d is for deception.

One thing that I cannot stand is being ripped off. I found that in South America they love to rip off tourists, particularly Americans. They think that we are too stupid to know any differently, especially when you don’t speak Spanish. There were MANY examples of this on my trip. In Trujillo, Peru they have these suckers that they call maracuya. We call them passion fruit. Many small vendors carry these suckers and we visited them often. The suckers typically cost fifty centavos which is half of a sole. Towards the end of the trip I was on a mission to find as many of these suckers as I could so that I could bring them home. I made the mistake of buying from a vendor in the town square. I picked up the suckers before I asked the price, assuming they were the standard fifty centavos. After I had my goods I tried paying the standard fifty centavos and the woman decided that she would charge me one sole for each sucker. I was too tired to argue but I was upset that the woman had the audacity to overcharge me.

Taxi drivers are also guilty of this. In Peru the cabs don’t have meters and you negotiate the price before you leave. We were grossly overcharged on our way to the beach and were not informed until later. When we arrived at the beach we set out to rent wet suits, boards, and a lesson. We agreed to pay thirty soles and when we went to pay we were charged thirty three.

Again, in Argentina at a tango show a photographer took pictures of our tables and before we left we all received a copy in a nice folder. We all assumed they were free. On our way he informed us they were fifty pesos each. A lot of us purchased them because we had already claimed them as our own. 

The most upsetting overcharging took place at a meat restaurant in Argentina. They lured our group in with promises of free items. Not only did we not receive the items, when we went to pay they decided to charge us an extra seventeen pesos per person! It was a ruthless marketing tactic. When we inquired as to the reason for the charge they explained it was for sitting at the table and they had to do the laundry for the tables. No one else in the restaurant received such a charge. We were extremely angry and the rest of the trip we always asked about hidden charges before we sat or ate the “complimentary bread.”

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.  

f is for food.

One of the best parts of this trip was the food. From fresh coconut to fried guinea pig, South America had a lot to offer. Similar to the United States, many food establishments had various deals. There was a small market in Cusco, Peru that offered a soup, entrée, and drink for fifteen soles which is approximately six U.S. dollars. The difference is that you can barter the price of the food depending on where you eat. I thought that was a really interesting difference.

Another marketing tactic that they used to their advantage was the persuasion of human contact. A lot of the higher end restaurants will have people that stand in front and try to persuade people (as they walk by) to eat at the restaurant. The people, typically men, will entice you with free appetizers or spirits which is a good way to get big groups to eat at their restaurant. 

One of the problems in South America is that the service is nowhere near the caliber of the United States so it requires a lot of patience. In Trujillo, Peru some friends and I had a misunderstanding at a chicken restaurant. The guys ordered a plate that included a free Pepsi (as you can see in the picture). As we sat and waited for our food, the combination of hunger and exhaustion took its toll. The guys in the group started complaining about how in the United States if the food was this late it would be complimentary. Already frustrated, disaster struck when the waiter tried to charge us for the Pepsi’s that were supposed to be included. If we had been required to pay this would have been a case of false advertising. Fortunately, they did not charge us for the drinks.