This was not the first time that Spanish-language media has gotten involved in a civic cause. Beginning in 2006, the networks and advocacy groups rolled out similar smaller efforts to encourage citizenship and explain the importance of the census.

But this year the multifront strategy, which included familiar faces at voter registration tables and knocks at the door from volunteers, jelled and forced a tipping point, said organizers, media executives and Obama campaign officials. An estimated 12.5 million Latinos voted in 2012, 1.8 million more than in 2008.

“This was not just a contest between two candidates, but a chance for a community to gain respect,” said Eliseo Medina, the secretary-treasurer of the Service Employees International Union and the highest-ranking Latino labor leader in the country. The message, he said, was simple: “Our community is in crisis. We are being disrespected. We are not helpless. We can help ourselves by voting. You are representing your community.”

It resonated, Mr. Medina said. Democrats made gains even among more Republican-minded Latinos, like Cuban-Americans in Miami.

Aggressive fund-raising also played a role, elevating Latino influence in the corridors of power. Prominent Latinos like Eva Longoria, the actress; Henry R. Muñoz III, a Texas architect; and Andrés W. López, a Puerto Rican lawyer, led the national effort to raise money for Mr. Obama. The Futuro Fund, the Hispanic outreach and fund-raising committee for Mr. Obama’s campaign, raised $30 million, significantly more than in 2008.

“All this earns us not just respect from the highest levels of the campaign, but also a seat at the table going forward,” said Mr. López, the national chairman of the Futuro Fund and an Obama campaign adviser.

The Spanish-language media were especially effective delivering their message because a vast majority of Latinos say they trust and respect the newscasts, anchors and personalities of networks like Univision and Telemundo — sentiments less often bestowed upon the mainstream English-language news outlets. The networks view themselves as advocates for Latinos, not of a particular party, and, as a result, viewers consider them allies.