Robert Vélez, Vice President of Inclusive Network & LATAM Sales of VEVO, spoke at the second annual Latino US Day at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. This event, hosted by Advertising Week LATAM and powered by PRODU, served as a vital platform to celebrate and amplify the influence of the Hispanic advertising community within the marketing and communications industry.

During the AIMM session: “Consumer Expectations: Why Culture and Authenticity Can’t be an Afterthought,” Vélez highlighted the importance of depicting stories that genuinely resonate with target communities. “I think depicting stories that are part of those communities you’re trying to reach, obviously in an authentic way… just uncovering those insights that bond that community, then taking those insights and putting them back in a way that shows them ‘I see you and I hear you,’ is really what creates that resonance,” he explained.

Vélez underlined Vevo’s unique position in facilitating this authentic connection through music videos: “At Vevo, we obviously represent the artists and their official music videos… they express their identity — how they talk, how they dress. And for the viewer, that’s such a connection because it’s coming from a place of representation.”

He shared a surprising insight from 2018, noting that while the song Despacito was widely popular, internal data at Vevo revealed regional mexican music was actually dominating the charts. “Once you start to peel back the layers, you begin to see that much of the Hispanic population is, clearly, of Mexican descent—so there’s a reason why that content resonates so strongly with that community.” He also pointed to other sub-genres like bachata, which resonates deeply with communities from the Dominican Republic. “We love where we sit because, again, we just pass through that content to our brands and our partners who want to align with that passion point. We’re very privileged to be able to offer where that culture basically is formed, lives, and breathes to our partners.”

He concluded his remarks by emphasizing a recurring theme in industry discussions: consistency. “I think it comes down to consistency. We talk about it constantly, and I’ve been on many panels where it remains the buzzword everyone’s focused on.” He noted that he had discussed the same point earlier that day on a panel at Reddit.

Vélez’s insights reinforced the critical need for brands to delve deeply into cultural nuances and consistently demonstrate authenticity to effectively engage the diverse U.S. Latino audience.