Polychronism? What’s That? Can I Upgrade My Laptop to be Poly-chron Capable?

Polychronism is kind of a big word. It was pretty intimidating at first. But I fell in love with the word and its many implications as I began to study it and observe the differences between the polychronistic paradigms of Hispanics and the monotonous monochronistic mindsets of us Anglos.

Polychronism is a fascinating concept because it organizes Hispanics’ general attitudes towards interpersonal relations, time, media consumption, and attitudes towards authority. Understanding polychronism is the Holy Grail for marketers, because it cuts through all the stereotypes swarming Hispanics and divulges the heart, soul and the innermost attitudes and passions of Hispanics. Polychronistic beliefs are stronger than stereotypes because they are archetypes passed down through generations, and connect the lineage in a way that most Anglos, like myself, could study but never fully understand.

Polychronistic cultures “view time as something that can be lost, killed, or wasted, conversely, they view time as something that should be managed, planned and used efficiently” (Hall, Cross-cultural Perceptions of Time). Considering time is a man-made, intangible concept, it’s rather amusing that we personify it and idolize it the way Hall has described. Polychronistic cultures on the other hand, feel that “making relationships is more important than making schedules” (Hall, 1990). In my experience, I look for products and advertisements that will save me time: faster computer, wireless cell phone, quicker car, an Ipod so I save time by not having to burn my CDs etc. All of these products limit my time with others: if I’m on my cell phone I’m not talking face-to-face. If I’m on my outrageously fast computer, I’m not asking a trusted authority for both product information and their personal recommendation. If I’m in my V-8 Mustang GT, I’m not waiting at a bus stop listening or participating in other conversations. “Polychronic consumers are more likely to use products with less attachment to schedules and timeframes” (p.176, 2005. K&K.) U.S. Hispanics that have not fully assimilated are going to seek products and brands that remind them of the face-to-face relationships and of time forgotten because you’re enjoying the moment so much.

Clearly, I have mentioned the effects of polychronism on interpersonal communication while I was originally discussing time! Ha! I get it! I was being polychronistic on purpose; I discussed time and interpersonal communication because it naturally segued into the topic of interpersonal relationships. A proper monochronistic treatise would prefer me to have an outline, and structured with titles, subtitles, bullet points etc. Even without the structure, I still was able to discuss how it all connects. If marketers truly want to connect their product to top-of-mind awareness with Hispanic consumers, they should have a solid understanding of how time is considered more cyclical than linear and that the marketing message should strive to make the Hispanic feel like a relationship is being established.

This brings me to my next point. In class and in my part-time jobs here in Monochronism, USA, I have been taught to look at the goal or end result before I plan the route to get there. I want an A. I want to make over $100 tonight at work. I want a relationship with someone intelligent, attractive and fun. This will make me feel powerful and I will appear powerful to others and they will respect me. Few really consider that “the journey is more important than the destination,” (Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance). Marketing strategies aiming for a quick win of Hispanics by promoting our ideals of power and individual strength will generally fail. Hispanics will become powerful allies of a brand if the marketer “aims to establish a strong relationship and have it continue over time” (174 K&K). Thus, the focus switches from the image a brand implies to the relationship associated with a brand. Developing an emotional tie with Hispanic consumers is a crucial task of a marketer because products may be equally functional, and it is the emotional tie that differentiates it and ultimately gives the product leverage over another. That is how marketers become powerful when targeting the Hispanic market.

In order to further establish powerful connections with the Hispanic market, marketers need to study the polychronistic media habits of Hispanics. For example, polychronistic behavior implies that Hispanics are more likely to watch television and read magazines simultaneously, so a cohesive ad campaign that extends throughout both mediums may be more effective. This reiterates back to the polychronistic tendency to do more within one’s time. One thing I would like to further research is whether polychronistic Hispanics feel over-extended and to what extent. Their behavior suggests they are dealing with so many people and so many topics at once, I wonder if it could be too much exertion on the brain and the person. Marketers ought to be careful not to inundate their marketing message with polychronistic tendencies, or the message and tone might become “too busy.”

