Lightly edited for readability. Speaker 1: So I'm really excited to, uh, begin this conversation with Luis Miguel Messianu, who is the founder, president, and cre- chief creative officer of MEL. Uh, welcome to The Business of Marketing.
Speaker 2: Thank you.
Speaker 1: Um-
Speaker 2: Thank you so much. Thank you for having me.
Speaker 1: Here we are recording it live at Cannes Lions '26.
Speaker 2: No complaints.
Speaker 1: No complaints.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: Pretty awesome. So I think this is gonna be a conversation about the difference between marketing to a multicultural audience and building a business around a real understanding of culture. You've been spending decades, and I say that with huge respect-
Speaker 2: No.
Speaker 1: ... proving that culturally relevant creativity is not a niche, but it's a better way to build brands, right? Win accounts, grow an agency. So without further ado, let's get into the weeds. Let's start the conversation talking about how do we move from a stereotype to real cultural relevance. You first opened the doors in '94, right?
Speaker 2: Yep.
Speaker 1: You said that one aim was to change the way Hispanic advertising was created in the US. What was wrong with the work then?
Speaker 2: It was mostly, eh, a translation i- industry. And, eh, have to recognize the pioneers, uh, the first generation of, of, you know, Hispanic, uh, marketing and advertising, uh, industry members. They paved the road, but they had to push hard to, to set Hispanic apart. And in the process, unfortunately, they had to, you know, leverage some of the, of the cliches. And, uh, when I first got into, into Hispanic marketing, which was late '80s, I remember, you know, feeling first of all, uh, you know, "What planet am I in?" Eh, it, it, it really felt like a different planet. I had to justify, uh, y- the existence of, of, you know, Hispanic. Uh, mo- In most cases, it was trying to make sense of a strategy and a campaign platform that wasn't conceived to address this, this, uh, audience. So it was kind of retrofitting, you know, making sense of, of ideas. And, you know, I think we've come, you know, in a way full circle because nowadays it's not really about, you know, reaching the Hispanic audience, it's more about understanding, you know, how does this person live? You know, what are the passion areas? You know, what is their sense of identity?
Speaker 1: When you kinda look back on that period, what, what comes to mind in terms of the big kinda shifts that you saw happen?
Speaker 2: Well, first of all, results. Eh, back then there was no data, so it was the trust me, eh, I'm Hispanic syndrome.
Speaker 1: Right.
Speaker 2: And the clients took a, a, a leap of faith. Now you ... The, the ... We have almost too much information, too much data, but it goes back to the basics. You know, this is not, uh, only a consumer segment, it's about cultural intelligence. It's about understanding, you know, what moves your audience.
Speaker 1: You talk about sort of moving away from the stereotype towards, you know, culturally relevant-
Speaker 2: Yes
Speaker 1: … emotional kind of connections. Obviously, you know, you started that journey back then, but it's as relevant now as, as ever, right? In terms of how the world's changed. But when you sort of actually un- kinda unpack that, you know, what does that really mean? You know, what does that-- How does that change the brief, the idea? You know, you talked about, you know, measurement, right? Uh, and, uh, how does, how does it impact even the finished work?
Speaker 2: Well, first of all, um, the first generation created agencies almost as a business idea. You know, I'm, I'm, you know, one of the pioneers of the second generation. I came from, from a, you know, creative upbringing. You know, I've been writing as a copywriter since age 17. I say that, you know, I never stopped, uh, you know, writing for a living and, and living to write. Uh, and back when we started the, you know, the predecessor to Alma, uh, which was, uh, Del Rivero Mesianu, my vision was there's no single, uh, multicultural agency that has really focused on depth of strategy and, and creative excellence. And, you know, at the time I used to, uh, uh, mention Chiat Day, uh, Fallon-
Speaker 1: Right
Speaker 2: ... you know, the, the great agencies of the late '80s and '90s. So my vision was that one, you know?
