In an era of cultural complexity, digital lives, and rapidly evolving consumer expectations, legacy brands face a critical challenge: how to innovate without compromising their core values.
On this episode of the Time for a Reset Marketing Podcast, host Tiffany Wilburn, Global Marketing Strategy Practice Lead at Overline, sits down with Ariela Nerubay, Grupo Jumex's CMO, to explore what it takes to align a heritage brand for modern, multicultural audiences while remaining authentic to its legacy.
Ariela brings over 20 years of experience at powerhouse brands such as Walmart, Disney, and Fox Studios. Now at Grupo Jumex, one of Latin America’s most iconic beverage companies, she’s applying that expertise to help the brand connect with new generations while honoring its core consumers.
Marketing Beyond Industry: A Passion for Cultural Connection
Ariela kicks off the conversation by emphasizing that her passion isn’t tied to any one industry, it’s about the art and science of marketing itself. Specifically, she’s driven by segmentation, cultural nuance, and helping consumers feel seen and heard.
Today’s younger audiences crave brands that invite them into something bigger than a transaction. They want co-creation, and they want community.
That belief drives her “Authentic Cultural Connection Framework,” which guides Jumex’s marketing across segments and platforms. The goal?
To ensure that every consumer interaction is meaningful, personalized, and grounded in respect for individual identity and culture. It’s not about marketing to demographics, it’s about engaging real people with rich, multifaceted lives.
From Childhood Favorite to Adult Beverage: Evolving the Jumex Brand
One of the standout stories from the episode is how Ariela has overseen Jumex’s evolution from a nostalgic childhood drink into a versatile brand that appeals to adult consumers, especially Gen Z.
This evolution was not accidental. It began with strategic product innovation, including trendy slim cans and the introduction of alcoholic variants to match the evolving tastes of a new generation. To support the relaunch, Jumex leveraged influencer marketing and TikTok, resulting in over 12 million online interactions within just four months.
But what makes this success story particularly compelling is the balance Ariela strikes between innovation and legacy. “You never alienate your core customer,” she says. “They’re the ones who’ve followed you, who serve your product at their tables.” Every step of the evolution preserved the brand’s authenticity and cultural resonance with its loyal base.
The Power of First-Party Data — When Done Right
Another major challenge, and opportunity, Ariela tackled was Jumex’s underutilized “data lake.” Like many CPG companies, Jumex had access to massive amounts of first-party data, but the data was “dirty,” unused, and disconnected from marketing strategy.
Over the course of seven years, Ariela led a comprehensive modernization of the company’s data infrastructure. Her team turned the polluted data lake into a revenue-generating asset by integrating AI, enriching data sets, and building powerful segmentation engines for email and loyalty programs.
The results?
Sharper targeting, more relevant campaigns, and exponential performance improvements. This digital hygiene highlights a vital truth for today’s marketers: It’s not just about having data. It’s about organizing, enriching, and activating it in a way that delivers value to both the brand and the consumer.
Cross-Cultural Brand Expansion: Speak Their Language, Literally
As Jumex expanded from a Hispanic-focused brand to the broader mainstream market, Ariela implemented a Cross-Cultural Brand Expansion Framework. The idea is simple in theory but powerful in execution: Stay consistent in brand values and messaging, but adapt the delivery method to meet diverse audiences where they are.
This involves understanding how different communities evolve linguistically, economically, and geographically, and then adjusting marketing strategies accordingly. It also means being intentional about how the brand shows up in multiple languages, regions, and platforms.
The result?
Jumex is growing beyond its original niche without losing the authenticity that made it beloved in the first place. And it’s doing so in a way that respects the complexity and beauty of multicultural identity.
Real-World Marketing: Get Out from Behind the Desk
While data and digital tools are essential, Ariela is quick to point out that they can’t replace human interaction.
In a digital age, marketers can fall into the trap of relying solely on dashboards and metrics. However, some insights only emerge from being in the field, observing how products are bought and used, listening to customer stories, and analyzing cultural patterns in real-life situations. Ariela encourages her team to spend time in stores, talk to real consumers, and reconnect with the human side of marketing.
This blend of digital sophistication and human empathy is what enables Jumex to build campaigns that perform and resonate with their audience.
Key Takeaways for Modern Marketers
Ariela Nerubay’s leadership offers a compelling model for brand marketers facing disruption, fragmentation, and changing consumer dynamics. Her approach blends technology with cultural sensitivity, strategy with soul, and data with real-world empathy.
Here are a few takeaways from the episode:
- Authenticity is non-negotiable. Consumers can sense when brands are just checking boxes.
- Modernize your data, don’t just collect it. Clean, enriched, and AI-activated data fuels smarter, more informed decisions.
- Your core customer is your compass. Innovation should never come at the cost of loyalty.
- Cultural nuance drives connection. One-size-fits-all messaging is a thing of the past.
- Nothing replaces real-world insights. The best data often comes from conversations, not spreadsheets.
Tune In and Align Your Brand Strategy
If you’re a marketer navigating evolution at a legacy brand, multicultural segmentation, or first-party data activation, this episode is packed with insights you won’t want to miss.
