a global brand—authentically and at scale.
T-Mobile has launched bilingual campaigns like #SomosMás spot, designed for Hispanic U.S. markets, celebrating the diversity and resilience of the Latin community. It also maintains T-Mobile en Español and promotions for families living between two cultures.
That narrative consistency has allowed it to build a genuine bond with Latin audiences.
According to Kantar (2024), 64% of Hispanic consumers prefer brands that recognize their cultural identity—an insight T-Mobile has successfully turned into growth. (Source: Kantar North America, Creating Marketing Impact with the Hispanic Community)
These examples confirm the trend: Latin brands are no longer asking for space in the U.S. market—they’re building it themselves.
That sets the stage for Bad Bunny’s performance to be the rule, not the exception.
The Power of Creating from Culture
That same cup of coffee from the morning still sits on my desk, now a little cold—the moment I enjoy it most, because it means the day is almost over.
With the last sip, I think about how the 2025 Super Bowl proved that the world’s most expensive advertising slot isn’t won by budget, but by cultural purpose.
In 2026, that purpose will speak two languages and resonate across millions of homes that see Latin culture as a shared identity.
At Positive Agency, we believe that taking a strategic and creative stance toward this phenomenon brings us closer to the right path.
That’s our competitive advantage.