Neutral Spanish or local Spanish
Neutral Latin American Spanish, much of it recorded in Mexico, is the long-standing default for dubbing and pan-regional video, and it avoids the slang and accents that date or divide. It is not enough for social copy, humour or local offers. Argentina and Uruguay use vos rather than tú, with verb forms to match, and a Rioplatense accent; Colombians often use usted even with friends; Chilean speech is fast and full of local expressions; everyday words for car, phone or bus change from country to country. The Spanish of Spain, with vosotros, fits nowhere in the region. Guarani is co-official with Spanish in Paraguay, and indigenous languages matter in parts of Mexico, Peru and Bolivia.
Mexico: PROFECO, COFEPRIS and the warning seals
PROFECO enforces the Federal Consumer Protection Law, which requires advertising to be truthful and verifiable, and it acts against misleading offers and influencer promotions. COFEPRIS controls advertising for medicines, supplements, health products, alcohol and other regulated goods, with permits or notices required for several categories. Mexico's front-of-pack labelling standard, NOM-051, in force since 2020, puts black warning octagons on foods high in sugar, salt, fat or calories and bars those packs from using children's characters, cartoons, animations, celebrities, athletes, mascots or interactive elements aimed at children. A generated mascot aimed at children on a pack with warning seals breaches it. Chile's Law 20.606 set similar limits earlier, restricting how 'high in' foods are marketed to children under 14.
Data laws, one country at a time
There is no regional data law. Mexico published a new federal data protection law for the private sector in March 2025 and abolished its independent regulator, INAI, moving supervision to the Secretariat of Anti-Corruption and Good Governance. Chile's Law 21.719, published in December 2024, takes effect on 1 December 2026 with a new data protection agency. Argentina still applies Law 25.326 of 2000, supervised by the AAIP, and Colombia's Law 1581 of 2012 is enforced by the SIC, which also polices advertising and has published guidance on influencer marketing. Consent to use a face or voice, notices and international transfer terms therefore need checking per country. Several governments are also drafting AI laws, so the picture will keep moving.
WhatsApp, marketplaces and mobile-first formats
WhatsApp is how many Latin Americans talk to brands, from product questions to order updates, so plan assets for chat as well as for feeds. Mercado Libre leads online retail across much of the region, with its own listing and image rules, and mobile phones are the main screen, often on prepaid data. Vertical video, light files and clear captions travel furthest. The retail calendar is local: El Buen Fin and Hot Sale in Mexico, CyberDay in Chile, and Christmas in summer in the Southern Cone. Cultural dates need care. Día de Muertos is a family and spiritual tradition in Mexico, not a variant of Halloween, and generated imagery that treats its altars and catrinas as costume props reads as disrespect.
Updated 25 September 2026 · General information, not legal advice. Rules change, so check the current text with your legal team before relying on it.