How Brands Are Engaging Music Fans During the 16th Latin GRAMMY Awards

By Lili Gil Valletta

The biggest night in Latin music returns to the city of Las Vegas, bringing with it many brands that will leverage the equity and power of the Latin GRAMMY brand to better connect with Hispanic consumers.

While many may assume that brand participation is limited to broadcast partnerships, there are in fact many other platforms that allow brands to extend the “shelf life” of the awards ceremony into cross channel touchpoints.

For example, returning sponsor Walmart had weeks of activations leading up to the show with its sponsorship of the Latin GRAMMY Street Parties, a concert series that took place in key U.S. Hispanic cities and featured established and emerging artists.

For the past 15 years, the Latin Recording Academy has paid tribute to artists for their vast and outstanding achievements, not only in the Latin music industry but also as philanthropists. This year, the prestigious honor of being the 2015 Latin Recording Academy Person of the Year went to Roberto Carlos. But the star-studded sit down gala is also another premium platform for brands to make an impact with celebrities and industry influencers. Brands that are extending their participation to this gala include Verizon, McDonald’s, L’Oreal Paris, 7Up, and Buchanan’s Whisky. The brands get creative activating interactive stations, sampling, and more during this exclusive gala as well as at the Latin GRAMMY Awards.  Many of the official sponsors also participated in this year’s Latin GRAMMY Acoustic Sessions, which brought the latest in Latin music to Dallas and Miami.

Finally, the official Latin GRAMMY Gift Lounge is a prime backstage destination to get your brand in the hands of celebrities. While most brands limit their participation to a sampling booth, sponsor Honey Bunches of Oats returns with a creative twist to celebrity giving. Celebrities stop by and share what they are dedicated to by using the hashtag #LatinosConDedicacion. With the sharing of the hashtag, the brand will turn every tweet into a donation to the Feeding America network with a goal of donating 110,000 meals from now until Three Kings’ Day. Artists Leslie Grace, Il Volo, Victor Manuelle, and Johnny Ventura, among others, have already showcased that they are joining the cause with #LatinosConDedicacion.

Leslie Grace, singer and Latin GRAMMY nominee, and Thatiana Diaz, Miss New York USA 2015, at the Latin GRAMMY Gift Lounge.

Lili Gil Valletta is an award-winning entrepreneur, TV contributor, and cofounder and President of XL Alliance, a cultural innovation company. She is also a member of the World Economic Forum as a Young Global Leader and the Harvard Women’s Leadership Board.