I keep running into the same problem: our core brand narrative works really well in the US, but when we translate it into Spanish and run it in Mexico or Colombia, something just… doesn’t land the same way. It’s not a translation issue—it’s cultural.
Our US positioning is around independence and disruption. Works great stateside. But when I see how the same messaging plays in LATAM markets, it feels tone-deaf somehow. Like, the value system is different. Family, community, and trusted relationships seem to resonate way more than the “break the rules” ethos that kills it here.
I’m not trying to completely rebrand—that would be inefficient. But I’m realizing we need to think about this more strategically than just language swaps. We’ve tested a few iterations with creators in Mexico and they all told me the same thing: “make it about how this product helps my life, my family, not some rebel narrative.”
I know this is probably more art than science, but I’m wondering: how do other brands handle this? Do you keep your core value proposition but reframe it? Do creators actually help steer this, or do they just execute what you hand them? And are there specific cultural research resources that actually help, or is most of this trial and error?
This is exactly why I always recommend brands work with creators rather than directing them. Creators know their audiences intimately in ways brand teams can’t.
Here’s what I’ve seen work: give creators your core value (what the product actually does, why it matters), but let them own the messaging frame. If your US frame is independence, maybe the LATAM frame is “empowerment for your family’s future” or “helping you take care of what matters.” Same underlying benefit, different cultural lens.
I had a US beauty brand do this really well. Their US positioning was “for people who don’t follow beauty rules.” We worked with Mexican creators, and they reframed it as “for people who know what works for them”—which is actually the same thing, just communicated in a way that resonates with Mexican audiences’ values around self-knowledge and intention.
The key: involve creators in strategy, don’t just hire them to execute. Ask them: “Here’s what this product actually does. How would you talk about it to your audience?” Listen to what they say. That’s market research that’s worth more than any focus group.
There’s actually some research on this. Cultural dimensions theory (Hofstede, Schwartz) shows measurable differences between US and LATAM audiences on individualism vs. collectivism, which is exactly what you’re experiencing.
US brands tend to score high on individualism (independence, uniqueness, breaking rules). LATAM audiences tend to score higher on collectivism (community, family, trust, relationships). When you translate messaging without considering these dimensions, you lose coherence. Numbers from our campaigns show 20-30% lower engagement when we use individualistic framing in Brazil versus when we reframe to collectivist values.
So yes, adaptation is necessary, but here’s the math: when we adapt thoughtfully, we actually get better engagement than our straight US campaigns—not worse. It’s not a compromise, it’s an optimization.
What to do: before launching, test messaging frames with local creators. Ask them to rank three different narratives. Document which resonates. Then use that insight to brief your creator campaigns.
One caution: don’t over-localize or over-correct. Your brand should still feel like your brand. The goal is translating value, not inventing new positioning.
We dealt with this when we expanded our product into multiple LATAM markets. Our original framing was very individualistic—“build your own path.” Completely fell flat in Colombia.
What worked: we kept the core benefit (people can achieve their goals on their own timeline) but reframed it as “achieve your potential and create opportunities for people around you.” Not completely different, but it centers community and impact instead of pure individual achievement.
Key lesson: we stopped thinking of LATAM as “US market but in Spanish” and started thinking of it as genuinely different markets. Mexico, Colombia, Argentina—they’re all different too. Not monolithic.
Practically, we hired a local marketing person for each country to guide this. Worth the investment. They caught cultural nuances we never would have from the US. Like, in Colombia, certain storytelling tropes work better than others. In Mexico, tone matters differently. In Brazil, the humor is completely different.
Don’t try to figure this out from the US. Hire locally or partner deeply with creators who get it. That’s not added cost—it’s insurance against messaging that just doesn’t work.
This is one of the biggest mistakes brands make when entering LATAM. They assume great creative translates. It doesn’t. Not because the translation is bad, but because the cultural context is different.
Here’s what we tell clients: start with primary research. Not surveys—actual conversations with LATAM consumers about why they buy, what they value, what matters to them. You’ll notice patterns that aren’t obvious from a desk in the US.
Then: brief your creator partners with two things: (1) the actual product benefit, (2) the cultural values frame you’re testing. Ask creators which feels more authentic to pitch to their audiences. Their instinct is usually right.
Frankly, the brands doing this best aren’t running centralized global campaigns with local adjustments—they’re giving regional creative freedom while maintaining brand consistency. That requires trust, but the results are exponentially better.
One tactical thing: test small with 2-3 creators before going wide. The cost is minimal and the insight is massive. You’ll see what works within 2-3 weeks.
Okay, honestly? When brands just hand me a script or a narrative frame and tell me to post it, the content is automatically weaker because I don’t believe it. But when a brand tells me what the product actually does and asks how I’d pitch it to my audience, magic happens.
Your independence/disruption frame doesn’t land in LATAM the way it does in the US. But here’s the thing—independence is still valuable. Try reframing it as “security and confidence to make your own choices” or “taking control of (your health, your finances, your future).” Same value, different angle.
The best partnerships I’ve had are when the brand trusts me to translate. Give me the brief, let me talk about it in my own voice, and I’ll make it real for my audience. That’s when you get authentic content that actually converts, not just performed content that feels fake.
One question I’d ask you: does your US positioning actually require disruption, or is that just how you explain it to Americans? Because the benefit might work fine if you frame it differently.
Reframing messaging for cultural contexts is standard practice for brands entering new markets. Your instinct is right.
What I’d want to validate: is the issue genuine cultural misalignment, or just creative execution? Test this—run your current messaging with 2-3 creators and measure engagement. Then run adapted messaging. If adapted rates are significantly higher (15%+), you have real cultural mismatch. If it’s lower, the issue might be execution or creator fit.
Assuming real cultural factors exist, here’s the framework: (1) Identify your core value prop (what does the product actually enable?). (2) Identify which cultural values you’re appealing to in the US. (3) Identify equivalent cultural values in target LATAM market that align to the same benefit. (4) Reframe messaging around those values.
Don’t outsource this to agencies. Do it internally with research and creator input. The work is worth the time investment because messaging is one of your highest-leverage levers.
One note: cultural fit is important, but product-market fit matters more. If your product doesn’t actually solve a LATAM customer problem, no messaging reframe changes that.