Latinas in advertising: The untapped powerhouse agencies can’t afford to ignore

There are 20,000 General Market advertising agencies in the U.S. Today, only 511 of them are led by women. Now, let’s talk about an even smaller fraction: How many of these agencies are led by Latinas?

As a Latina who has worked in the Hispanic marketing industry for over 20 years, I have spent my career uncovering the potential of our market. And let me be clear—the opportunity is massive. The U.S. Hispanic market represents a $2.7 trillion economic force. Latinos account for 51% of the country’s population growth, and we are one of the most influential and affluent consumer groups. Even more striking? We are young—58% of U.S. Hispanics are under the age of 34.

• Latinas remain underrepresented in leadership roles, missing from the rooms where the biggest decisions—and budgets—are determined.

Why is that? Is it a lack of opportunities? Is it lingering machismo dressed in a modern suit? Is it a systemic belief that we are not good enough?

Every Latina in this industry has a story. We could be millionaires if we had a dollar for every time we heard a male leader say: I’m pro-female leadership—I hired three women in my agency. Or Women don’t win creative awards; they attend them to meet diversity quotas. These comments may sound outdated, but they are real.

And they’re sadly still happening today.

So, where does this leave us?

The Minority Within the Minority

Latinas represent the fastest-growing economic and consumer powerhouse in the U.S., yet we are rarely included in the leadership conversations that shape this industry. According to Ad Age’s Top 100 Advertisers in 2021, 51% of CMOs were women. But how many of those were Latinas? How many Hispanic agencies have female leadership making decisions head-to-head with these CMOs?

The problem runs deeper than titles. It’s about pay equity. Even today, Latinas earn less than Latinos, and both earn significantly less than their General Market counterparts—often within the same agencies. (That’s a whole other article.)

We can’t fix what we don’t measure. That’s why it’s time to diagnose the problem.

A Data-Driven solution: we made the first-ever Latina advertising survey

To create real change, we need real numbers. That’s why we felt it key to conduct the first comprehensive survey focused on Latina representation in advertising.

We needed to ask the right questions:

• How many Latinas work in advertising today?
• How many are in leadership roles?
• Do they feel they have growth opportunities?
• Are they paid equally compared to their peers?
• How many own their agencies or have become partners?
• Do we see an increase or decrease in Latina professionals?

Key findings from the results already highlight critical gaps:

• 61.2% of Latinas don’t see initiatives supporting women’s career advancement.
• A staggering 88% of Latina professionals are finding more career growth opportunities in independent agencies rather than major firms.
• And 38.8% of respondents showed disinterest or apathy toward their agency’s initiatives to support their roles or career progression.

This isn’t just about calling out inequality—it’s about creating actionable solutions.

The Future is Ours to Build

Instead of defending the status quo, we must channel our energy into collaborative strategies that drive real change. A more diverse, gender-equal workforce isn’t just about fairness—it’s about better business. Diversity leads to stronger creativity, deeper consumer insights, and better brand results.

The data we collected will serve a purpose: to empower women, hold our industry accountable, and inspire tangible change. This means connecting Latinas to opportunities, opening doors, and mentoring the next generation of advertising leaders.

One day, we will reach a point where talent, creativity, and commitment—not gender or ethnicity—are the only differentiators in our industry. And when that day comes, we won’t need quotas to fill. We’ll already be at the table where we belong.

We are excited to share all the Survey results soon. Shout out to Publicitarias, Own It, and Hispanic Ad for powering this Survey to help our industry.

Flor Leibaschoff
Founder & CCO BeautifulBeast