Janet Chang’s Blog about Design

Maximizing Design and Innovation by keeping a Pulse on multicultural Audiences

Speaker: Miguel Gomez Winebrenner, Cheskin Added Value
Date: September 19, 2008

Focus on Latin America multi-cultural segment

Assimilation vs. Acculturation
Assimilation – the abandonment of one’s original culture in favor of a second or host culture. In the US, some immigrants gradually lose their original culture in favor of the second, thus assimilating.

Acculturation – in contrast to assimilation, is considered to be the process of learning a second culture while preserving or retaining their original culture. In the US, some immigrants acculturate by adding a second culture, not replacing their first culture.

Define and Articulate
Hispanic Dominant – people who have not adopt to US culture
Culturally Unique – somebody doesn’t adopt to mainstream culture and not maintaining their original culture (very few of these kind, not-relevant)

Findings to save you $500,000 – Culturally Unique and US Dominant are not relevant groups

Acculturation Factors
Technology/Transportation

• Long distance rates
• Internet/chat/email
• Air transportation costs and routes

Changing U.S. Society

• Acceptance of multi-ethnicity
• Coolness
• Benefits of cultural melting pot

Age and Education

• Use of English
• Knowledge of U.S. culture
• Openness to integration

Reasons for Immigrating

• Living the American dream vs. layover
• Poverty vs. Prosperity
• Family reunification

Acculturation Summary
Hispanic Dominant
Language skills | Spanish
Media | Spanish-language TV (particularly commercials with famous Hispanics); Hispanic-oriented publications.
Marketing | Word of mouth: New arrivals in the US will ask those already established for recommendations on where to shop and what to buy.
Shopping habits

• Buy products imported from home country
• Don’t use coupons
• Tend to buy same brand as last time
• Trust brand names
• Language barriers may limit the types of stores they visit

Bicultural
Language skills | Spanish and English
Media | Consume roughly equal amounts of media in both languages, but English competency doesn’t amount to preference – Spanish-language ads may speak more to them.
Marketing | Word of mouth will also work, but will also respond to general market techniques; however, Spanish-language or Hispanic-oriented marketing may resonate better.
Shopping habits

• Heavily influenced by price and family
• Many use coupons

US Dominant
Language skills | English
Media | Similar to general US population; English-language advertising through standard channels
Marketing | Similar to general US population
Shopping habits

• Heavily influenced by price and easy preparation
• Many use coupons
• More mainstream US food purchases

To save you $750,000
1. Language at home and with friends – determine if they are hispanic or us dominant
2. Media Usage – length of time will effects
3. Country of Birth (length of time in US)
4, 5. Closeness to US culture, Closeness to Hispanic or other Original Culture – ask use scale of 1-5 how close they are

Cultural Values
Optimism is common amongst immigrants
Collectivism – commonly most important in hispanic and asian cultures

Example: Humana, the health insurance company facing challenges in the hispanic culture as people relies on spirituality, fatalism. Everything is in god’s hands.
Solution: design frameworks to educate the population, not to throw brochure blinded at them.

Example: American Airlines approaching to hispanic business travelers.
Solution: approach them from a journey, progress, sense of self sense. “I don’t know where i’ll go…i think i’m going there.”

Example: Little Debbie to latch on sweet 16 tradition (huge business in hispanic family tradition). Competitors are Bimbos, Mariaras (bread products).
Solution: Home-country tradition, family

Example: Ford. American Airlines images and case study around progress and journey. A terrible word of mouth about Ford’s poor quality products.
Challenges: Oral traditions, folklore and myths.
Solution: counter-effects with oral traditions (blog,…) Will it work? still in progress…

Trends, Innovation and Multicultural
WE KNOW: For GM “Green is the new black”
- expression of self
- badge
- sophistication

- Prius
- BP Helios HOuse
- Ecopalms

- beyond ‘trendiness”
- economic imperative?

WE’VE HEARD: Hispanic Market = Organic Growth
But, it there a strong relationship between hispanic group and environment awareness??

As the result…they are more eco-friendly (i.e. turn-off tv to preserve power)

To find out if there’s a relationship, the Answer may lie in ethnographic research…ex: health

Usage of mobile technology

Q&A
[observation] Mexicans tends to be very reserved during focus group. while say, Columbians are more vocal and willing to share their opinion.

Q: What’s nostalgic and what’s current?
A: The culture here in the little italy/little village are definitely different from back at home. It is not the best practice to observe little village hoping to be representatively of the entire country.