Cultural Identity: The Effects of Labels, Reference Groups & Role models on Consumer Behavior.

With an increasing migratory population of “over 50 million” (Korzenny and Korzenny 22) and the inclusion of pre-existing values, the US Hispanics make for a particularly fascinating group. This is because Hispanics tend to have connections, affinities or empathies with various ethnic, cultural or social groups they interact with within the US; leading to diverse cultural identities. The Latino cultural identity, its various labels and the responsiveness to reference groups and roles are briefly discussed in order to shed light into what drives consumer decision making.

According to Philip B. Corbet’s New York Times’ article: Hispanic? Latino? Or What, “the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court prompted discussions” and much controversy about our use of “Hispanic,” “Latino” and other similar terms. Through research, Corbet noted that these cultural identities or self identification references are not simple and concluded that while both terms “Latino” and “Hispanic” are generally acceptable, some people have a strong inclination for one over the other. He stated that one must pick up on and respect those preferences when referring to individuals and groups; and that one should perhaps consider more specific references such as “Puerto Rican” or “Mexican-American” which tend to be preferred by immigrants. But why the preference? In Corbet’s article, Judge Sotomayor identifies herself as “Latina” yet her parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico and were not considered “immigrants.” One thing that makes Puerto Ricans different in my opinion, is that they can freely say where they are from and call themselves a country of origin or more ethnic or specific label because they are naturalized citizens of the US and are less likely to be stereotyped or discriminated against as would most other Hispanics due to looks or origin. One interesting statement Corbet makes is that “references to ethnicity” should only be used when pertinent. And perhaps the pertinence is up to the group being discussed and their specific experience and or degree of acculturation in the US. As per Corbet’s article, “many second- and third-generation Latinos regard themselves as simply “American” or “Texan” rather than identifying themselves as peoples of a certain country or of some countries’ descent. This is perhaps because of stereotypes and the discriminations that many Hispanics have encountered in the US. The persistence of negative connotations and stereotypes in conversation and media possibly impact how they feel others see them and thus denying their origins or utilizing a less ethnic label in order to “fit in”.

The use of labels and choice of label depend strictly on who is asking the question and for what purpose. According to a survey performed in 2006 by the Pew Hispanic Center, a higher percent of respondents prefer “Hispanic” to the term “Latino.” It is also by the data included in the same Study that one can see how 48% of Latino adults prefer to describe themselves by their country of origin while 24 % state “American” on first reference. While many feel a sense of pride and prefer to identify themselves with more culturally relevant or specific labels, it is clear that the younger generations of Hispanics tend to identify themselves as “American” in order to avoid segregation, or stereotyping which has taken a toll on cultural and sense of pride.

Whether a person identifies him/herself as Hispanic, Latino, or Cuban-American, it is clear that the individual’s answer and choice of label for themselves addresses the party inquiring about them and tends to provide the best answer with the best possible outcome for themselves in that situation. This can easily be seen in an honorary Hispanic gathering where addressing one’s specific country of origin or true cultural identity or label would set an individual apart from the rest and yet gain some recognition. In this instance, no individual would “Americanize” their specific label. However, in instances were peoples of non-Hispanic origins ask what Hispanics are or where they are from, they may just be more willing to “Americanize” their way out of their specific label rather than stating Cuban, Mexican or Latino.

To expand on the notion of what Latino cultural identity is one must first discuss immigration and acculturation of US Hispanics and the role models that drive most of their decision making. The amalgamation of cultures is relevant in the case of US Hispanics because while they tend to maintain cultural ties to their country of birth, and continue to enjoy the same music or practice the same religion. Yet, these immigrants and their kids begin to merge and adopt new norms and begin to emulate the practices of certain groups in the host society which allows them to more efficiently navigate the new culture. This assimilation process is relevant to understand the concept of US Hispanics having “multiple cultural affiliations” which sheds light into the understanding of why Hispanics adopt certain preferences or when definite identities become prominent in certain instances that affect their decision making.

