José Villafañe, Founder and CEO of Nueva Network, highlighted his company’s strong dedication to Hispanic multicultural marketing and the growing influence of the “audioverse” during the second annual Latino US Day at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This exclusive event, hosted by Advertising Week LATAM and powered by PRODU, is dedicated to celebrating and amplifying the vital influence of the U.S. Hispanic advertising community within the global marketing and communications industry.

Villafañe underlined Nueva Network’s strategic focus, affirming: “For us, it’s about investing in Hispanic multicultural, but also audio. Audio is our main product that we take out to the markets, to the big holding companies in New York. And nobody out here is really talking about the audio space, about radio and the radio extensions like social media, digital, AI, streaming, and podcasts.” He added, “So we want to be the first Latino company out here in Cannes talking about it and being part of the conversation that all advertisers are having with brands.”

His remarks were central to the Nueva Network Session: “Audioverse Unleashed: Innovating Latino Culture Through Music, Media, and Marketing.” Villafañe added that the panel’s purpose was to highlight what they call the audioverse. “It’s where radio meets streaming and podcasts. And what we’re focusing on is how your brand benefits from being in that space and giving you a better ROI for the Spanish language in the U.S.”

He also emphasized the profound cultural shift driven by Latino influence. “We just talked about Bad Bunny and how multicultural is part of the media body. If you’re not doing that, you’re pretty much not doing marketing,” he mentioned. “So Bad Bunny is not just a phase. He’s part of the culture now, part of pop culture. When you talk about sneakers, automotive, any kinds of brands, he’s part of that. And we’re bringing that here to Cannes to talk about that at this event.”

Villafañe’s insights reinforced the crucial role of culturally relevant audio strategies in achieving significant ROI and connecting with the dynamic U.S. Hispanic consumer, whose influence now permeates mainstream culture.