Hispanic Heritage Month Series: Celebrating Culture and Calling for Representation

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, Adweek is highlighting the Hispanic and Latinx members of our industry who are defying expectations and elevating culture in advertising, marketing and media, while shedding light on the greater issues and lack of resources they face. Topics will range from highlighting agencies doing creative work across Latin America to addressing what it means to make meaningful connections with Hispanic consumers and taking a closer look at the way brands form those connections to increase representation of Latinx voices in media. This series both celebrates progress while also calling attention to the systems and stereotypes that continue to hinder equitable progress and representation. Check out all of our Hispanic Heritage Month coverage here, where we’ll be updating with new stories throughout the month. How Agencies Can Open Doors for Nascent Latinx Talent To nurture the next generation of Latinx advertising talent, Latinx industry leaders recommend agencies do more. Removing hiring barriers, nurturing incoming talent, and investing in mentorship opportunities and educational resources are some of the ways agencies can step up. Tecate Aims to Celebrate Music and Cross-Cultural Communities For Jessica Bejarano, inclusivity and accessibility are vital, as she explains that people are just like music: they are not just one thing. With Hispanic Heritage Month underway, the celebration of diversity and cross-cultural communities is crucial. As a way to honor cross-cultural communities, Tecate partnered with the Mexican American conductor and San Francisco Philharmonic founder and musical director Jessica Bejarano to create a new musical expression, Alta Sinfónica. How the NFL Can Get Hispanic and Latino Outreach Right Fans are only part of the culture the league is trying to celebrate. Although the NFL's efforts for Hispanic Heritage Month have more extensive than in years past, it had a prominent swing and miss, by kicking off its “Por la Cultura” campaign with a social media post that placed an eñe over the N in its logo. Svp of global brand and consumer marketing Marissa Solis said the league is paying attention and taking an opportunity to learn from this moment and double down on its commitment. Here’s how the NFL is moving forward and what marketers can learn about owning mistakes. These Bolivian Skaters Linked With Samsung to Change the Culture's Perception of Women Members of ImillaSkate challenged their community to support change in the latest installment of Samsung's "Voices of Galaxy" series. To create change around the way women are viewed in their culture, nine Bolivian women in their 20s, known as ImillaSkate, challenged their community to support change in the latest installment of Samsung’s ongoing “Voices of Galaxy” storytelling series. For many Hispanic and Latinx communities, embracing culture is not only a way to reconnect with their ethnicity, but a part of their identity. However, like in any culture, there are aspects that are still rooted in gender inequality, misogyny, and machismo. Here's how these women tell their story while front-lining a new generation of trailblazing cholitas, which are the indigenous women of Bolivia. Here's What Would've Happened if These Latinx-Led Shows Hadn't Ended Time and time again, Latinx-led TV and entertainment projects are championed by networks and lauded by fans, only to be swiftly taken off the air for one reason or another. The trend of Latinx and Hispanic-led shows and movies disappearing from the airwaves is too significant to ignore anymore as it has already led to a demand in more representation and a call to action for studios to “stop erasing Latinos from the screen.” Adweek caught up with the creators behind three series that were taken away too soon: The Gordita Chronicles, Diary of a Future President and One Day at a Time to answer the hard hitting question: If the shows hadn’t been taken off the air, what would’ve happened next? Here's what the creators had to say. How Top Retailers Marked Hispanic Heritage Month Nordstrom put together a series of videos featuring eight Hispanic and Latinx employees discussing the passion they feel for their culture and community. For Hispanic Heritage Month retailers are aiming to put representation at the forefront as they highlight products from Hispanic-owned brands, launch limited-edition collaborative lines and donate to nonprofits. It's also an opportunity for retailers to acknowledge any efforts the company needs to make or has made to support the community year-round and promote inclusion within their own staff. Here’s a look at what some of the biggest retailers did to mark the occasion this year. How NGL Collective Taps Into the Growing Latinx Audience Originally formed in the early 2000s, the NGL Consortium sought to advocate for a new generation of Latinx audiences across media marketing and entertainment. Originally formed in the early 2000s, the NGL Consortium sought to advocate for a new generation of Latinx audiences across media marketing and entertainment by carrying out research studies and hosting TED talks. However, in 2012, Colombian actor John Leguizamo and other partners repurposed the company to start creating content and running ads, swapping the name Consortium for Collective. Now the group has a number of owned and operated media channels like Hispanicize, Hispanic Kitchen and recently-added mitú, which the collective works with brands to create content for. The collective also functions as an ad sales house for advertisers to access NGL’s Latinx digital scale through both direct and programmatic relationships. Here are a few ways NGL Collective is helping marketers make smarter choices in reaching Latinx audiences. Agency Pink Teddy Is Here to Market With People, Not at Them José Maldonado, founder of Pink Teddy, a Detroit-based digital development agency, joins Adweek's host of Young Influentials podcast to reflect on his background and how his agency earns people's trust and attention with content that is purposeful, interesting and valuable. As an Ecuadorian, Maldonado discusses the way social media as played a role in connecting with his roots as a Latin American and the power brands have to truly impact society with the right messaging and by providing space for communities. Listen to the podcast episode here. Let's Get Loud—and Clear—on What Latinx Consumers Really Need From Marketers