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Let's, let's create an agency that really stands, uh, you know, shoulders, uh, he- head and shoulders above, above the rest. And, and I have to tell you, you know, uh, you know, I've, I've never taken myself, uh, too, too seriously or, or for granted. It's been an incredible journey, uh, because we brought better talent, we engaged better directors. Uh, it used to be that we were the, the Cinderella of both the general markets and, and for Latin America. Uh, I, I, I remember coming here and, and bumping into Latin American, uh, creator colleagues who said, "You know, what, what the F are you doing working in the Hispanic market?" I, you know, I started my career in Mexico. I, I was the creative director on General Motors, L'Oréal, McDonald's, Coca-Cola at McCann in, in Mexico, and I had to star- start, you know, all over again. And, uh, then, you know, I spent a few years in the US, came back, uh, 90 through '93 back to Mexico on a regional role, because my dad, uh, got ill and I wanted to be close to him. And eventually I said You know, I wanna go back because, you know, there's- there's something to be done. And my, my personal mission has become to help dignify and elevate the image of Latinos in the US.
Speaker 1: I love it. And what are you seeing now that feels like progress? And what still feels stubbornly the same?
Speaker 2: Oh, God. Uh, we would need another two hours for that- ... for only that, uh, question. Let me start with what hasn't changed. The brief hasn't changed. You know, we still see briefs that, uh, pretty much take us on a path of, you know, eh, retrofitting. You know, make this work. And- and, you know, it's almost like a cover for someone else's song. You know? Eh, some clients, and I was very fortunate because for 29 years I was the head creative for McDonald's, um, including the last two as- as global chief creative officer, eh, overseeing 46, uh, markets. At the end of the day it's about the power of the idea. What- what's the connection? And- and-
Speaker 1: Yeah
Speaker 2: ... you know, what I think it's gonna be interesting is that in the era of AI, which by the way my take on AI is augmented imagination. Eh, we have to embrace it. We have to- to leverage it. I've been leveraging it for a while. Eh, but the- the beauty of the subtlety of the nuance of the intangibles is what's gonna, you know, set brands apart. So I think we're- we're gonna see, you know, while- while a lot of people are really nervous and afraid of- of what AI's gonna do to our industry and our job, I- I see it in a, in a far more optimistic way. I think it's gonna make us, you know, faster, smarter, and more visionary. Because, you know, AI, you know, we're used to giving instructions. Eh, they execute. Eventually they're gonna know us so well that, you know, they'll- they'll won- won't wait for instructions, you know? They'll m- they'll take over, uh, pretty much everything else. But even- even taste. But, you know, every time we've gotten,uh, the benefit of new- new technologies, we get smarter. We get n- you know, we get to dream more. So I'm- I'm really optimistic and I think we're gonna, we're gonna go, uh, back to- to the beauty of- of great ideas.
Speaker 1: And that's a lovely segue into my next kind of point which is, you know, moving and shifting away from this kind of transcreation localization sort of on the edge to putting multri- multicultural kind of right at the center. You know, you've- you've won accounts, you've run, you know, huge enterprises. You've ... What did, what did that sorta teach you about where this thinking belongs inside a brand?
Speaker 2: I would start by saying that specificity brings authenticity. The more specific you are, the more authentic and- and the- the, uh, the- the connection becomes even closer. Uh, funny enough, and- and, you know, my upbringing as- as a multicultural creative, uh, you know, uh, person has taught me that, you know, the universal tends to be a bit generic. You know? It's kind of beige. It's kind of vanilla. Uh, the- the upbringing of working in the, in the multicultural industry shows you that, you know, there are many different colors. There are many different flavors. And at the end of the day it's about understanding, you know, what role does that brand play in people's lives? Uh, and we can get too rational and- and- and too, you know, uh, you know, theoretical. Uh, at the end of th- of the day, we're trying to make a- a connection. And- and, you know, it's your stomach driving it. You know? Yes, you know, we reach brains, we reach hearts, but you have to make a connection at the stomach level.
