Editor's note: Felipe Korzenny, Ph.D., is president and Betty Ann Korzenny, Ph.D., is vice president, of Hispanic Marketing Communication Research. Belmont, California.

The U.S. Hispanic market has been consistently approached as a market in transition from a "foreign" past to an "assimilated" present. We believe that the U.S. Hispanic market will continue to be distinct and diverse for many years to come, and that the "melting pot" process will not be the common mode of integration into the broader society. Cultural pride and identification are likely to keep U.S. Hispanics in relatively diverse groups who preserve their culture of origin and selectively adopt features of the mainstream U.S. culture.

Viewing the U.S. Hispanic market as a different entity in a plural society warrants efforts to understand variables in distinct but overlapping domains: psychological, sociological, and cultural. The main objective of this article is to make explicit the importance and applicability of Hispanic psycho-sociocultural research, or PSC.

PSC research is a strategy that takes into consideration psychological, sociological, and cultural theory when addressing market problems across cultures. It merges what is known about people, societies. and cultures, with empirically gathered data about specific attitudes, behaviors, and beliefs.

The usefulness of PSC research is that it saves the researcher the burden of reinventing the wheel, while s/he concentrates on gathering important decision-making information. This type of research is the joining of theory and data for market strategizing. PSC is a broad-based theoretical and practical approach that helps in conceptualizing research, data gathering, and interpreting findings.

Although the usefulness of PSC research has been demonstrated in work for packaged good manufacturers and advertising agencies. all too frequently in Hispanic research the initial step of conceptualization is skipped. This happens because those involved in designing the research forget they are working with a market that cannot be approached with "common general market'' assumptions. The lack of a broad-based theoretical approach can create fatal flaws for Hispanic research projects. These initial research questions need to be insightful and on target so that research answers may make a true contribution.

The following are simplified examples of questions which this type of research can generate:


  • Research questions for a manufacturer of soft drinks: What are the beliefs associated with different fruit flavors in different Hispanic groups?What is the social imagery associated with soft drink consumption? How is nutrition understood when comparing diverse beverages?

The PSC theory that enlightens the questions above involves:

1. Knowledge of cultural associations between flavors, colors. and beliefs about nutrition;

2. Understanding social and demographic factors that surround diverse consumption occasions;

3. Taking into account cultural beliefs relating to self-efficacy in shaping one's own destiny in influencing the health of one's own family.


  • Research questions similarly derived for a manufacturer of soap: What are the beliefs about cleanliness that rule everyday life concerns? What are the rituals of bathing and washing that particular Hispanic cultures identify with? What are the aromas, feelings, and experiences that "being clean" evokes'?

PSC considerations

1. Knowledge about attributes of new ideas that vary across cultures;

2. Taking into account the perception processes associated with smell and touch;

3. Understanding learned rituals associated with cleanliness.

The above examples were intended to provide the reader with an idea of the role of PSC research.

The following discussion will highlight key elements in PSC research to clarify how researchers may use this paradigm for generating useful marketing research insights when dealing with Hispanic and other culturally diverse markets.

Differences between PSC and other research approaches

The conduct of any type of research for the purposes of marketing requires that a cluster of attributes or variables be studied. Recent efforts provide examples of clustering approaches. Lifestyle research has been one of the most clearly influential among these approaches. The variables in such studies typically include social and psychological variables sets. These variable sets have been found to be efficient in the identification of market segments for specific services, products, or practices.

In culturally different markets there is the additional need for the consideration of cultural variables. Hence the label psycho-socio-cultural research.

Clusters of variables in PSC research may not necessarily be the same ones that have traditionally been included in lifestyle segmentation studies. This is because these clusters of variables are not independent from each other. For example, socioeconomic level is usually found to correlate with ethnic identification. Another example is the relationship of cultural background with formal education experience.

The foregoing discussion probably evokes the idea of survey studies. While this impression is accurate, the use of PSC research is also prevalent in qualitative research such as focus groups, in-depth interviewing, and behavioral observation.

In the cases of both qualitative and quantitative research, the investigator uses PSC variables as frames of reference for focusing the objectives of the research. It's equally important to use PSC variable sets in the interpretation of both qualitative and quantitative research findings.

With this PSC frame of reference the parties involved in the research effort can more precisely define their objectives, and focus their attention on manipulable variables. This is an example of the dictum "there is nothing more practical than a good theory." The reader can no doubt promptly identify occasions when good guesses (theories) helped focus attention on the key issues of a research project.

The PSC approach is most precisely a communication perspective in that it specifies the constructs or conditions that are most likely to help in the positioning of ideas, products, or services. Positioning is by nature a communication endeavor that consists of getting a hold of those attributes which individuals are likely to perceive as favorably relating to the product, service, or practice of interest.

Psychological variables in PSC research

Psychological variables identified with individual dispositions are the first set under consideration because they deal with the most fundamental aspects of behavior. Psychological variables that are likely to be affected by culture are of key interest here.

Self-esteem is a key ingredient likely to influence behavior. How do respondents feel about themselves? If they feel in control their "locus of control" could be said to be internal as opposed to external. If they feel they are important and that others come to them for opinions and advice, then they may be high in opinion leadership. If individuals feel they have an internal locus of control they are more likely to feel independent from external factors than others who are more "field dependent."

