Álvaro Luque of Avocados From Mexico: “Cultural relevance can translate into mainstream brand love”

For Álvaro Luque, CEO of Avocados From Mexico, brands that want to grow in today’s market need to look beyond traditional approaches to reaching Latino consumers. The brands getting it right, he argues, are those that treat Latino audiences not as a niche, but as a core part of their growth strategy.

According to Luque, the most successful brands have been intentional about how they engage Latino audiences, particularly by celebrating culture and inviting others to participate in it. Rather than creating campaigns that speak exclusively to one group, these brands use cultural relevance as a way to build broader connections.

“They have been incredibly intentional and effective in how they engage Latino audiences as a core part of their growth strategy,” Luque says. “They have done so by celebrating the culture and inviting others to join them.”

That approach can translate directly into business growth. By expanding their target audiences and increasing their relevance among Latino consumers, brands can grow market share while also creating a broader sense of inclusion.

For Luque, the key is understanding that celebrating one culture does not necessarily mean excluding others. Instead, cultural specificity can become an invitation for wider audiences to participate.

Avocados From Mexico’s own marketing strategy reflects this approach. Its work draws on elements deeply connected to Latino culture—including food, family, celebration and humor—while placing them within everyday moments that resonate far beyond the Latino community.

The avocado itself offers a clear example of how a culturally relevant product can become mainstream. Guacamole and avocados have moved from being associated primarily with specific cultural traditions to becoming staples of American food and entertainment culture.

“Avocados, like guacamole, have become part of the mainstream,” Luque says. “Their creative centers on the nuances but brings forth the universal truths.”

That balance between cultural specificity and universal appeal has helped Avocados From Mexico establish credibility within the advertising industry while demonstrating the commercial potential of culturally relevant marketing.

The lesson, according to Luque, extends well beyond one category or one brand. Latino consumers are already influencing the broader marketplace, and brands that understand the cultural forces driving that influence can turn relevance into stronger engagement and long-term growth.

For companies still treating Hispanic marketing as a secondary strategy—or as something to revisit only during specific cultural moments—the opportunity may be much larger.

Luque argues that investing in culture should not be viewed as a temporary marketing pivot. It is increasingly a long-term growth strategy.

“Inclusive marketing is future-facing, growth-oriented, and increasingly central to all consumers,” he says.

For brands willing to embrace that shift, the opportunity is not simply to reach Latino consumers more effectively. It is to understand how Latino culture is already shaping mainstream consumer behavior—and use that insight to build brands that feel more relevant to everyone.