As we celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, I would like to challenge marketers to skip the tired tropes that, unfortunately, still characterize far too much of the advertising directed to us. ¡Por favor! Instead of feeling the pride of having so many brands look our way during this period, many of us often find ourselves rolling our eyes at, or worse, completely tuning out the annual onslaught of campaigns and activations meant to garner our loyalty and win our wallets.

Working in advertising for more than two decades as a U.S.-born Latina of Mexican and Cuban descent (aka a “Cubican” in my family’s expression of our quintessentially American mash-up identity), I recognize the progress that’s occurred.

I’m heartened that many more brands now recognize the need to connect with my community. No longer do we necessarily have to educate clients about the size of our community (almost 19% of the U.S. population), our relative youth (median age 30) and our spending power (an estimated $1.9 trillion). And while I can still recall the days when “marketing to Hispanics” meant that a brand had a copy translation strategy and a plan to cast its campaigns with “ethnically ambiguous” talent, most brands have since recognized that such superficial efforts are doomed to fail.   

Even as brands have largely rejected that sort of performative inclusivity, they still often pat themselves on the back for work that traffics in a flattened depiction of the Hispanic experience in this country. In too many Hispanic-directed campaigns, we are repeatedly celebrated for our work ethic, our commitment to our families (especially our abuelitas who are ubiquitous in so many spots) and our joyful and vibrant celebrations. Yes, we do work hard, love our grandmothers and many of us throw down a great party, but when brands turn to these same themes over and over, they become “Hispanic marketing wallpaper.” It’s all nice to see, but not necessarily differentiating or meaningful to the audience they’re meant to woo and win. 

With our community’s growth, influence, youth and undeniable cultural swag, the moment is now for brands to reject those repetitive narratives and instead authentically reflect the richness of Hispanic lives that are multifaceted, creative and diverse. To do so, I urge brands to consider the following strategies before they draft their next Hispanic Heritage Month creative brief:

Express our future-forward optimism

In one of my favorite Hispanic-centered campaigns, PepsiCo-Frito Lay’s Cheetos brand recently partnered with global music superstar Bad Bunny to launch “Deja tu Huella” in 2020. With its empowering and emboldening call to “leave your mark,” the campaign artfully transformed the brand’s signature cheesy orange fingerprint into a powerful metaphor for the energy and vibrancy of Latinidad today. In it, El Conejo Malo (aka Bad Bunny) is staking a claim a future that broadens the limits of our potential beyond the standard monolithic group of immigrants ever in pursuit of the American Dream, as defined by past generations. Instead, it invites us to express our ambition, individuality and creativity in whatever forms they might take.     

Reflect the full spectrum of Hispanic lives

Inspired in part by the underrepresentation of people of color visiting national parks, Toyota launched its video series, “In Tune with Nature,” earlier this year featuring outdoor enthusiast Zavier Borja and luthiers Tomás Delgado Sr. & Jr. The video spotlights their journey through nature with Toyota’s Tundra Hybrid and showcases Delgado’s workshop and how, inspired by nature, the luthiers craft a new guitar. The narrative not only focuses on the elements of a creative, expressive life but also emphasizes the importance of Latinos taking time to take care of themselves and connect with nature. In reflecting this desire for balance and connection with the natural world, the makers’ motivations and emotional needs are presented as universal and human.

Embrace our diversity

Hispanics’ own perspective on identity is evolving, with 30 percent of Hispanics self-identifying as multiracial. This shift to a more nuanced sense of identity is reflected in 2020’s Census figures in which Americans were given the opportunity to select more than one race in their responses. As a result, the number of non-Hispanic Americans who identified as multiracial jumped by 127 percent over a decade. For people who identified as Hispanic, the increase was even higher. Brands are slowly waking up to these cross-cultural nuances as they consider stories to tell and partners to work with.

McDonald’s, a savvy Hispanic marketer, partnered with Afro-Latino musical star Kid Cudi, making him the headliner of its mobile-centered summer 2022 campaign, “Camp McDonald’s.” In doing so, it reflected the community’s embrace of a richer take on heritage, one that now acknowledges our indigeneity and complex racial histories. 

Estamos aquí, all year long

The reality is that we are a thriving part of today and tomorrow’s America and that reality demands more than a month of heritage celebration. We’re here, living full, multidimensional lives with individual ambitions and stories that transcend narratives focused on endless striving and celebrating. So, this month and beyond we'll tune out brands’ “wallpaper” messaging if they continue to fail to think beyond that superficial binary.