Polychronism reminds me of a Theory of Knowledge Class I took, in which throughout the semester we analyzed Psychology, Calculus, Philosophy, Science, Opera, Literature, Theatre, and History. My professor told us, “my class content is like minestrone, it doesn’t matter what I put in it, it will be different everyday, but it will always be good.” Prior to the class, I thought each of those was its own entity and that its content was mutually exclusive to the subject. Two insights I still carry with me from that class are the extent of things I do not know, but also how subjects much more inter-related than I could have imagined. My monochronistic culture armed me with these “blinders,” that kept me from seeing the bigger, connected picture. Marketers will greatly benefit from anticipating the polychronistic tendencies of Hispanics when writing copy and developing an emotional tie between the Hispanic consumer and the product.

Like I said, I fell in love with the implications of polychronism. I studied abroad in Valencia this summer, and I felt what it was like to forget the time and make memories. I had conversations with Spanish students that jumped from evolution, art history, American pop music, and Bush’s image to Spaniards. I was able to lounge on the beach, read 20 Minutos and listen to my Erasmus mix. The A’s I got in my classes did not compare to the friends I made, the conversations we had and what they taught me. Hi-Leen Freites is a senior originally from Venezuela. Our conversation substantiates the polychronistic tendencies I have studied and observed.

1. What are examples of polychronism in Hispanic culture?
Mothers are usually on the phone cooking the meat, boiling the rice, blending the sauce, baking the cake, with rollers on their hair, screaming at the kids to stop hitting each other.

2. Who do you look up to? Why do you look up to them? Do you feel confident that you can trust them in a variety of topics? My mother, she raised me as a single parent, both my sister and me, and she has this combination of strength and sensibility that make her such a woman, it’s just something I look up to. I know Ii can trust her to tell me as much as she can about everything, except probably computers, and the US education system, that she knows hardly anything about.

3. Can you generalize the difference between your schedule here in the States compared to your schedule in Venezuela? My schedule here is definitely more hectic than in Venezuela, it might be just because life just gets heavier as you grow up, or just the fact that everything in the States is more geared towards money, making money, it’s like the force that drives people to do everything in life, as if it were the only motivation and reason to do anything. Success, yes, everybody wants it, but having lots of money is not what I call being successful. I guess just because people in Venezuela and probably most Hispanic
cultures are driven more by the passion and love to do the things they do. So the schedules
become lighter, the balance between relationships and work merge and life is not so stressful. I could probably go on and on about this, but that’s probably good enough:

4. How would you describe the differences in time management between life in the States and in Venezuela? I was always taught to schedule my weeks to manage my time better, they teach you at school, and you actually have to make your week schedule hour by hour. But I never stuck to it for more than four days. In the States there are more appointments, if you know what I mean. You have to make appointments for things, in Venezuela you have to get there early and get in line and wait, and make a day out of it.

5. What do you think Anglos “stress out” about and what do Hispanics “stress out” about?
Anglos stress out more about money, making money, not having enough time to do everything they have to do, it’s not even what they want to do, but what they have to do. Hispanics stress out about relationships, family issues, health problems…or also not having time, but not having time to do what they want to do.
Hi-Len’s simple and humorous account of her life in Venezuela illustrates how different life has become for her as she studies here at Florida State. You can hear her voice come through in her answers. Successful marketing messages should sound as natural and sincere as a conversation like this. Hispanic marketing gives me the opportunity to make a career out of conversing and finding the finer qualities of people. This is how I fell in love with the idea of doing more with more people and adopting the polychronistic habits.

Krystal Plomatos
Junior
Department of Communication
Florida State University
Emphasis in Advertising and Hispanic Marketing Communciation

SOURCES

Hall, Edward T., Cross-cultural Perceptions of Time.
http://www.press.umich.edu/pdf/0472030604-appendixc.pdf

Korzenny & Korzenny. Hispanic Marketing Communication. Burlington, MA, 2005.

Pirsig, Robert. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. New York City, NY 1974.