In this episode of The Future of Consumer Marketing, host Andres Figueira interviews Susie Jaramillo, Co-founder and CEO of Encantos, an award-winning children’s entertainment and tech company. Susie built and sold one of the top Latino advertising agencies in the US before recognizing a massive gap in Hispanic representation in children’s content – despite being 26% of kids, they represent less than 5% of media targeting children. Through Encantos’ flagship brand Canticos, she’s created the #1 bilingual learning brand in America, generating 18 million monthly streams and nearly a million YouTube subscribers by treating content and marketing as one unified strategy.

Topics Discussed:

• Building culturally authentic content that serves underrepresented audiences

• Leveraging YouTube as the primary distribution platform over traditional TV

• Creating reversible bilingual products for language acquisition

• Using real-time audience feedback to validate new characters and content

• Developing creator tools and community-driven marketing strategies

• Partnering with premium talent to elevate children’s content production quality

Lessons For Consumer Marketers:

Treat Content and Marketing as One Unified Strategy

Susie emphasizes that “your marketing is your content and people should love it.” She doesn’t separate marketing from content creation – everything from social media posts to full episodes serves both entertainment and marketing purposes. This approach ensures every touchpoint adds value rather than interrupts the user experience.

Use Platform-Native Feedback Loops for Product Validation

Since Canticos operates primarily on YouTube, they can test new characters and content in real-time. When they launched “La Vaca Lola,” they knew within two hours if it would succeed based on engagement metrics. This immediate feedback allows for rapid iteration and resource allocation to winning content without expensive market research.

Leverage Cultural Specificity to Create Mainstream Appeal

Despite targeting Latino families specifically, Canticos has broader appeal because cultural authenticity resonates beyond ethnic boundaries. As Susie notes, “Latino is mainstream” – when one in four American kids is Latino and nearly half of millennial parents come from Latino backgrounds, cultural specificity becomes a competitive advantage rather than a limitation.

Build Community Infrastructure, Not Just Content

Recognizing that fans were creating Canticos birthday party supplies on Etsy without permission, Encantos is developing creator tools on their website. This transforms passionate fans into brand ambassadors while capturing revenue from community-driven demand, creating a scalable system for user-generated marketing.

Partner with Premium Talent Outside Your Category

Encantos works with Grammy-winning Latin musicians who typically serve young adult markets, bringing “coolness” to children’s music that parents actually enjoy. They also partner with animation studios that worked on Disney properties, ensuring production quality matches established entertainment standards.

Abandon Rigid Brand Guidelines for Social Media Success

Susie learned that “sometimes the most raw videos are the things that perform the best.” Social media requires organic, responsive content rather than heavily controlled brand messaging. This flexibility allows for authentic engagement that builds stronger emotional connections with audiences.

Think Partnership Over Programmatic for Cultural Brands

Rather than relying on programmatic advertising with high spillage and bot impressions, Susie advocates for strategic partnerships that deliver cultural context and long-term brand value. This approach builds meaningful relationships rather than generating empty impressions.