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Did you know that many U.S. corporations, such as Mary Kay and others, have understood that
Hispanics make brand and product decisions utilizing the interpersonal
channel more than any other medium?
The interpersonal channel commonly referred to as Word of Mouth relies on
the interactions between people. These exchanges of opinions among neighbors,
co-workers, and friends help influence their purchase decisions.
U.S. Hispanics are more likely to open their doors and wallets to your company's
products if a friend or family member has recommended them.
Word of Mouth and interpersonal influence are key to reaching the Hispanic market. Here's why:
Hispanics come from traditional societies that rely more on interpersonal channels to make decisions.
U.S. Hispanics, away from their homeland, depend on social integration as one of their survival
mechanisms. For example, they could decide where to start a checking account by asking a friend where
she banks.
Unlike Western, modern societies that rely on institutions to protect themselves as a society and
provide them with the purchase confidence (belief in the credit system, the banking institutions, etc.),
traditional Hispanics are more likely, than any other culture, to rely on trusted recommendations of
a friend or family as means of product selection and purchase confidence.
According to the experts at Cheskin Research, interpersonal channels are
effective in reaching Hispanic consumers because:
- Person-to-person communication allows elaboration of meaning (questions can be answered as needed).
- Person-to-person communication mediates the information (reduces complexity and makes it more
accessible to the recipient).
- Interpersonal communication is difficult to reject, particularly when it comes from a credible
source, because the recipient of the message feels the need to help the sender save face.
(In "traditional" societies, saving face and "giving" face are important values.)
- Personal communications have the capacity of overriding objections.
- Live demonstrations of products are more powerful than any other way of showing the attributes of a
product. (Demonstrator's testimonial adds credibility to the virtues of the product.)
- Group consensus, like during a Tupperware party, allows for group self-persuasion.
Once individuals in a group explain to each other why a product is valuable, the commitment to the
brand and product purchase is greatly enhanced.
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