SUMA Wealth saw a gap most fintech companies were ignoring: the $4 trillion US Latino economy. SUMA set out to change that, building the company around connecting with the culture first. The tools are real: courses, a budgeting app, live events, and digital content, all made for Latino audiences. I'm the only marketer on the team, so I get to do it all: strategy, copy, campaigns, video, and events.
Connecting Through Culture
This is what SUMA's ads looked like at the time: lotería cards, conchas, and the jabón every Latino household knows. The humor worked. People laughed, followed, and shared.
But the punchline wasn't translating into downloads. People loved the content and still didn't realize there was an app behind it. That's where I came in: turning that attention into app downloads.
Budget Like a Jefa: lotería-inspired and instantly familiar.
A concha as a budget breakdown. Culture first, finance second.
Paycheck Stretching Soap: stretch your money like mom made the jabón last.
Goals & Objectives
Finding where trust breaks down in financial content
Financial content has a reputation for being intimidating or preachy. SUMA's audience needed to feel seen, not lectured. I mapped what was working, what was missing, and where the product story wasn't coming through.
1. People didn't know what was inside the app or why it mattered.
2. We were leaning too hard on the fun. The content drew people in, but it didn't show them we were financial experts they could trust.
3. We were fully online, and our audience wasn't. Many didn't have bank accounts and didn't trust the financial system. To break down that wall, we had to meet them where they were: in person.
The Process
It was time to get cookin'
Campaign planning in MilaNote, sped up 4×
Color direction: intentionally weaving turquoise throughout every scene
AI casting: Elena, the college student balancing her weekly food budget
Stage design: La Tiendita, AI-generated scenes built to feel culturally familiar
Activation pitch (Wells Fargo x SUMA x UC Merced): Family Fiesta, bringing the graduation party families would throw onto campus
The photo booth area: a photo moment designed for the whole family, not just the graduate
The activation layout: churro carts, photo areas, and games mapped across UC Merced's University Plaza
Creative Concepts
Build the content system, then build the audience
Before executing anything, I mapped a full rollout across channels and phases: what goes where, when, and why. That's the foundation everything runs on.
Content Calendar & Copywriting
I plan and write a month of content at a time across Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and Facebook, all in SUMA's voice: approachable, culturally aware, and genuinely useful.
Email & Push Notification Campaigns
Email and push campaigns built to bring people back to the app, each one segmented and timed around how people use it.
Experiential Events
I run marketing and day-of production for live events, which became SUMA's strongest community channel: 2,000+ attendees so far.
AI Commercial Production
I dreamed up, cast, and produced SUMA's first AI commercial in-house, from storyboard to final cut. Broadcast quality, no agency budget.
The Launch
Meet Charlie: SUMA's AI agent
88.7K
Views
7.3K
3-second plays
532
Landing page clicks
Ad Cuts
Individual scene edits
The AI Commercial
Reducing costs from a $100,000 project to $100
We needed a commercial on a very fast turnaround, and the agencies we asked were quoting astronomical amounts to shoot and deliver. I had been developing my AI video skills, so I told the team: give me 3 to 4 days to lock in.
Nobody touched this part of the project but me. I worked on a storyboard, presented it, got feedback, and then immediately built out every single scene, the copywriting, the characters, the UX/UI screens, and the sound design. Here's what that turned out like:
The final cut: produced entirely in-house, saving $100K+ in traditional production costs.
Results
Two years of measurable growth
Steady, real growth across every channel, at a startup where every dollar and every hour counted.
35,000+
Total app downloads
$200K+
Saved through in-housing content production
38%
Reduced CPA
Key Learnings
Start with the map. Before any campaign, I build the content rollout structure first. It's the difference between reactive posting and intentional presence.
AI closes the budget gap. We made a commercial in-house with AI tools that would have cost $100K+ through an agency. Creative quality is no longer just for big budgets.
Community trust compounds. Two years of consistent, culturally relevant content built an audience that actually engages. You can't rush that, but you can build it intentionally.
Out in the Community
Meeting people where they are
Tailgating at Texas A&M: spin the wheel, win prizes, and talk money without the lecture.
UC Merced graduation: even the mascot came through the Somos the Future photo booth.
The Wells Fargo x Texas A&M crew. Yes, the shirts say "budget like a burrito."
Celebrating with UC Merced students at Somos the Future.