Kalina Leiling
Stefanova
CULTURE
The Boricua and the Paisa
A Case Study used in a Target Marketing presentation by Professor Sonya Grier from American University in the 3rd Annual Salud America! Scientific Summit in San Antonio, TX, in 2011
This is a story about two friends, called Javier and Pedro, 13 and 12 years old, respectively. They live in Houston, Texas. Javier is from Puerto Rico; Pedro is half Colombian, half Mexican. Javi’s mother moved to Houston when he was little. He likes to listen to “Música Latina” and spend time with friends. Pedro’s mother is originally from Colombia and his father is a Mexican. Pedro was raised in “undeniable and insatiable need for respect” to his parents. Here is what the boys do on a typical day.
This morning, Javier gets up with unpleasant creeps in his stomach. While stumbling in the empty boxes of McDonald’s Fiesta menu, scattered on the floor, he is thinking about browsing last night on www.meencanta.com, the website customized for Latino youth. Javier loves playing online games and he doesn’t mind reading the instructions in either English or Spanish because he is fluent in both. He likes the vibrant and bold colors of the website too. Javi played La Estrella Del Arco, a branded soccer game in which he can personalize his player as he uploads a picture or takes a photo of himself with his camera. He was announced as a phenomenal player and “a genio” (genius) in the website’s Sports News!
At the same time, a few blocks away, Pedro grabs a box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and pours himself a bowl. His mother diligently collects coupons from the Qué Rica Vida magazine issued by General Mills. Pedro and his mother go shopping at the supermarket once per month. Because they don’t have a car, they get on the bus. One good thing about going to the grocery store is that he can choose his favorite snacks. Often there are in-store promotions of candies and salty snacks. When the boy is begging for chips or candies, his mother cannot refuse. Pedro’s mother skips the fruits and vegetables section because they are too expensive. On the way back, Pedro helps his mother with the bags full of frozen pizzas and enchiladas, flour tortillas, cans of beans, cereal and boxes of cookies.
Javi and Pedro meet at the bus stop and they get on the bus. They sit next to each other. Javi is listening to the new single of Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull “On The Floor” from his phone. Javi wants to go to the “Latin GRAMMY Street Party” in Houston advertised on Dr. Pepper’s website. He cannot wait to see the huge truck tour of the sweet beverage company (La gira del camión). He thinks Dr. Pepper’s website www.vida23.com is cool. He can see videos, download exclusive ringtones, upload pictures and listen to hits. He is looking out of the window at the billboards of fast food restaurants and outlets. He remembers how he surprised his mother for this year’s Mother’s Day with a genuine heartfelt gift dedicated to her. Javier gave her a memorable experience—a Billboard Para Mamá from Burger King. She saw the billboard on her way to work. Javi was humming, when Pedro joggled him and said, “Hey, amigo check that out.” Pedro showed him a funny viral video on his phone called “La Caída de Edgar (Emperador)” (Edgar’s falling) by Gamesa and PepsiCo. Pedro doesn’t have a computer at home and he uses his smart phone to go online.
Javi and Pedro approach school and everyone goes to their class. Javi gets in the classroom and his classmates welcome him with his nickname “Gordito” (the chubby one). This doesn’t bother him. Javi knows that he isn’t athletic. He doesn’t live in a nice area with parks around and he doesn’t get a chance to exercise. He sees Laura in the front row smiling to him. She sent him a friend request on Quepasa.com last night and he was extremely happy. Javier likes to spend time in various social networks. He exchanges news, passes viral videos and socializes with friends back in Puerto Rico. Javi raised his hand a few times in class and answered the teacher’s questions in perfect English. He speaks Spanish only when mingling with Pedro or being with his mother.
Rather than eat in the school cafeteria for lunch, the boys go to a nearby McDonald’s. Javi buys hot chocolate with a winning coupon which he downloaded from the McCafe website . Recently, he is paying a lot of attention to brands. He trusts them and he feels connected to his friends when using them. He visits the website to spend some Tiempo de Escapar (Time to get away). The website offers interactive games too, which he plays for a while. Meanwhile, Pedro is going to buy a Filet o’ Fish Sandwich. He sends a message to a short code. He receives a mobile coupon with which he buys the sandwich with a discount; he also gets ringtones and wallpapers and access to online games on his phone.
As big fans of “Música Latina,” after school Javier and Pedro go to a concert called “Tu Ciudad Tu Música” in their neighborhood, which is being sponsored by Burger King. This contest is a search for a Hispanic musical talent in 10 U.S. cities. Local bands compete to be crowned as the best and share the stage with national recording artist Pee Wee. One of the awards for the winner is a branded BK guitar. Javier enjoys the show and on the way home he grabs a burger from a booth at the event.