Speaker 1: And that stomach level I love as a concept. Y- obviously zeroing in on Hispanic, but- but obviously there kind of, there is a kind of universal kind of truth to what you're saying across every culture.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 1: What did you, what did you kinda learn about that as you, as you've evolved the- the business and the career?
Speaker 2: Well, Hispanic was a great springboard-
Speaker 1: Yeah
Speaker 2: ... because it- it really forced us to develop human truths an- and tap into insights that really, uh, built unique- unique platforms. Uh, so I- I'd taken that discipline, you know, even for general market, uh, you know, projects or- or, you know, global projects. Uh, you need to find the truth. You n- you need to understand, you know, the- the customer, the competition, uh, you know, uh, culture with a big C, and- and- and context. You know? You need to understand what's happening now, especially now that, uh, we have s- so many channels. You know? It used to be, you know, TV, print, maybe some outdoor and radio. Now it's- it's everywhere. And- and, you know, we developed campaigns. In fact, uh, we just produced a campaign for Centenario Tequila，which is obviously a Mexican product, uh, so I'm celebrating Mexican greatness. But it's- it's mainstream.
Speaker 1: It's global.
Speaker 2: It's- it's- it's glo-
Speaker 1: Yeah
Speaker 2: ... it's global. And- and, you know, it is very specific, but at the same time it's very universal.
Speaker 1: I love that. That's a great ... As I ... And I- I tot- totally see kind of that, um, from what you're describing that- If you're, you know, y- h- here you are at CAN or maybe you've c- you're called in for a meeting from some CMO somewhere. You know, and they still kind of got this mindset of kinda keeping multiculture off to the side, you know? And you, you know, you know, you know what they need to do. Um, you know, how w-... How do you kind of, you know, get them to kind of think different and see different?
Speaker 2: It's, it's a constant battle, but they need to understand that, uh, this is not a niche. This is no longer a niche. It's really what's driving the growth for brands. In many cases, the only, the only audience where, where growth is, is coming... You know, there are so many categories that are flat in, in, in the context of, of the US, and the data is there. But I think, you know, we don't have an awareness problem anymore. We have a structural and organizational problem. I tell clients, make sure that all the way from the board to your C-suite to your, you know, leadership, you have presence of people that have lived the culture. You know, it's, it's very hard for me to, you know, you tell me I live, I live there. I've never been. I g- I, you know, I can read as much as I can. I can watch movies. But I, I, you know, I need the, the living experience. And they ... I think that is the difference. You know, clients that understand that, you know, growth and, and everybody's desperate for, for growth. It's coming from a cohort or a o- a group of cohorts that have a different upbringing, have a different view on, on life. You know, we're, we're not martians. Uh, we, we're human beings, but there's some subtleties and, and there's some things that, you know, uh, when, when you do it right, I call it the, the wink factor. You know?
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: Even if you're, you're, uh, watching John Market Television, if I'm talking to Hispanic, if it's subtle and, and i-it's not stereotypical, they know I get them.
Speaker 1: And CMO says, "Look, okay, we want, we wanna, we wanna go on this journey with you." Like, what do you tell them to change first?
Speaker 2: The brief.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: It goes back to the brief.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Uh, r- Brief different, you know, start by doing an audit of, of your, your briefing process. I have a, a metaphor that I've used, you know, over the years. Uh, and it has to do with, uh, tennis. You know, I love tennis.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And, you know, people say, "Oh, you have to think outside the box." I don't agree. You know, you have to think inside the box, but as close as possible to the lines. And, and it takes two to tango, you know? Inasmuch as you build trust, you show results，and that's why Effies in addition to Lions are so important because that builds credibility and, and, and builds, you know, short-term success for the long-term success. So I think it's, it's important that you understand that clients get paid to protect the, the past. You know, when, when a, when a marketing person joins a company-
Speaker 1: Mm-hmm
Speaker 2: .... first thing they, they get is a, it's a manual with the brand guidelines with, you know-
Speaker 1: Yeah
Speaker 2: ..... everything we've done, you know, up till today when you're joining the company. Us agencies are paid to break the mold, you know, come up with, with something new, unexpected. So there's a natural tension. You know, it's almost like a paradox. So as, as creatives, we need to, to show some empathy and, and, uh, you know, convey to our clients that we get the pressures that they're under. We get that they're trying to protect the past. But if we really want to be visionaries and look forward, we have to take smart risks. What would that one th-
Speaker 1: And when you think about sort of the incredible brands you've kind of led or worked with, like what, what have been kind of, you know, some amazing kind of results, re- back to your Effie's point, right, um, that you've generated by doing that?