According to its depiction on various literature sources, including an article from WordIQ, “cultural identity” is the feeling of an individual, group or culture and how far this individual or group is influenced by the values or by the sense of belonging of such group or culture. Cultural identity is perhaps also the feeling an individual gets when wanting to bond with or emulate a certain person’s set of values or culture. One could also agree that “cultural identity” may be referred to as “the cultural group that individuals use in specific circumstances for selecting courses of action or evaluating ideas or objects” (Korzenny and Korzenny 82). This is conceivably an easy concept to grasp and agree with since one can usually identify with, or wish to adopt, follow or imitate certain groups’ beliefs and actions, hoping a similar outcome. What is important to understand here is that it is these characteristics, actions or “references” that we seek out in others and adopt for measures or standards that we start to utilize when making decisions.

As discussed in the book Hispanic Marketing: Connecting with the New Latino Consumer, “consumer behavior is culturally influenced” (82). Based on this statement, it can be said that upon arrival to the US, many Hispanic immigrants’ likes and desires are challenged by a new set of needs, a new set of friends; co-workers who in turn influence and create a new set of standards and of credibility for certain products, expectations and goals. This change in US Hispanic identity and of those groups they start identifying with, or wish to be like, are a direct result of the exchanges with ethnically, socially or culturally different reference groups; interactions that spark interest of Hispanic individuals and thus affecting consumer behavior. Consumer behavior is just likely to be affected by those we identify with the most, say “role models” or even “reference groups” around us which seem to set a guide for Hispanic behavior in the US. This is due to the fact that humans learn behaviors from each other and just recognize and imitate behaviors that would most likely result in a positive outcome. And it seems to be through observation and application of those new “references” or behaviors of people around us that makes us favor or identify with certain peoples or models that are similar to us or with similar “aspirational status.”

US Hispanics seem to seek out and follow the actions of those they consider a role model. This identification with someone who is a successful or a role model is mostly based on current similarities with the model or simply the desire of acquiring the success of said model. And since Hispanics tend to seek people with whom they share similar traits, and backgrounds with, they are more likely to identify with other Hispanics and thus use them as reference groups under many circumstances. If a consumer’s brother went to a certain University and had success with certain books, the consumer is more likely to identify with the good experience that the brother had and is more likely to purchase the same book or at the very least books from the same bookstore or publisher; and perhaps consider going to the same University. Family members just seem to possess credibility for the consumer and provide confidence that the resulting experience will be similarly good. However, a Hispanic consumer may use the reference group of coworkers when making a decision about which training manual to purchase and these co-workers may not necessarily be of Hispanic descent. It appears that the magnitude to which different reference groups become significant in certain occasions has to do with links between the situation, the reference group one identifies with at that moment and the confidence that the resulting experience will be good and successful for them.

In a nutshell, US Hispanics seem to wish to emulate those people who they look up to or those they feel similar to. They also feel more comfortable disclosing their specific cultural identity or label when not being stereotyped or judged. Despite the desire of many to acquire a sense of self, we always form part or identify ourselves with some group. It is that group that becomes the standard for decision making and a specific yet diverse cultural identity worthy of comparing to others. And while the original socialization and culture of an individual is a very strong source of influence for consumers, the surrounding groups and the successful role models come to influence decision making. And while many immigrants strive to emulate behaviors around them that seem likely to offer a rewarding result and use their own culture as main reference group in most situations, they still have a desire of success and expertise that they see and seek in others. These are big factors and likely to influence which reference group is used for decision making under specific situations.

By Ivis Suarez
Hispanic Marketing Communication
Florida State University

References
Corbett, Philip B. 2009. Hispanic? Latino? Or What? The New York Times. Retrieved September 25, 2011.

Cultural Identity (2005) Retrieved September 24, 2011.http://www.wordiq.com/definition/Cultural_identity

Gimenez, Martha E. 1998. Cultural Logic: Some reflections on the Politics of Identity in the U.S.
Retrieved September 25, 2011. http://clogic.eserver.org/1-2/gimenez.html

Granados, Christine. 2000. Hispanic Vs. Latino: A new poll finds that the term Hispanic is preferred.
Retrieved September 26, 201. http://www.latinostories.com/Brown_Latino_Literature_Project/Essays/Hispanic_Versus_Latino.htm

Korzenny, Felipe., & Korzenny, Betty Ann. 2012. Hispanic Marketing. Connecting with the New Latino
Consumer, 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Routledge.