Speaking at the second edition of Latino US Day at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, Gigi García Russo, Chief Innovation & Growth Officer of HUNTER, acknowledged the privilege of the occasion and underscored the continued industry challenges concerning Hispanic representation. The event was hosted by Advertising Week LATAM and powered by PRODU.

“This is the place to be at Cannes. I look forward to this every single year,” García said, mentioning the energy and unity that events like this bring to communication professionals. Still, she pointed out that the turnout could have been stronger: “I was expecting a lot more people, and I think that’s indicative of an issue with our industry. We simply do not have enough representation of the Hispanic community.”

García participated in the HPRA session titled “Latino AF – The Culture Shift you Can’t Ignore“, a bold framing she credited to Sonia Díaz, President of the Hispanic Public Relations Association. “It was genius of Sonia to title it that way. There’s hesitation among brands due to the rollback of DEI, and people are questioning how much they should outwardly market to the Hispanic audience. But it’s such a big and untapped opportunity.”

She stressed the importance of understanding the cultural and economic power of the Hispanic community. “If you can figure out why your brand matters to this community, they’re amazing storytellers. They’ve got money. They’re ready to spend. It’s just about making those connections and finding insights to create really powerful programming.”