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Potential Cuban Consumers
No one can say when Cuban markets will open up to American companies, but some people are preparing for such a situation with glee. Marketing to Cubans will present unique challenges, as this is a market that is unaccustomed to modern marketing. In a way, this presents both challenges and unique opportunities.
Matthew Creamer talks with the young Canadian marketing exec Adam Armstrong in “How You’ll Advertise in a Newly Capitalist Cuba” , who had the unique opportunity to direct the marketing campaign for Cerveceria Bucanero, a local Cuban beer. He observed that there was a desire in Cuba for capitalism and capitalist ways. Even Cubans hunger for the new, new thing.
Internet penetration is under 3 percent and mobile penetration is just as bad. Nevertheless, Cubans are not hermetically sealed from the world, as they are exposed to tourists from Europe and Canada, as well as other Latin American countries. Because of a relative lack of sophistication, Armstrong argues that Cuban consumers don’t need complex messages; images of smiling, happy young beer drinkers proved quite successful. The issue of whether any sort of extensive case study on the Cuban consumer can be used for real-life purposes remains to be seen. But for now, the Cuban market remains untapped, and eager to be marketed to.
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