The Latin American consumer is choosing with more intention
In Latin America, consumers are migrating toward the extremes: premium brands or private labels. Mid-range brands are losing relevance in almost all markets.
Stocking purchases have driven 30.1% growth in premium products in the region. Argentina, Ecuador, and Colombia lead the way in the penetration of premium products in the mass market.
McKinsey found that in food and beverages, segments associated with health, functionality, and premiumization grow at least 200 basis points above their category averages.
This figure confirms something I have observed for years: even in the most everyday products, the consumer recognizes when a brand adds meaning to their choice.
For Trade Marketing and brand teams designing in-store activations in LATAM, this has a direct implication: the experience around the product can premiumize brand perception without touching the price. And in a polarized market, that distinction can be the difference between gaining market share or losing it to private labels.
Price generates movement. Experience builds preference.
In mass consumption, promotion fulfills a specific function: it facilitates trial, accelerates rotation, and helps gain presence in the basket.
Experience fulfills a different function: it builds perception, connection, and memory.
According to McKinsey, between 2024 and 2025, sales of consumer goods in the region rose from US$1.44195 trillion to US$1.44221 trillion. During that period, premium brands increased their share of consumer spending by 1.3 percentage points. 50% of consumers are seeking personalized products and services, and authenticity drives brand loyalty.
The consumer is choosing with greater intent. That is why premiumizing can also mean designing a better experience.
When it comes to snacks, the experience begins before the first bite. Temperature, aroma, texture, the sound of opening the package, the way the product is presented, and the ability to choose a combination all alter perception.
«The sample can keep the same size. What changes is the meaning. A sample can also become a ritual.»
When sampling has an intentional design, the consumer receives more than just a free product. They discover a reason to look at it, interpret it, and remember it differently.
For Trade Marketing directors designing point-of-sale activations, this distinction is critical: the exact same sampling budget can generate a transaction or it can generate a memory. The difference lies in the design of the experience around the product.
Three brands that explain the how
KitKat turn the break into a cultural experience
In Mexico and Brazil, KitKat took its partnership with Formula 1 to fan zones, promotions, limited editions, and point-of-sale experiences. The brand connected its historic ritual of taking a break with the energy and collective passion of motorsport.
KitKat kept the product at the center, but expanded the meaning of consuming it. The break became a way to participate in a shared passion.
Learning for Trade Marketing: an activation that connects the product with a shared cultural identity does not need to convince the consumer to buy. It is already part of something they want to belong to.
Oreo and Coca-Cola: Cturn the test into social interaction
The brands created limited-edition products and an experience with Spotify. By scanning a QR code, two people could compare their musical tastes and generate a shared playlist.
The emotional mechanism was precise: sensory surprise awakened curiosity, music and friendship expanded the experience. The product ceased to be an individual moment and became the beginning of a social interaction.
For B2B brands designing activation experiences in distribution channels or trade shows, the logic is the same: when the product facilitates an interaction between people, the memory of that interaction becomes associated with the brand. No digital ad campaign can achieve that.
Jet chocolates: turn packaging into discovery
For the Colombia Sorprendente album, Jet held 36 workshops with nearly 100 young Colombians and incorporated augmented reality, videos, and content about culture, nature, and gastronomy.
Every chocolate bar preserved the ritual of opening, discovering, collecting, and trading, while strengthening the connection to the country's identity. Throughout its history, Jet has distributed more than 24 million albums and 10 billion trading cards.
A mass-consumption unit became a gateway to knowledge, family conversation, and collective memory.
Premiumizing is also elevating meaning
Premiumization can arise from better ingredients, new formats, or functional benefits. It can also be born from an intentionally designed experience.
A brand elevates its value when the product represents something more: a pause, a friendship, a discovery, or a cultural connection.
Price can make the choice easier. Emotion helps that choice stay.
The diagnosis is in what remains
I propose evaluating each brand from three moments:
- Before trying it: what expectation does it create?
- During consumption: what sensation does it design?
- After the purchase: what remains in memory?
When those three answers are consistent, the point of sale ceases to be merely a distribution space and becomes a space for value creation.
Authenticity and self-expression drive brand behavior and loyalty in 2026. In mass categories, scale generates presence. Emotion turns that presence into preference.
The strategic decision consists of defining what the brand wants to make people feel and what memory it wants to occupy in people's daily lives.
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