Speaker 2: Well, you know, the bread, you know, the, the, the bread is in the pudding or the, the pudding is in the bread-
Speaker 2: .... however you wanna call it. Eh, yes, it's nice to come here and, and, and be recognized. In fact, Alma, my, my previous agency won again. Uh, it's the 11 year in the, in a row.
Speaker 1: Wow.
Speaker 2: And, uh, it's now a total of 39 lions, uh, which I'm very happy, uh, for them. You know, to me it's a clean slate. You know, eh, it's about moving the needle. You know, y- Moving the needle when it comes to building emotion and building an aura for brands, but it's about elevating the communities we represent conserve. And, and it goes beyond just Hispanic. You have to respect the audience. We are an uninvited guest. Eh, and, and you cannot crash a party, uh, to be boring and, and, and tell a, an old bad joke.
Speaker 1: Talking of Alma, you, you, you, you relaunched it in 20- 20-- 2007. Changed the name, new talent. Um, and you backed what you called social creativity. Tell me more about that.
Speaker 2: You know, in 2007 my ex-partner left the agency whose name was Del Rivero Mesiano. And, uh, I always felt a little bit uneasy about having my name on the door. You know, it, it, it felt kind of weird. So, uh, m- my option was, option one was leave the name unchanged. Second was, you know, remove the other last name and, and keep it as Mesiano. I didn't, I didn't think that was the right move. My third option, and this was the beginning of SEO, search engine optimization. My first criteria was let me find a name with an A Because I'll come at the top. Of course, Google changed that immediately, but that was my thinking. And I love words that start and end up with- with the same letter. What people don't know is that there's an Easter egg. Uh, there's LM, which is Luis Miguel in the middle. So, um, and- and, you know, I wrote a m- a mantra, which I still believe on, uh, which is brands like people have soul. We're in the business of turning them into soulmates. Um, it- it- it has worked very well. Soulmates became the clients, soulmates became, uh, part of the team. But, uh, it's a new day for me. Uh, I'm rebuilding. I'm rebuilding in a different way. You know, this is not Alma 2.0.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Uh, it's post-COVID, post mergers and acquisitions, and, uh, we created a different structure. We started, uh, from the top down as opposed to from the bottom up, which is how you normally build- build agencies.
Speaker 1: Mm-hmm.
Speaker 2: You know, it's a founder-
Speaker 1: Yep
Speaker 2: ... that brings, you know, a couple of people and then starts hiring young talent. In this case, at MEL, uh, I have a very, very strong, uh, leadership team. You know, we're eight, you know, full-time employees, and the rest we put together bespoke teams according to each one of- of the projects. But, you know, given my years in the business and the- the network I- I've been able to build, you know, along with, you know, Michelle Collas and Danny Alvarez and- and Jen Renkel and Pablo Rosas, which is my core team, uh, we tap into areas of expertise. You know, traditional agencies have the same team, and they have them work- working on- on different categories, but there's no personal, uh, relationships with a category or- or with a brand. For example, for Centenario, I put together a team of Mexican creatives who understood, you know, what Mexican greatness is and what we were trying to achieve, and it shows on the work.
Speaker 1: When you sort of look at- I suppose I am on my own ... uh, you know, your businesses and you look at the past, I guess, How do you kind of know when an agency needs reinvention rather than just, "We gotta go and win some more business"?
