Co-creating influencer campaigns across borders: how I stopped forcing US messaging into LATAM and actually listened to creators

Influencer Marketing (ES)
1

I’ve been managing influencer partnerships for about five years now, and I’ve made every mistake you can think of when it comes to cross-border campaigns. The biggest one? I used to treat LATAM audiences like a secondary market where I could just translate my US campaigns and call it a day.

Turns out, that doesn’t work. At all.

Last year, I started working with a team that actually sits in the region, and it fundamentally changed how I approach co-creation with creators. Here’s what I learned the hard way:

First, the messaging thing. A value proposition that kills it in Denver doesn’t land the same way in Mexico City or Buenos Aires. It’s not just about language—it’s about what actually resonates culturally. I had a campaign about “hustle culture” that performed okay in the US but felt tone-deaf in LATAM. When I brought in creators from the region early in the planning process, they immediately flagged it. They helped me reframe it around community and shared values instead. The engagement difference was massive.

Second, UGC strategy needs to be completely different. In the US, we often see polished, aspirational content work really well. In LATAM, I’ve noticed that authenticity and relatability hit harder. Creators there understand their audiences want to see real people, real problems, real solutions. When we started letting creators build UGC around their own storytelling style instead of strict brand guidelines, conversion improved by something like 40%.

Third—and this one surprised me—the creators themselves are way more invested in the process when you actually ask for their input upfront instead of just handing them a brief. I’ve started doing what I call “co-creation sessions” with micro and macro influencers together. The micro-influencers bring hyperlocal insights about what works in their specific communities, and the macro-influencers help think about scalability. It’s collaborative instead of transactional.

The real shift happened when I stopped thinking about “adapting campaigns for LATAM” and started thinking about “building campaigns with LATAM creators from day one.”

So here’s my question for you all: When you’re planning a cross-border influencer campaign, at what stage do you bring creators into the planning process? Are you co-creating from the start, or are you still in the “here’s the brief, make it work” phase?

2

This is exactly what we’ve been pushing our clients toward, and it’s a game-changer for retention and results. The co-creation model you’re describing—getting micro and macro influencers in the same room—is smart because it creates accountability and buy-in. Creators feel like partners, not vendors.

What I’ve noticed is that when you involve them early, they also become advocates for the campaign beyond just the deliverables. They talk about it in their communities, they suggest cross-promotions you never would have thought of, and they’re way more likely to go the extra mile with execution.

One thing I’d add: this approach also helps you identify which creators actually understand both markets versus which ones are just native to a region. You can spot the difference pretty quickly in a planning session. The creators who get it will ask smart questions about audience overlap, cultural nuances, even platform differences. The others just nod and ask about the fee.

3

Thank you so much for putting this out there. Honestly, this is what creators have been asking for forever. When brands show up with a locked-in brief and basically say “film this,” it feels soul-crushing because I know my audience way better than some brand manager in another country does.

The UGC point you made about authenticity really resonates with me. In my experience, my best-performing content with brands is always when they trust me enough to let me interpret the message through my own lens. I’m not just a camera anymore—I’m a strategist for my community.

The thing is, co-creation also takes more time upfront, and I know some brands are uncomfortable with that. But the ROI is so much better. My engagement rates are higher, my audience feels the content, and brands come back because they see real results instead of just vanity metrics.

4

This is a solid framework, and I appreciate the specificity around where things broke down for you. The cultural messaging piece is critical, and it’s often where we see the biggest gaps in performance data.

Here’s what I’d push on though: when you’re co-creating with creators and bringing them into planning, how are you measuring the incremental value of that collaboration against the time and cost investment? I ask because I’ve seen agencies and brands do this beautifully on the surface, but when you dig into the actual ROI metrics—CAC, LTV, conversion rates—sometimes the incremental lift doesn’t justify the operational overhead.

I’m not saying don’t do it; I’m saying make sure you’re tracking it properly. In my experience, the best teams are the ones that do co-creation and have clear KPIs baked into the process from the start. That way, you know which creators and which collaborative approaches actually drive business results in each market.