i is for international.

Being in a foreign country is exhilarating. I loved my experience but there were times when I got a little bit homesick. Seeing international brands, ads, and companies was comforting and it made me feel like I had a little bit of home with me. International marketing was abundant and I was interested in seeing the differences. South America offered the options of Burger King, Cinemark, OfiShop (Office Depot), Chili’s, T.G.I. Friday’s, McDonalds, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola.

There were billboards for McDonalds, Pepsi, and Coca-Cola. Surprisingly, there was a lot of advertising for the movie The Lorax. Even in the outskirts of Trujillo they had posters on poles. There was also a store that was selling juice boxes that contained images and advertisements for the movie. I also stumbled upon ads for cologne with Justin Timberlake and makeup ads with Emma Watson.

McDonalds is huge anywhere you go. I typically don’t eat there, ever. However, on the trip I ended up eating there five different times because of time and convenience and because there was nothing else decent in the airport. I did notice that out of the five times I ate there I only saw a dollar menu one time. They also have a smaller menu.

                                                                                                                            


Peru had t-shirts that were similar to the brands of Puma or Adidas but they were altered to incorporate something from the country.

  

                   

One of the most interesting things that I saw was on a package of cigarettes. While in a shop I saw that the cigarette packages had pictures on them that warned the buyer that the cigarettes will create various forms of cancer. While mildly disturbing, I found the idea ingenious. I hope that maybe the U.S. will incorporate the idea and help prevent the results of smoking. 

a is for american.

Fun fact: Americans stick out. Badly. We walked around in our large group, talking in English, and confirming the stereotype that we are indeed LOUD. Because of this we are targets for merchants, restaurants, and thieves. I fear that some of this will be reiteration but hopefully the majority will be original.

There were many different ways that we were promoted to on our trip. One of the major ways was through word of mouth. We got information from our directors, hotel staff, people on the street, and SEED interns. We asked for directions, opinions, and lots of places to eat. The hotel in Cusco directed us to a laundry place that was extremely far away and one of the faculty in Trujillo recommended an amazing chicken restaurant that I ate at four times.

People will appeal to our nature to spend and to spend a lot. Again, there were many people who would usher us into their restaurants with empty promises. There was an experience that I had in Cusco that took advantage of my nature. Cusco is filled with culture and color. While walking near the cathedral I was approached by two girls. They were the epitome of a stereotypical Peruvian complete with the dark eyes and colorful apparel. They held lambs in their arms. I never stood a chance. My heart was taken advantage of as they asked if I wanted a picture. Of course I did! Afterwards, they didn’t ask for money, just a donation to build a new school for children. They stared up at me with those dark eyes and I ended up giving them ten soles. 

g is for goods.

I feel like I could talk about the shopping on this trip forever. There were many different types of shopping experiences. In Argentina, they have a tourist area called Florida Street that is filled with hundreds of shops and restaurants. There are different types of shops though. There are higher end shops and then there are more dowdy shops that are willing to barter with you. A lot of the shops have business cards that they will give you so that you can come back.

In Brazil the majority of our shopping was done in markets. The two main types of shopping are through shops or markets but there are also street vendors. You can definitely tell the class of the area by the shopping. If you shop in the tourist area of Buenos Aires then everything is very expensive. If you find yourself off the beaten path then the shopping is more geared toward the countries poorer population as opposed to tourists.

The exchange rates definitely affect your shopping experiences. There is a lot of math involved. Cusco, Peru was the cheapest shopping area we experienced. Across the street from our hotel there was a huge building filled with booth after booth filled with various goods. The streets were lined with shops and vendors. The art that I purchased was from a young man named Juan. The art vendors would wait outside of our hotel and try and sell to us when we emerged. Sometimes you would stop and look to be polite and they would try and charge you for looking if you didn’t buy anything! 

c is for consumer.

As I have said in past posts, we had the opportunity to visit many businesses. It was really interesting to see the differences between business in South America and business in the United States. One aspect that is same is the importance of consumers. Customers and stakeholders are an important part of any business and it was fascinating to see how they addressed those needs.