Speaker 2: When it starts losing its soul, and, you know, pun intended, eh, because of Alma.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: Um, you need to establish, you know, what- what's your belief system. You know? And- and, you know, I talk ... At Alma I talked about three things: uh, curiosity, collaboration, and accountability. In other words, pride, fun, and money in that strict order. And I think you have to build a culture and a place where people feel proud of what they do. We work long hours. We work very hard. But if at the end of- of the process you feel proud of the work, that's the emotional compensation that, uh, you know, we all aim for. Eh-
Speaker 1: Right
Speaker 2: .... I love some- some of the quotes, you know. I'm a student of advertising and- and I know, for example, that, uh, Burnett used to say, you know, "How big do we wanna be be- before we become bad?" Uh-
Speaker 1: Huh
Speaker 2: ... uh, Bernbach, uh, used to say, "A principle isn't a principle until it costs you money." And- and, you know, throughout the years I had to make some- some tough choices. You know, of course I care about business, but I care more about the type of- of creative output that we put out in the world. And- and if clients are not committed to that, I rather look elsewhere. You know, I think we have to- to recover the values and the principles as an- as an industry. I know that, you know, the financial pressures from holding companies have forced us to keep pushing, pushing, pushing, but there's a qualitative aspect that I think it's very important to- to protect. And- and, you know, that is the essence of what keeps a- an agency energized, hungry, and- and, you know, always looking for more.
Speaker 1: Let's just sort of talk about the- the time you spent, you know, leading M- McDonald's, you know, across, was it 40?
Speaker 2: Forty-six.
Speaker 1: Forty-six markets.
Speaker 2: Forty-six countries.
Speaker 1: Um, how and what did that inform you when it came to kind of leading, creating, evolving an agency? That changes happen lots.
Speaker 2: It-- In a way, it wasn't that different from- from working on- on multicultural, uh, you know, projects.
Speaker 1: Yup.
Speaker 2: Uh, because I have, uh, you know, an understanding of- of the differences, but more importantly, what the similarities, what- what makes us as humans react and- and engage and- and, you know, give our loyalty. Uh, I- I say that, uh, we're in the business ... We're not in the, in the business of creativity. We're in the business of optimism. Uh, if you think about it, we get paid to find the b- the bright side of things. What's good about this brand? What's good about this moment? Uh, and that sense of optimism is something that it's- it's dormant in- in some cultures. It's more alive in- in, you know, Latin America, Italy, France. Uh, you know, people are more emotional. But everybody understands the- the importance of- of, you know, an emotional connection. And, uh, what, you know, what I learned is that, yes, you know, there's differences. I worked with agencies that were fully owned by- by Omnicom and DDB, others that were partnerships, others that were just, you know, representation. Eh, and I worked with great agencies, so-so agencies, and really bad agencies, uh, which is what happens in- in most networks. Eh- But what prevailed was the, the values that we were able to, to, uh, transmit and, and this, you know, sense of optimism, you know, of, of, you know, "This is possible. We, we can aim higher."
Speaker 1: Let's talk a little bit about the people side and the talent. And, um, you stay close to kind of mentoring at Miami Ad School-
Speaker 2: Yeah
Speaker 1: ... Adweek Mentoring, teaching at the University of Miami. Don't know where you get all this time, by the way. Um, why has that remained such a constant for you?
Speaker 2: I think you have to give back. You know, this industry has given me so much. Eh, I'm, I'm the son of, you know, Romanian immigrants that had to start all over in Mexico， and not even in my wildest dreams, eh, I could have imagined the, the career I've had. There's, there's definitely a lack of, uh ... Not, not, and, and, you know, I wanna readdress that.
Speaker 1: That's okay.
