Carolina Strifling of Portal Latino: In Gaming, Attention Isn’t Interrupted, It’s Earned

In a media landscape defined by fragmentation, algorithm fatigue and declining attention spans, one channel is quietly outperforming expectations among U.S. Hispanic audiences: mobile gaming. Yet, according to Carolina Strifling, Co-Founder of Portal Latino, most marketers still see it as niche, intimidating — or simply unknown.

“Gaming has always been there,” Strifling says. “But in advertising, there’s still very little dedicated space for it. Many brands assume it’s complicated or only for hardcore gamers. That couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Founded two years ago, Portal Latino was built to connect brands with U.S. Hispanic and multicultural audiences through gaming — combining media expertise with deep cultural nuance. The female-owned company specializes in making gaming accessible to agencies and marketers, whether through traditional media formats like video and banners or more complex branded integrations within immersive platforms.

Redefining the “Gamer”
One of the biggest misconceptions Portal Latino works to dismantle is the stereotype of who qualifies as a gamer. “The average gamer is 40 years old,” Strifling explains. “Everyone plays. Seniors play. Parents play. Casual gaming is universal.”

According to a new study commissioned by Portal Latino and conducted by the Cultural Inclusion Accelerator, a division of urVETTED, the scale of the opportunity is clear:

• 8 in 10 Hispanic consumers play mobile games at least once per week
• They spend an average of 56 minutes per day playing
• 90% play free casual games, while only 10% pay
• Casual gaming — quick, accessible formats that don’t require heavy time investment — dominates behavior. It fits naturally into daily life, often consumed in short bursts throughout the day.

“It’s something you do on the go,” Strifling says. “That’s why it resonates so strongly with Hispanic audiences.”

Mindset Drives Performance
For Strifling, the real differentiator isn’t just reach — it’s mindset. On social media, consumers are scrolling, multitasking and catching up with friends. It’s a distracted, comparison-driven environment. Gaming offers something different. “It’s lean-back. It’s entertainment. It’s a way to disconnect,” she says. “It’s an outlet.”

That shift in environment significantly impacts advertising effectiveness. The study benchmarked identical ads across mobile gaming and leading social platforms, surveying 2,988 adults (approximately half Latino and half non-Latino) with a ±1.8 percentage-point margin of error at the 95% confidence level.

Among Hispanic consumers, the results were striking:

• 30% higher attention and engagement in mobile games versus social media
• 60% higher brand recall after seeing an ad in-game
• 20% higher purchase intent compared to ads seen in social feeds

“In gaming, when a user chooses to watch your ad, it’s not an interruption — it’s permission,” Strifling says. “Effectiveness isn’t just about the creative or even the audience. It’s about the environment.”

Portal Latino places heavy emphasis on protecting the user experience. Ads are integrated within natural pauses in gameplay, ensuring they do not disrupt the core experience. Among the most effective formats:

• Rewarded video ads, where users opt in to receive extra lives, additional time or in-game currency
• Interactive formats and playable units
• Custom branded games, including Pac-Man-style executions developed specifically for clients

In free-to-play ecosystems — where roughly 90% of users never pay — rewarded ads create a value exchange.

“If a user wants an extra life and chooses to watch your ad, there’s already intent and openness there,” Strifling explains. “They’re engaging with your brand in a completely different mindset.”Portal Latino has also expanded into in-game audio formats powered by proprietary technology. Ads only activate if a device’s volume exceeds 30%. If the game is muted, the ad will not play — preserving user experience and relevance.

“It’s not just about inserting ads,” she says. “It’s about designing the right experience for the objective.”

Gaming Across the Funnel
Another misconception is that gaming serves only upper-funnel awareness goals. Portal Latino argues that mobile gaming can drive measurable impact across the entire funnel. In one campaign designed to increase restaurant visits, the company leveraged Foursquare location data to measure real-world foot traffic — demonstrating that gaming environments can contribute to mid- and lower-funnel performance.

“Gaming offers across-the-funnel solutions,” Strifling says. “From awareness and engagement to performance metrics and even physical traffic.”

While casual mobile gaming remains the core of its business, Portal Latino is expanding into deeper branded integrations within immersive platforms like Roblox and Minecraft — spaces particularly relevant to Gen Z audiences.

These environments allow brands to build interactive worlds, co-created experiences and long-form engagement rather than relying solely on traditional ad units.

“It’s Gaming 2.0,” Strifling says. “More immersive. More participatory. And especially powerful for younger audiences.”

An Untapped Growth Imperative
After two years of strong performance across multiple accounts, Portal Latino’s primary goal for the coming year is diversification — expanding into new categories and encouraging more brands to test the channel.

“There’s a lot of curiosity,” Strifling notes. “It’s about education and evangelization. Brands can start simple with video, test the waters, and scale from there.”

In an increasingly noisy and fragmented media ecosystem, Strifling believes gaming represents a strategic opportunity — particularly when combined with the continued growth of the U.S. Hispanic market.

“Gaming is still considered unknown in advertising,” she says. “But the audience is there. The results are there. Adoption is growing.”

For brands seeking attention in a high-engagement, culturally relevant environment, mobile gaming may no longer be a tactical experiment — but a strategic growth imperative.