Between Respect and Representation in the Latin American Market

This article is part of a short series written in collaboration with Argentine authors, exploring Media & Entertainment in Latin America and inspired by the recent success of El Eternauta, Netflix's newest global hit.

Authenticity Is Not a Slogan: It’s an Ethical and Strategic Stance

In Latin America, connection cannot be built from superficiality. Some brands manage to forge a lasting bond with their audiences - those are the ones that understand the cultural texture of whom they are addressing.

A paradigmatic example of this is El Eternauta, whose recent success made a mark on Netflix’s global platform. The Argentine graphic novel, originally published in the 1950s and, rose back up to national fame following its recent audiovisual adaptation, once again occupying a central place in the country's popular discourse. The series generated a boom of pride, conversation, and cultural identification.

Boom is an understatement: not only did the show significantly push forward the creative economy in the country and contribute to millions in growth, but its worldwide success also brought investment (and millions of curious eyes) to the country, which watched its history be put on public display in an epic fashion. This authentic representation has strengthened viewers' emotional connection to the content and, by extension, likely to Netflix as the platform delivering it.

📎 See El Chubut article on El Eternauta

From both a literary perspective and culturally conscious marketing, El Eternauta reminds us that authenticity is not just a form of respect, it is also a strategy that generates value.

El Eternauta: When Science Fiction Becomes an Emotional Archive

To understand why this story resonates so deeply, it’s not enough to read its plot as just another dystopia. El Eternauta is, in truth, a symbolic chronicle of resistance, and the collective construction of meaning amidst chaos. At its core, it is a metaphor about exposure to the elements and solidarity.

The concept of the “collective hero,” so central to the story, is explored both in the plot, and through the production of the show. The story heavily focuses on a community coming together to survive, instead of relying on the trope of a lone hero that saves the day. This shift reflects a key aspect of Latin American culture, where solutions often come from community action rather than any individual effort.

📎 See Prensa Obrera analysis on the collective hero

Netflix understood the assignment, and brought forth the meaning behind this story by understanding that it wasn’t just about adapting it visually, but about capturing its true essence. They worked with local writers, researched the historical context, respected the neighborhood aesthetic, and wove a narrative from within. This made the audience feel like the story was made for them, not just something imposed from outside.

The Cost of Cultural Disconnection: When Aesthetics Devour Content

Just as El Eternauta offers an example of responsible and meaningful cultural storytelling, there are also many cases where global brands choose to take shortcuts. Instead of building with local cultures, they extract from them, aestheticize them, and sell them. This may work in some contexts and for some purposes, however, the end result is often the same: rejection, criticism, loss of trust.

There are a hundreds of famous examples of this, but a couple come to mind:

• Dior and Indigenous textiles: The brand has repeatedly been accused of plagiarizing Indigenous designs from Mexican communities for profit, with no connection to what those communities represent.
  📎 Dior accused of cultural appropriation and profiting from feminism – Educa Oaxaca
  
• Zara and plagiarism of Indigenous designers: Mexico’s Ministry of Culture has accused Zara of plagiarizing and culturally appropriating traditional textiles.
  📎 Zara and the cultural appropriation of Indigenous textiles – Vozpópuli
  

The issues here are both ethical and strategic. In a region where colonial memories and inequalities persist, consumers increasingly demand respect.

Collaboration Instead of Appropriation: Choosing the Long Road

In contrast to these missteps, there are hopeful examples that understand cultural representation cannot be improvised. Listening, learning, and working with local professionals and organizations is not a concession or a task that needs to be checked off, it’s an investment.

A clear example is Nike, which on more than one occasion has shown commitment to communities in its campaigns and products, bringing visibility to cultures and neighborhoods.

📎 Nike celebrates Indigenous culture and highlights Native youth in its N7 collection

The difference is fundamental: it’s not the same to talk about Latin America as it is to speak from Latin America.

Platforms as Cultural Curators

Streaming platforms, through series like El Eternauta, can act as mediators between cultures and the world, rather than reproducing a logic of cultural exploitation.

This production succeeded by design: they did not impose a global narrative. They bet on a local story, strengthened through investment, talent, and respect. They brought in historians, artists, and local screenwriters. They didn’t just borrow an aesthetic—they funded a story.

This approach is key for brands operating in Latin America. It’s about diversity, not just a market. Each country, each region, each community holds a particular memory. Treating “Latino” as a uniform bloc is a costly mistake.

Authenticity, in this context, is not a trend. It’s a tool for differentiation. But more than that, it’s a form of commitment.

Stories Are Meant to Be Inhabited

El Eternauta offers a precise lesson: the most powerful narratives are not produced or invented; they are built through dialogue with memory. Brands that understand this have a unique opportunity: not to be intruders in the cultural conversation, but active participants.

In a time when audiences are increasingly alert to the coherence between discourse and action, a gesture is no longer enough. What’s needed is real commitment.

Authenticity is not just ethics. It is a strategy, and it is identity.
El Eternauta, returning now as a collective mirror, reminds us that stories are not to be imitated: they are to be honored.