DLM
2026Open to new opportunities

Media Strategy · Multicultural Marketing · Innovation

Building media and marketing strategies that move brands—and people.

Strategic media leader with two decades of experience connecting iconic brands with General Market, U.S. Hispanic and multicultural audiences.

$20MCampaigns managed up to
20+Years in media & marketing
MULTIDISCIPLINEMULTICULTURAL EXPERTISE

Strategy grounded in culture.
Performance proven by data.

I translate complex audience behavior, business challenges and emerging technology into media strategies that are persuasive, measurable and easy to act on.

Fully fluent in English and Spanish, I bring a distinctive combination of multicultural expertise, analytical rigor, hands-on platform knowledge and senior client leadership.

Diego Lastra Mele, media director and marketing strategist
Diego Lastra MeleDallas–Fort Worth

A career built at the intersection of media, culture and technology.

2013—2026Dallas, TX

Associate Media Director / Media Economist

Dieste, Inc.

Planned, presented and implemented omnichannel campaigns valued up to $20M, aligning media investment with brand KPIs, sales growth and digital engagement.

  • Served as the agency’s go-to U.S. Hispanic media strategist and built campaigns across General Market, Hispanic, and African-American audiences.
  • Created GOYA Foods’ first fully digital video campaign, extending the flight from 8 to 26 weeks while improving targeting and return on ad spend.
  • Built a sequential, hyper-targeted campaign for VICTOR Pet Foods that generated double-digit lifts in brand awareness and repeat sales on a reduced budget.
  • Secured campaign expansions for Suvida Healthcare, GOYA, VICTOR Pet Foods and Genesis Motors through strategic pitches and measurable recommendations.
2020—2026Austin, TX

Independent Project Work

Socialisssima, Inc.

Developed public-health and clinical-research recruitment campaigns for the HIV Vaccine Trials Network across social, search, native, and programmatic.

  • Lowered volunteer acquisition cost from $300 to $15 for HIV vaccine trials while improving Latino and African-American enrollment.
  • Recruited thousands of volunteers across 10 cities for HIV vaccine research and across 50+ U.S. test sites for specialized clinical trials.
  • Supported Operation Warp Speed with multicultural COVID-19 vaccine trial recruitment campaigns in 2020–2021 across TV, radio, social and digital media.
2008—2013Dallas, TX

Media Supervisor / Media Economist

Dieste, Inc.

Directed multi-platform media strategy and competitive intelligence across Hispanic and General Markets.

  • Designed proprietary reach, frequency and creative wear-out models using eTelmar, Nielsen and Simmons.
  • Co-authored Hispanic social-media standards and helped execute early-stage social campaigns for AT&T Home Solutions.
2004—2007Dallas, TX

Assistant Media Planner / Media Planner

Cultura / Meteorite Media

Planned and executed print, radio, television and online placements at a boutique agency specializing in U.S. Hispanic marketing.

2003—2004Irving, TX

Operations Officer

Latino Communications

Managed operations, finance, international B2B contracts and infrastructure for a wholesale telecommunications carrier handling 81M+ monthly minutes.

Broad media expertise.
Deep multicultural fluency.

01

Media Strategy

Omnichannel planning

Go-to-market strategy

Performance marketing

Budget forecasting

Shopper & retail media

02

Multicultural Expertise

U.S. Hispanic strategy

Culturally relevant campaigns

Acculturation targeting

Bilingual messaging

General & multicultural markets

03

Data & Technology

Programmatic advertising

AI-enabled solutions

Campaign optimization

Consumer insights

Reach & frequency modeling

04

Platforms & Leadership

Basis & Simpli.fi

Meta & Google

Search & digital video

Cross-functional leadership

Executive presentations

Education

B.A. in Business Administration — University of Texas at Dallas

Associate Degree in Video Production — Art Institute of Dallas

Selected work with measurable impact.

From consumer brands to public-health initiatives, each campaign begins with a clear business challenge and ends with accountable outcomes.

01

Digital transformation

GOYA Foods

First targeted 100% digital video campaign to replace linear TV; flight grew from 8 to 26 weeks at the same investment level while reaching only consumers likely to trial and repurchase.

02

Sequential messaging

VICTOR Pet Foods

Double-digit gains in awareness and repeat sales with a reduced budget vs previous years by creating a hyper-targeted, multichannel sequential retargeting campaign .

03

Public-health recruitment

HVTB

Thousands of diversity volunteers recruited; lead acquisition cost reduced from $300 to $15.

04

Audience & market growth

Genesis Motors

Strategic planning that helped expand media investment, markets and reach to multicultural audiences.

AT&TCarter BloodCareChili’sDelta DentalDoritosFrito-LayGatoradeGenesis MotorsGOYA FoodsHBO LatinoHershey’sHPLevi’sNationwidePepsiPetSmartPollo CamperoSuvida HealthcareU.S. Air ForceVICTOR Pet FoodsWellpoint

These are some of the award-winning campaigns I've worked on.

2021

New York Festivals Advertising Awards

Book A Trip

Wild Detectives

eCommerce

Silver
2021

Effie Awards

Traveling in the Times of Corona

Wild Detectives

E-Commerce

Gold
2021

Effie Awards

Traveling in the Times of Corona

Wild Detectives

Small Budget Campaigns

Bronze
2021

The One Show

Book A Trip

Wild Detectives

Digital and Online / E-Commerce

2019

The One Show

Donald Book Club

Wild Detectives

Direct Marketing

ONE Merit
2018

Clio Awards

Spoty Play

Dallas Pets Alive

Creative / Film

Silver
2018

Cannes Lions

Litbaits

Wild Detectives

Social Business and Commerce

Bronze Cyber Lion
2017

Cannes Lions

Litbaits

Wild Detectives

Innovative Use of Social Media

Bronze
2012

Association of National Advertisers

Save the Pigs

Xoom

Multicultural Excellence — Hispanic Marketing

Grand Prize Winner

Sharing ideas that move the industry forward.

Book

Unlocking Multicultural Marketing and Media Success

A comprehensive guide to media strategy, planning and buying.

View book ↗
Podcast

The Adversity Podcast & The Revolución Podcast

Creator and host, exploring technology, diversity and the business of advertising.

Listen to Revolución ↗
Speaking

DFWIMA & AAF Panels

Panelist on the creative process, new technologies and the growth of digital video.

Let’s build what’s next.

I’m always interested in thoughtful conversations about media leadership, multicultural growth, marketing transformation and the future of advertising.