🗣️How Brands & People Talk About Latinos, And Why It Matters

“What’s the right way to refer to Latinos?” A question that usually comes up when marketers trust us at CROING l Creative Agency enough to ask, so I’m sharing it here ✨

This is a slide from one of my keynotes, “Care Drives Action,” where we explore different communities of interest, Latinos, women, women in sports, Gen Z, depending on the brand. In this case, it focuses on the Latin community:

- Latinos/as: People with origins or heritage in Latin America, including countries like Brazil and parts of the Caribbean.

- Hispanos/as: Those connected to Spanish-speaking countries, based on language heritage.

- Latinx / Hispanx: Embraced by some to acknowledge diverse gender identities, and debated by others who don’t identify with non-binary terms.

- Country of origin: Nearly half of Latinos prefer to identify by their country of origin or heritage (Mexican, Venezuelan, Colombian, Dominican, etc.), yet they don’t feel offended if you refer to them as Latinos.

- American: Many Latin American individuals consider themselves American in the continental sense, North, Central, and South, and feel excluded when the term is used narrowly.

From a brand perspective, this matters. Labels aren’t just semantics; they shape how people feel seen, respected, and understood. That’s why strategy shouldn’t start with assumptions. It should start with listening 🙌🏾

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I’m Alejandra Salazar, Founder & CEO of CROING l Creative Agency, where we work with brands that want to get closer to their audience. Here, I share audience insights, creative industry events, culturally relevant campaigns, and spotlight women in the industry. Follow me and join the conversation.