Speaker 2: Uh, there's not a lot of US Hispanic made creative talents. And back in '94 when I started, uh, teaching at the Miami Ad School and, uh, later I became a, a board member ... In fact, I was the only, uh, board member that was there since the school inception. You know, the, the school got acquired and, you know, things have changed. I'm no longer on, on, on that board. But I always thought that trying to give back and create a new generation of, of, uh, creative talent will eventually pay off. In fact, you know, I just ran into Monica Marulanda who was my student at the Miami Ad School and is now one of the executive creative directors, uh, at, at Alma. She's, she has been there all along. And that is the real award. You know? That is what, you know, what really make- makes me tick. Uh, I love, uh, working with, with young people. Uh, I'm Romanian, so I suck their, their, their blood
Speaker 2: You know, and, and-
Speaker 1: That's it
Speaker 2: ... and, and Dracula-
Speaker 1: The secret of life
Speaker 2: ... and, and, and Dracula style, you know, in, in a more respectful way. But-
Speaker 1: Yeah
Speaker 2: ... it keeps me curious. It ca- keeps me interested. Uh, I'm here because, you know, the more I know, the more I realize I, I know so little.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: And, uh, by teaching, by, by mentoring ... And in fact, it shouldn't be mentoring. It should be sponsoring, which I think it's, it's an even, even stronger, uh, notion. Uh, every young creator should have a sponsor, someone that, that helps them, that guides them. I've done it informally. In fact, you know, I founded, uh, Circulo Creativo. Uh, I was the first president, and I'm still part of, uh, of the board. Uh, and you know, it gives me great pleasure to address questions, uh, and help younger talents, you know, find their place.
Speaker 1: Talking of talent, when you're, when you're looking for s- for s- someone to bring into the team, the business, or you just meet someone for the first time, what is it you're looking for? What is the spark?
Speaker 2: I have a, a, a trick question. No, and, and I find a, a, a time to, to ask this question, but it's so revealing. You know, I talk about, you know, their past. I talk about their, their, you know, loves, their, their passions. But at certain point during my interview process, I ask them, "If you weren't doing this, what would, what would you be doing?" And of course, the answer I'm looking for is, "I don't see myself doing anything else." I've had, you know, really interesting responses, but that's what I'm looking for.
Speaker 1: Yeah.
Speaker 2: So, uh, I, I, you know, I once told a, a young creative who asked me, "How come you know all the people and you know the brands and you know the campaigns?" I said, "First of all, I'm a student of, of, of the craft. Eh, let me ask you, eh, which one is, is your favorite sports?" "Oh, baseball." "Okay. Who won the World Series in, in 2021?" Boom, he had an answer. "Okay. Who was the, the, the biggest hitter, you know, the following season?" He knew it. I said-
Speaker 1: It's so obvious
Speaker 2: ... "You see? That's the sport you love. This is the sport I love. This is still my h- my hobby. This is what I love to, to, to, you know, study, eh, understand, and keep pushing."
Speaker 1: And when you love what you do ...
Speaker 2: You don't work a single day in your life.
Speaker 1: What's the one thing this industry can do to push multicultural relevance and resonance into the very heart of every brand?
Speaker 2: You know, b- be open-minded. You know, understand that, uh, you know, there, there are subtleties for a reason. Each culture has its own subtleties and, and, you know, that's the beauty of, of our universe. You know, uh, it's, it's, it's a great learning experience to, to travel, and I love to travel, because you start, you know, picking and choosing from each one of the cultures. So-
Speaker 1: Yep
Speaker 2: ... we cannot be a one size fit- fits all industry, which i- you know, it's, it's the default. And if nothing else, AI is gonna exacerbate that. So cultural insight, cultural intelligence, depth of, of insight is gonna be our, our saving grace. That's what's gonna, you know, keep this, this industry and this business, eh, not only healthy and, and vibrant. But I, I'm, I'm convinced that, eh, you know, in this big equalizer, the difference will be in, in, in that understanding of culture.
Speaker 1: Luis, it's been an absolute pleasure talking to you today.
Speaker 2: No, thank you.
Speaker 1: Thank you for your time.
Speaker 2: Thank you. Thank you for having me