Pedro goes back home, finishes his homework and then goes to spend the rest of the day with his friend Javi. They decide to play some video games. When they take a break, they snack with Chips Ahoy. Javi notices a website (www.nabiscoworld.com) on the package of cookies and decides to go online. While browsing, they come across a few games. Some of the games that they play are 3D Dune Derby and X-treme Ping-Pong from the website . The brand names of different snacks are displayed on buggies, a dashboard, a start banner, banner checkpoints and signal flags. The whole time the boys are playing, the Univision is on in the background. Pedro stops playing when the Colombian actress Sofia Vergara appears on the screen in a Pepsi advertisement with David Beckham. The friends get into an argument.
“Sofia Vergara is the best actress in a Pepsi advertisement ever!” exclaims Pedro.
“No way! Look at Jennifer Lopez. She is my girl,” Javier opposes.
“Forget about it! Colombian women are the most beautiful in the world,” Pedro demands.
“Boys, will you stop arguing? They are all Latinos! Latinos are one!” Javier’s mother interrupts.
Their argument would never end if Javier’s mother didn’t come back from work with angus burgers from McDonald’s. Javier remembers that recently he heard about a new webisode on http://batanga.tv/canal/latinosareone/ sponsored by McDonald’s called “Latinos Are One.” In it, McDonald's encourages Latino youth to stay in school and strive for college. He thinks that the artists' stories are inspiring and it is important to celebrate the similarities between people with Latino origin through music.
On the way home Pedro is thinking about other Hispanic characters in ads who make him feel proud of his Latino origin. He doesn’t get why his non-Hispanic friends find commercials annoying. Pedro loves Superbowl commercials too. This year he and his family participated in the Pepsi Familia De Campeones (Family of Champions) campaign and they received a free customized poster with their picture. Pedro’s mother brings dinner from Subway and they all eat while watching television. Since he heard that Subway sponsors the Hispanic Heritage Foundation and gives back to Latino Community, he is even more willing to buy the 5 Dollar Foot Long Sandwich. Before going to bed, he logs into Facebook from his phone and sends a friend request to Laura.
The Secret to Successful Internal Communications Across Cultures
Whether you work for a multinational company or have colleagues from diverse backgrounds, culture in internal communications matters. Understanding the fundamental differences between different cultures will help you understand others and yourself and how these dynamics affect the workplace.
Let’s get back to business…or people
According to the International Association of Business Communication, individuals in Southern Europe, South America, India and the Far East put an emphasis on honor, reputation and keeping one’s word at the workplace. For example, lifetime employment has been the norm and large-scale layoffs remain a social taboo. After demand slows or a product becomes obsolete, workers are placed in a “boredom room,” an office where they work just on paper. This way the management keep their word.
“Me” or “Us”?
Individualistic cultures (the U.S., Germany, the U.K.) value and reward an individual’s uniqueness. Collectivistic cultures (China, Korea, Japan) stress harmony and cooperation. A study shows that appointing team leaders within the individual sales groups in Korea disrupts the harmony of the groups, which leads to poor performance.
Objectives vs. relationships?
In the U.S., the U.K. and the Netherlands, staff is focused on initiatives to move the business forward. The objectives of a particular project or mission are paramount. In Latin America, however, internal communications are designed to address the needs of their employees, who see the organization as a “family.” For example, Healthy Pfizer Puerto Rico significantly expanded dependent involvement through a customized cultural campaign. In the U.S., launch events were only offered to employees, but for Puerto Rico, the team created festive launch events for families that included games and prizes for children.
When words don’t say it all
There are many internal communication differences between high and low-context cultures. High-context cultures (found in the Middle East, Africa, and South America) are more relational, intuitive, and contemplative. Low-context cultures that exist in North America and Western Europe are logical, individualistic, and action-oriented. In low-context cultures, the context (external factors) is not so important to the total message. The words spoken provide the message. With high-context cultures, the message is implicit, with valuable meaning not only in the words but also in the gestures, the relationship between people, and the status of those involved. For example, Americans may wait for a Japanese colleague to request something explicitly before they deliver it. On the other hand, Japanese employees may create relational confusion by reading unintended meaning into American behavior. This creates a spiral of incompetent exchanges, according to Dr. Bennett from the Intercultural Development Research Institute in Milano.
How personal is too personal?
Many low-context countries consider information such as age, religion, marital status, and salary to be private and personal, but this information is often used in high-context cultures to get to know the person.
Say it or write it?
High-context cultures will appreciate an e-mail with a personal touch by the supervisor or face-to-face talks. Employees in low-context cultures tend to prefer the opportunity to engage with upper-level leadership in formal written messages.
Does it work?
A multicultural team produces a more effective approach to internal communication practices for multicultural organizations. The rewards of successful communication help companies not only reach financial goals, but build trust among employees, and develop a highly motivated and productive team loyal to your corporate goals.