Many brands rely on language focused marketing that fails to connect with Gen Z Latinos and often reduces engagement.
Oscar Padilla, Head of Digital Innovation and Growth at LatiNation, explains that this audience responds to cultural authenticity, not translated messaging.
His Culture Decoded findings show that authentic creative drives clicks and purchases, and he outlines how social listening helps brands stay relevant.
Many brands still believe the secret to reaching a multicultural audience starts with translating a few words. But Gen Z Latinos, a group holding $600 billion in purchasing power, see right through it. It turns out a language-first approach is not only ineffective, but actively counterproductive. The true key lies in cultural authenticity.
Oscar Padilla knows this world from the inside out. As Head of Digital Innovation and Growth at the bilingual, multi-platform media company LatiNation, he brings more than twenty years of work in technology and data, shaped by senior roles at Entravision, Canela Media, and other major media companies. Culture Decoded, LatiNation’s new Gen Z study, sheds light on what actually earns attention and trust from the key demographic.
"Language is not the driving factor in reaching Gen Z. Companies often sprinkle in Spanish with the idea that they'll connect right away, but this Gen Z Latino audience is extremely sensitive to inauthenticity. You need to be more deliberate about being culture-first, not language-first," says Padilla. 87% of Gen Z Latinos will recognize a disingenuous ad right away. But when brands get it right, the results are direct.
Authenticity pays: "Once an ad feels authentic, Gen Z Latinos pay attention. More than half will click through to the brand's site, and 41% will go all the way to purchase," Padilla explains. It proves that when an ad feels true, the path from noticing to buying gets a lot shorter. "Authenticity equals ROI," he says.
From app to Z: Padilla's team brought the philosophy to life with LatiNation's new digital platform, built to reflect how Gen Z actually moves through media. "We’re targeting Gen Z, which over-indexes in mobile usage, so we designed the site to have a mobile friendly, app-like feel," he says. "The modular layout and video-first carousels make discovery an easy, familiar experience for them."
So how can brands make this strategy actionable? Padilla advises them to monitor the unfiltered conversations on social media to differentiate between static "heritage" and the timely "cultural cues" that create relevance. "Cultural cues are happening in the moment," he says, noting trends like the popularity of artists Bad Bunny and Rosalia.
The listening engine: "You need some kind of engine collecting trending topics all the time," Padilla explains. "For one company that might be a full team, for another it might be two people, but you need someone watching the cultural moment as it happens." That constant pulse check is what keeps brands from drifting into static, heritage-only storytelling. Real relevance lives in the day to day signals that move this audience.
Mijo moment: "McDonald's consistently does a really good job connecting with Hispanic Gen Z," Padilla says. But getting it right means navigating the difference between authenticity and pandering. He points to the casual use of culturally-specific words, like 'mijo,' as a sign of artful execution. "You immediately know it has an authentic touchpoint, but without overdoing it." That's the key to creating a message that resonates with the intended demographic without alienating other audiences.
Ultimately, Padilla maintains that if brands commit to this authentic, culture-first approach, the audience will return the favor. He says that if you're authentic in ads presented to the English-first, Gen Z Hispanic market, they "will reward you with healthy conversion." It's a principle that points to what he calls a "universal truth to culture" that resonates far beyond a single demographic.
