In 1993, in order to stop an economic freefall on the island of Cuba, Fidel Castro’s
government reluctantly instituted a series of reforms to compensate for the demise of
foreign aid from Moscow. These policies ushered in a broad spectrum of national and
international consumer products and services previously unknown to islanders. In a few
short years, Cubans were seeing foreign brands among consumer durables and a broad array
of logos brought in by tourists. Today, nearly two decades into these limited market
reforms, no systematic research has explored consumer brand awareness among 11 millions
Cubans living just 90 miles from the United States. The paucity of academic research stems
from the challenges of conducting public/consumer opinion, and official state policy
contends that consumer wants and needs are satisfied by either a series of generic and
Cuban-made brands, or by independent entrepreneurs who provide brandless products and
services.
Marketing without Advertising analyzes the role, narratives, and behaviour of
consumption in Cuba since 1959. It documents how consumer behaviour has changed since the
pre-revolutionary period, with special focus on the early 1990s. The book documents the
shift from moral-based rewards in the early years of the Revolution, to the rise of
material-based incentives. Cubans have long been exposed to foreign mass media in the form
of movies, music videos, cable television shows. Although the Internet is highly
regulated, the Cuban Diaspora in exile brings back clothing, personal care products,
electronic goods, and magazines that increase the awareness of brand logos, jingles,
products, and services. These and related findings from the authors' primary research are
ripe with marketing implications such as substitution effects, price elasticity, latent
demand for certain products and services, and consumer behaviour.
Emilio Morales is the former Director of Marketing for CIMEX, S.A.,
the largest Cuban company in the retail and wholesale business. Born, raised, and educated
in Cuba, he worked there until 2006 before moving to Miami. He holds a B.S. in Computer
Science, a Masters in Marketing, and an MBA.
Joseph L. Scarpaci is Associate Professor at West Liberty University,
and former Professor of Urban Affairs and Planning (1989-2003) in the School of Public and
International Affairs at Virginia Tech.
Table of Contents
1. Advertising without Marketing: Brand Preference and Consumer Choice in Cuba
2. A History of Cuban Retailing, 1902-2011
3. Cuban Consumers and Brand Awareness
4. Iconic Brand Potential among Leading Cuban Products
5. Franchising as a Brand-Globalizing Process: The Case of Casa de los Habanos
6. Brand Development without Mass Communication Media
7. Remittances & Brands: Survival & Consumption in the New Millennium
8. Conclusions Glossary Bibliography Index
230 pages, Hardcover