Breaking the Cultural Barrier with Julio Ricardo Varela

“If you’re not advertising in the Latino space now… in twenty years you’re just not going to be relevant.” – Julio Ricardo Valera

Growing up bilingual and bicultural in Puerto Rico and the Bronx, Julio Ricardo Valera didn’t see media that was made for him by people who looked like him.

Establishment media (and big advertisers) have long misunderstood that the Latino community is far from a monolith, and younger Latinos, like Valera, simply aren’t served by Univision alone. A Gen-X Harvard graduate, Valera’s desire for English-language Latino-focused media that catered to the younger generation of Latinos led him to create Latino Rebels in 2011.

From humble, authentic, and definitely rebellious beginnings, Latino Rebels grew to become one of the top U.S. Latino digital media sites in the world. Valera has spent years building out a deep portfolio of work to serve a community that’s starting to get the recognition it deserves. Valera co-hosts the hit podcast In the Thick (Who Oprah says is “The Best Spanish and Latino Podcasts for Learning—and Laughing”), hosts Latino Rebels Radio, he’s the Editorial Director for Futuro Media, and enjoys millions of downloads annually across all of his shows.

Valera’s ability to connect authentically with a bilingual, bicultural Latino audience is invaluable to advertisers. Instead of marketers lamenting that they can’t just translate their English ad into Spanish and call it a day, in Valera’s words, “You’ve got to look at the segmentation as a true opportunity.”

Because Valera has been able to build a loyal, underserved audience, that he can speak directly to through the audio medium, he can now definitively state “our demographic is exactly the kind of Latino demographic that you want to be looking for.” And it’s paying off. His shows have attracted big brands such as Progressive, Miller Light, Don Julio, and Oxford Road’s own Indeed.

Valera’s mission to authentically serve his community and spread joy is infectious. Click below to hear more from this true visionary.

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The Classifieds

Fashionable Instagrammers Zip Over to Audio and Button Up a Deal

The minds behind the viral Instagram account Every Outfit on Sex and the City, are bringing their expertise on early-00s fashion, and opinions on Aidan vs Big, to the audio world. SATC experts Chelsea Fairless and Lauren Garroni are brash, opinionated, honest, and are so ingrained in the fandom, even the stars of the new reboot follow them. Clients searching for new topical, comedic shows for their female skew audiences will love this pop culture-heavy podcast who is bringing their large fan base over to audio. Click those Manolo Blahniks over to the link below for more information on this deal.

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Beauty Podcasters Go More Than Skin Deep with New Show

Have you ever been recommended a brand of foundation and it only comes in the lightest ten shades? This was the reality for new podcasters and beauty experts Nyakio Grieco and Melissa Magsaysay. Through a lens of diversity, cultural appreciation, and inclusivity, these veterans of the industry explain the ways it still needs to transform, while also affectionately sharing their cultures and shared experiences as women of color. Similar shows have done well for our clients with high female skew audiences, as well as those inclined to test more diverse options. Be sure to highlight this show for an immediate follow up if interested.

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In Case You Missed It

Hey Alexa! Make My Ads More Interactive

According to Voicebot.ai, Alexa is getting a massive vocal upgrade. Amazon debuted new ways for listeners to interact with audio ads played over Alexa-enabled devices this week at its unBoxed event for advertisers. The voice assistant has a better grasp of the ad’s context and its connection to Amazon’s store. Oxford Road is all over this one and when details emerge, you’ll be the first to know.

Joe Rogan and iHeart Lead Podcast

Media Monitors released their monthly podcast survey and as we’ve seen for months, the leaders in the space continue to be Joe Rogan & iHeartRadio. Media Monitors says iHeartRadio had 15 podcasts that made the top 200 of shows tracked but that The Joe Rogan Experience remains the most listened-to podcast. Rogan appeared to lose listeners after his Spotify deal earlier this year, but during the past two quarters, it has rebounded. So if you’re looking to take over Podcast, you need to reach out to iHeart and Spotify, we’ve got their contact info if you need it.

Clubhouse Reruns

Clubhouse hosts and moderators now have a new feature that will let creators record an audio room so that anyone who misses the action live can check it out later. The company first announced that the feature was on the way at the end of September but now it’s here, and seems a lot like everything else. The appeal of Clubhouse was exclusivity and immediacy, now it’s nothing more than an episode of What Happens Live. BTW, we love Andy Cohen and if you’re looking at SiriusXM as a marketing channel, you must seek Andy out as an influencer for your campaign. But for Clubhouse, it’s now cheugy.

There…They Said It – And They Did a Great Job

Great personalization can be as essential a part of an ad read like the copy itself. As we learn from a recent read on There….I Said It!, some podcasts just know how to do it right. These radio vets preach the powers of Nutrafol, a holistic hair growth supplement, that’s been helping host Georgia Alfredas regrow her hair the past month. For those of us whose hair is their crown, a solution like this can be transformative. The hilarious trio of There…I Said It! offer their unfiltered opinion on just about everything, so when they mention it you know you’re getting the real scoop.

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OXFORd In The News

Ad Wars Episode 4 – A New Hope

Who do you reach out to when you need an answer to a burning question? If you’re Bryan Barletta from Sounds Profitable, you reach out to Oxford Road’s Creative Director, Stew Redwine. And this time, the question is “should you mention the competition in your advertising”. The answer is, of course, it depends. But as always Mr. Redwine delivers his answer in a whimsical, image-filled journey that anyone involved in advertising must-read.

If you’ve read this far, thank you!

The Influencer is a production from the team at Oxford Road.
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