s is for swag.

In marketing we learned that S.W.A.G. stands for Stuff We All Get. As this was a business study abroad, we had many business visits. We were able to tour or have presentations from Arcor, Natura, Buenaventura, and Promperu. The majority of the visits provided us with food and drinks and some of them offered us SWAG. We received hats, pens, t-shirts, mugs, bags, and notebooks. It was interesting to connect this aspect of marketing to our business visits.

It was fascinating to pay attention to the marketing differences in the different countries. At the beginning of the trip, everything was very overwhelming. In Argentina, one of the main differences was their use of sex appeal. I found that there was a very strong focus on it. Some of it was very crude but you could definitely tell that they put an emphasis on beautiful people, particularly women. They also put an emphasis on a classy society, especially in fashion. The richer people in Buenos Aires dress very well. I paid attention to the shops and their display cases. There were a large amount of display cases that held very expensive women’s clothing or suits for men. So many suits! You could tell that the higher class have to meet certain expectations.

 In the larger cities like Rio de Janeiro, Lima, and Buenos Aires there were a lot of billboards and large advertisements. However, I had the opportunity to see the smaller aspect of marketing. For our loan evaluation, our group had to travel to the area of Chicama which is about an hour outside of Trujillo, Peru. While we walked the town, we interviewed various bodegas for our research. One bodega used a marketing tactic where they would advertise on a sign that put out front. It was very simple but an interesting view of the marketing in larger cities versus smaller towns.

Another fun fact? There are undergarment shops everywhere. They have no shame. Victoria’s Secret has been exposed in South America more than once.