So self esteem can be interrelated with variables such as locus of control, field dependence and opinion leadership. And this constitutes an example of psychological variables in the PSC set.

As a guiding scheme these interrelationships can assist in positioning a product and in defining the way to promote it. If opinion leadership is found to be low, self-esteem is also likely to be low. When opinion leadership is low, word of mouth promotion can be a waste of time. If self esteem is low, its enhancement is likely to sell products that make people feel better about themselves.

The way in which new ideas are perceived also depends on psychological processes, i.e. perception. As the literature indicates', new ideas can be perceived as being compatible or incompatible, advantageous or disadvantageous, complex or simple, to have potential for trial or not, and to have consequences which are observable or not. This perceptual set defines positioning as well and it varies not only across individuals but also across cultures.

If a new idea is not seen as compatible, it may be less acceptable than one which is seen as being fully compatible with patterns of behavior common in the culture. For example, a beverage that resembles traditional beverages of Spanish speaking countries is more likely to be acceptable to U.S. Hispanics than those which are quite different in flavor or texture. This is psychological compatibility.

If a new product is more culturally acceptable than a prior one, then it has a better chance of being found advantageous by the individual. Even perceptions of complexity are likely to be associated with culture. Familiarity is likely to evoke confidence, trust, and credibility.

When a new idea is perceived as workable, this may be partially due to the association of culture with socioeconomic status. If a certain ethnic groups is less affluent, individuals" perceptions of risk in trying new ideas may be higher than for individuals belonging to more affluent groups.

The degree to which the observability of results is important to consumers may vary with an array of variables such as tolerance for ambiguity and ability to delay gratification. The higher the concreteness level of a culture the more important it will be for its members to obtain more immediate results from, let's say, their toothpaste.

Sociological variables in PSC

Social class is clearly one of the very first interesting determinants of consumer behavior. While it's unlikely that any marketer could ever control this variable, perceptions of price can be manipulated in the overall consideration of value. Social class, in addition, can be strongly influential in the PSC paradigm in affecting several interrelated variables, including perceptions of self worth and perceptions of risk.

Formal education experience can strongly affect consumer behavior and the actions that marketers need to undertake. Factors associated with literacy in both English and the native Spanish language are likely to influence package design, advertising, promotion, and execution strategies. Cultures have diverse views of education and diverse sets of aspirations for their offspring. Also, education plays a role in the degree to which members of a particular culture do comparative shopping or shopping by tradition and custom.

Social roles such as those expected of adults, children, the wealthy, the powerful, etc. may strongly affect the way in which Hispanics view brands, companies, and more importantly ad executions, specifically when such executions are directed to appeal to specific roles. The example of the importance of the family as a social unit in the positioning of products in the Hispanic market becomes particularly relevant. The portrayal of the role of the father as a warm but authoritative figure is another differentiating example in the Hispanic market.

Cultural variables in PSC research

Cultural level variables overlap with the previously reviewed sets. Many authors have recently started to isolate attributes that tend to be most relevant at the cultural level of understanding.2The degree to which members of a culture rely on the context and non-verbal dimension of meaning differentiates behavior. Latins, for example, tend to rely on mutual understandings to a larger extent than Anglos when communicating.

Anglos, on the other hand, appear to rely more on explicit use of language to convey their messages while relying very little on implicit understandings. This tendency can be of importance in research when attempting to learn why certain arguments need not be made explicit while others require elaboration. Cultures seem to generate rules under which certain messages are considered to be redundant or inappropriate.

Questions to be considered in Hispanic market research

This discussion has exemplified the types of variables that can be used in the formulation of research questions and interpretations that are culturally relevant. Based on these considerations we believe it is important to conduct Hispanic research with questions such as:

A. What are the implications of self-esteem for the design of a particular campaign? How are benefits articulated when a sense of control over the environment may be low? Would consumer products be enhanced in the eyes of consumers if they are positioned as enhancing a sense of confidence? What is the role of field dependence in affecting endorsements?

B. What culturally relevant attributes should be considered when positioning products, services, or practices? What are the cultural customs associated with the use of a particular product? What are the philosophies and ideologies associated with particular practices? What is the belief system of the group of individuals who constitute the consumer audience?

C. What are the social roles and conditions that limit, enhance, or modify the way in which Hispanics can or wish to approach a particular consumption situation? What is the impact of diverse levels of formal education across different Hispanic groups in the U.S. What are the implications of different literacy values, such as oral vs. printed codes?

D. How does context affect the way in which Hispanics become persuaded about particular ideas? How much has to be implicit and illustrated vs. how much has to be verbally elaborated?

E. How does collectivism, as opposed to individualism, influence ad executions intended for the Hispanic community? In general, what are the cultural values that need to be reflected in executional strategies?

F. What are the implications of the interrelated PSC sets of variables for communicating products, services, and ideas to the U.S. Hispanic market?

Notes

1. See Diffusion of Innovations by Everett M. Rogers (Free Press, 1983) for an excellent discussion on attributes of innovations.

2. See Hall, E.T. ( 1976). Beyond Culture. Garden City, N.Y.: Anchor Press/Doubleday; also, Hofstede, G. (1980). Culture's Consequences: international Differences in Work-Related Values. Beverly Hills, CA: SAGE.