We visited the business of Arcor which is a candy confectionary business. Not only did we get to sample the product but I remember that we discussed the impact of the economy on their production. I was really impressed to hear how they took their consumers into account when making decisions regarding the production of certain products.

Natura is a cosmetics company in Brazil. They are similar to Avon. A lot of Natura’s employees are also customers. I was impressed with how Natura treats their employees. Not only do they get delicious lunches but they also have an expansive day care system so that women can have the opportunity to work. Natura focuses on giving their customers the best product that they can create.

Promperu is a Peruvian company that focuses on tourism for Peru. Tourists are the consumer and their job is to convince us to travel to Peru. One of the tactics that they used is bringing celebrities into the country and then using that publicity. Also, they try and inform potential tourists about all the opportunities that the country holds. I appreciated the honesty that this company displayed both in its presentation and in its own marketing endeavors. 

b is for bartering.

Bartering in South America was an experience, to say the least. I struggled quite a bit because I didn’t speak Spanish and every transaction required the help of one of friends. There is definitely a pricing difference between bartering and non-bartering situations. You really get a hard look at the standard of living that they experience. In some situations, I found myself giving up on bartering just so that they could have a little extra. I mean, I had the money so why not?

Bartering will almost always get you cheaper prices than a shop. We learned various tactics to use in bartering situations. A lot of the time we offered them deals where we bought more than one item. I noticed that they were more willing to lower the individual price when they knew that there would be more sales. Also, if you make an offer and they refuse you can try walking away. Every vendor is different. I encountered some that would have you name the price and then there were some that would stand firm no matter what.

I was really impressed by the quality of the products. While some were a bit dingy, there were many that had a lot of talent expressed in the goods. The art that they sell are original pieces and there was a woman who carved figurines out of matchsticks. There was also lots of leather, metal work, and hand woven work. Regardless of my purchasing decision, I would always compliment them on their work.

At the end of the day, it’s hard to barter because you know that you are the only thing that stands between that person and your money. You know that they may not have sold anything that day and that they may have children at home that rely on their income. 

t is for tourist.

When you travel it is really easy to get sucked into things that target tourists. Particularly shopping. The people are masters at manipulating tourists and trying to squeeze more money out of us. This is extremely noticeable at places like Machu Picchu and the Cristo Redentor.

At the Christ the Redeemer statue there were shops and small eateries that tourists could stop at. I noticed that the shops and food items were very overpriced, which was to be expected. Fortunately, I knew that the items they were trying to sell sold for a quarter of that price at the market near the beach. The problem is that there are tourists that will actually pay those prices just because it’s “authentic.”

When it comes to the bathroom and food, they have a huge advantage because tourists are lazy. We will pay for the convenience of a drink at the top of a mountain because it’s hot and we don’t want to wait until we get to the bottom of the mountain.

At Machu Picchu they try and get as much money as possible and because they’re on top of a mountain, they can. They even go to the extreme of charging money for the bathroom. At the beach, vendors will come around and try and sell you overpriced goods and take advantage of your supposed naiveté.

I think that it is a very interesting marketing aspect that they charge more in tourist areas. This even occurred in the more touristy areas of the different cities. 

p is for purchasing.

My buyer behavior varied a lot over the course of this trip. I noticed that at the beginning of the trip I tried really hard to try and conserve my money. I knew that I had a limited amount of funds in my bank account and so I did my best to budget for the various locations on the trip. It was hard because I wanted to be very cavalier in my spending because I was in a foreign country. My thought process was, “when am I ever going to be back here?” I also wanted to purchase certain items for my family. I did a lot of my budgeting with food so that I could have more money for souvenirs and it was very easy to eat for a small amount of money.

I noticed that as the trip went on I was a lot freer with my money because I had budgeted so well at the beginning and I had extra money. We started out in Argentina and then we went to Brazil and ended in Peru. I knew that Argentina and Brazil were going to be more expensive than Peru so that also affected my purchases. It was easier to shop in markets where you had the opportunity to barter. When you barter it makes you feel like you are getting a deal, even if you’re not. Also, in smaller markets it is easier to be affected by the emotional aspect of purchasing. When you see really poor people and they have their small children, it breaks your heart and makes me less willing to barter.