Canela Media CMO Oswald Méndez Discusses Club Canela, a Breakthrough In-App Rewards Program
Club Canela, the first fully integrated in-app streaming rewards program of its kind, has been launched by Canela Media, a leading technology and innovation-driven multicultural media company. Its goal is to strengthen its relationship with Canela.TV users and to provide brands with fresh, creative ways to interact with these audiences. McDonald’s and The Coca-Cola Company have joined Club Canela as its launch partners.
Registered Canela.TV viewers can receive prizes through Club Canela by watching, sharing, and engaging with content. Canela Media's AVOD platform, Canela.TV, is available on all devices, is free for all users, and offers 35,000 hours of real and pertinent programming for Hispanic consumers in the United States. In addition to providing marketers distinctive engagement opportunities through specially designed branded challenges and incentives, Club Canela rewards can be exchanged for digital gift cards, exclusive content, and contests.
In this Q&A, Oswald Méndez, the Chief Marketing Officer of Canela Media, outlines Club Canela's unique details and benefits.
Tyler Nesler: A study by KPMG found that 75% of consumers prefer brands that offer rewards programs. Were these study results part of the impetus for the development of Club Canela? Did Canela Media also do its own user research to find out how a rewards program might be received?
Oswald Méndez: At Canela Media, we are deeply committed to listening to our audience and building experiences that are culturally relevant and genuinely valuable. The KPMG study certainly reinforced what we were already seeing—that consumers today expect more than just content; they want to feel recognized and rewarded for their loyalty. That insight aligned closely with our own user research, where we found a strong appetite among our viewers, particularly in the U.S. Hispanic community, for rewards programs that feel authentic and meaningful.
In fact, studies show that U.S. Hispanics are 33% more likely than the general population to enroll in loyalty programs, and they are highly engaged with digital platforms that offer incentives. Additionally, casual gaming is incredibly popular among our audience; over 60% of U.S. Hispanics report playing mobile games regularly, which made gamifying the experience through Club Canela a natural fit. Club Canela was developed precisely to meet these behaviors: to deepen engagement by offering tangible value, while also celebrating the community and culture that make our audience so unique.
TN: Could you discuss in more detail the initial offers that Club Canela will provide for its participants (such as branded challenges, curated content collections, sponsored content, including branded content, customized rewards, etc.)? What are one or two of the offerings that you would most like to showcase as great incentives for users to sign up?
OM: Club Canela allows users to earn points by watching content on Canela.TV, participating in interactive challenges, and engaging with our platform in meaningful ways. These points can be redeemed for a variety of rewards, including exclusive content, sweepstakes, and digital gift cards.?
One offering I'm particularly excited about is our branded interactive challenges. These are designed to deepen the connection between our audience, our brand partners and the content they love, providing a more immersive and rewarding viewing experience.?
Another standout feature is our curated collection super watch challenges tied to key tentpoles and IPs. These collections are thoughtfully assembled to highlight themes and stories that resonate with our community, offering not just entertainment but also a celebration of our shared culture and experiences for the duration of the tentpole.?
Through Club Canela, we're not just offering rewards; we're building a community where our audience feels seen, valued, and has fun while consuming the content they love.
TN: How did McDonald’s and The Coca-Cola Company become involved as Club Canela’s launch partners? What are some key reasons why they were attracted to the program?
OM: We are thrilled to have McDonald’s and The Coca-Cola Company as launch partners for Club Canela. The value proposition for their participation was our innovative approach to audience engagement, integrating content, interactivity, and rewards into a unified experience across our Canela.TV app ecosystem. Club Canela offers a fresh way for brands to move beyond passive impressions and connect with viewers through interaction, entertainment, and value exchange.
As a free streaming platform with a growing, highly engaged audience, Canela.TV offers a unique environment for brands looking to build deeper relationships. With Club Canela, our brand partners are not just sponsoring content, they’re becoming part of a larger, more immersive viewer journey. That kind of innovation in media and audience connection is what makes this partnership so powerful right out of the gate.
TN: Why do you think Canela.TV is uniquely positioned to offer the first fully integrated in-app streaming rewards program (in terms of audience demographics, market reach, technological abilities, etc.).
OM: Canela.TV is uniquely positioned to launch the first fully integrated in-app streaming rewards program because we sit at the intersection of cultural relevance, scale, and innovation. We serve one of the fastest-growing, digitally savvy audiences in the U.S., and our proprietary technology gives us the agility to create seamless, in-platform experiences that drive both engagement and measurable impact.
Club Canela is a natural extension of how we connect with our viewers, not just through content they love, but through an immersive, gamified viewing experience that enhances engagement and offers meaningful rewards that truly add value and enjoyment.
TN: What are some of the most distinctive elements of in-app rewards programs, such as Club Canela, that will help advertisers better measure user engagement and see an improved ROI?
OM: The beauty of Club Canela lies in its ability to create deeper connections with our audience through immersive, gamified experiences. By seamlessly integrating rewards within the platform, we offer advertisers valuable insights into user engagement, allowing for more targeted and effective campaigns. This level of interaction fosters ongoing viewer engagement, helping advertisers see meaningful results and impact over time. Moreover, the gamified nature of Club Canela ensures that users are continually motivated to engage with content, which means advertisers can benefit from consistent interaction and increased brand visibility. This feedback loop creates a dynamic environment where users are rewarded for their engagement.
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