Gisella Furip of Latin Nation Media: “We Are Multilingual and Multidimensional”

The U.S. Latino audience represents significant cultural and economic power, yet continues to receive disproportionately low investment from brands, according to Gisella Furip, Senior Vice President of Sales and Partnerships at Latin Nation Media.

Furip moderated the SAMA Session: The Hispanic Growth Signal at Latino US Day during Cannes Lions 2026, where she pushed for a more challenging and data-driven conversation about the state of multicultural marketing.

“I wanted this to be a challenging panel,” she said. “We started with the data: Latinos are 20% of the population, but receive less than 5% of multicultural marketing investment.”

For Furip, that imbalance reflects a deeper misunderstanding of the Hispanic audience—not just as a segment, but as a complex and diverse cultural ecosystem.

“We discussed how to close that gap,” she said. “Brands need to understand that this is not a translation exercise. We are not a monolith—we are multilingual, with multiple identities.”

Furip emphasized that Latino audiences span a wide range of communities, including Afro-Latino and LGBTQ+ groups, as well as sports, lifestyle, and entertainment audiences, requiring more nuanced and culturally grounded strategies. Beyond the data and strategy discussion, she underscored the importance of industry collaboration and collective visibility at global events such as Cannes Lions.

“Working together makes us stronger,” she said. “Our voices are powerful individually, but together we build coalitions and community.”

She added that platforms like Latino US Day help unify the industry’s message and reinforce the growing influence of Hispanic audiences in the United States.

“Being here at a global event allows us to send a unified message that we are a strong front,” she said. “And it highlights the real influence of the Latino market in the U.S.”