What Latinos wish brands knew

Challenge

Latinos are the fastest growing demographic in the U.S., with a burgeoning spending power that brands can’t afford to ignore. Yet, despite their increasing influence, many marketers are frustrated at the fact that their current strategies are missing the mark when it comes to this audience. At Moira Studio, we believe that the root of it all is a failure to authentically connect with the U.S. Latino community or using general market strategies to do so. Latinos are highly diverse, navigating unique experiences and challenges in their daily lives, and these stories and cultural nuances must be acknowledged to create genuine connections with this audience.

We recognized the strategic opportunity to engage potential clients through education, positioning Moira Studio as a thought leader and trusted partner in crafting authentic, impactful campaigns for the Latino community. Moira Studio created this project as an in-house business development initiative to showcase the agency’s creative expertise and deep understanding of the Latino experience—but instead of simply telling potential clients what’s needed, we chose to let them hear directly from the audience itself.

Strategy

Our approach stemmed from a profound truth: identity matters. The lived experiences and different perspectives of Latinos are what shape this vibrant community, and they must be recognized by brands when targeting them. We wanted to hear directly from real Latinos about how they truly feel when it comes to advertising and how brands are representing and connecting with them in their communications.

Moira enlisted the help of 10×10 Studios to develop a video campaign featuring interviews with Latinos from diverse backgrounds, delving into a wide range of topics. The videos needed to feel authentic, powerful, and informative while representing the diverse individuals that make up the Latino community. To achieve this, we employed the following strategies:

Real people, not actors. Our participants were real Latinos sharing their genuine experiences. There were no scripts—just thoughtfully crafted questions to guide the conversation.

Thoughtful casting. The Latino community is not monolithic. We interviewed a wide spectrum of individuals—young, older, neurodivergent people, non-binary individuals, parents, students, white, afro, central american, mixed race… We stayed away from stereotypes, highlighting the vast diversity within the community.

Different areas and topics. We explored their experiences across diverse areas, such as healthcare, education, politics, and social matters, so we could paint a detailed picture of what it means to be Latino in the U.S.

Deep dives into individual perspectives. We didn’t ask the same generic questions to everyone. We tailored them to each subject and their background, allowing for deeper and more meaningful insights.

A safe environment to uncover what many are afraid to share. Discussing vulnerable topics requires trust, especially when you want people to speak their truth. Before filming, we spent time chatting with participants off-camera, playing bachata and sharing cafecitos to create a relaxed and open atmosphere. This approach helped participants feel comfortable, safe and understood.

For Latinos by Latinos. Participants were approached by Latinos from Moira and 10×10 Studios. This built trust and ensured they felt their voices were respected—not tokenized for diversity.

Empowering visual treatment. We crafted a visually striking and dignified aesthetic to elevate participants’ stories, portraying them as powerful individuals whose voices deserve to be heard.

Deliverables

- A paid media campaign on Instagram and LinkedIn consisting of two 30-second teaser ads , used to direct people to our Identity Matters landing page.
- Identity Matters landing page (identitymatters.us), featuring a longer video showcasing Latinos’ challenges and solutions around the topic of advertising, alongside copy text that provides further context.
- A series of 2-minute videos for the verticals of education and healthcare.

Results

Since the video campaign launched, it has garnered 403,840 impressions, a 19% video engagement rate, a 54% completion rate, and over 2,000 visits to the landing page resulting in a 0.08% click-through rate. What’s truly remarkable is that the click-through rate remained constant over time, going against the tendency of significant decline as time passes.

This success stems from not only deeply caring about craft, but also about the topic at hand. The final product reflects the love and dedication we poured into telling these stories in a way that empowers and honors the community they represent—because it is our community, too.