Amy DuBois Barnett is a senior media executive and brand development expert with 18 years of broad experience in all aspects of print and digital content creation, brand strategy, business development, video production, content marketing, creative direction and revenue generation.

How can brands lean into positivity and create content that helps Latinas be happier and more successful?

While it's hard to find cultural and aesthetic references that will be effective across all Latina audiences, empowering messaging will almost universally resonate. This empowering messaging can build on Latinas' preexisting positivity about possibilities in America by making them feel strong and in control of their destiny — and by making them feel as if you have their back as they seek their dreams. You can execute this kind of messaging tonally (through the words, aesthetic, music, model/actress choice, etc.) and/or you can create "service" content that provides them tools they need to live their best life.

How can publishers develop a content strategy that develops relevant content for Latinas while also servicing the content needs of other audiences?

Strategies to incorporate the Latina audience will not work if they're simply bolted on to existing content plans. This audience must be built into the strategy so that the messaging feels organic. Simply adding a Latina to the mix of models in a photo shoot without any other effort does not work. You have to make Latinas feel as if they are truly important to your brand; that way, your brand and content are inherently relevant. Additionally, content creators should incorporate some of Latinas' core values (family, religion, etc.), interests, and aesthetic as a matter of course. In order to do so in an authentic way, it's imperative to have junior- and senior-level members on the content creation team who are Latina. Those team members shouldn't have to become the voice for all Latinas. However, they can help to identify core message points, and they can get creative for resonance and avoiding unintentional faux pas.

What advice would you give brands that are seeking to connect with Latinas but do not have experience speaking to a multicultural audience?

I'm going to repeat what I said above: you have to make Latinas feel as if they are truly important to your brand; that way, your brand is inherently relevant. It's imperative to have junior- and senior-level members on your team who are Latina. Those team members shouldn't have to become the voice for all Latinas. However, they can help to identify core message points, and they can get creative for resonance. You can also hire a multicultural marketing agency (or MediaLink!) to strategize the content/campaign/ad-buy execution.