The Role of Reference Groups in Influencing Hispanic Consumer Behavior [INSIGHT]
Hispanics are influenced in many ways by the people they identify with, and these influences directly affect not only the general behavior of the individual but more specifically, his or her consumer behavior. As explained by Faber, O’Guinn & McCarty (1987), all of our behavior is subject to the pressures of cultural norms and expectations. These pressures also include influences exerted by the individual’s reference groups, that is, the persons, groups and institutions that the individual use as point of reference and to look up to for guidance in establishing his/her behaviors (Avery, et. al., 2010).

Danny Trejo knows how to get a point across and now he’s going to put that talent to work to ensure that nothing interferes with Miller Time. Work obligations, time constraints, even mobile phones can sometimes get in the way of Miller Time. Miller Lite has partnered with Trejo, an original Hollywood tough-guy, to protect these sacred good times with friends.
How to cultivate and leverage customer engagement? Customer engagement is important because we live in a Customer Economy.
Several weeks ago, I spoke with Claudia Perlich, Media6Degrees’ chief data scientist, and asked her to define “data scientist.” Her definition spanned four paragraphs, but it boiled down to this: “Data science lives in the intersection of understanding not just the results of the algorithms, but also the subtle caveats of their applicability and the problem that should be solved.”
It’s long been a paradox that, despite the fact that consumers ages 50 and up have the lion’s share of the wealth and income in the U.S, marketers are over-enamored with the 18-49 demographic. The oft-stated justification for aiming at the younger generation is that they are more likely to be open to new products and/or switching brands; and their lives are more centered on consumption and consumerism.
A consortium of leading Internet radio companies has united for the first time to collaborate on a definitive study of Internet radio consumption in the United States. The Streaming Audio Task Force, comprising Pandora, Spotify and TuneIn, engaged Edison Research to survey over 3,000 online respondents ages 12+ to ascertain their media usage and habits, and the results indicated that for the first time in history, Internet radio is used by the majority of online Americans (53%). In addition, the total time spent with audio is clearly expanding as people are now enjoying more audio from more devices in more places.
Despite the sluggish economy, the spirits industry poured on growth in 2012, and it’s no coincidence that the number of distilleries across the U.S. is continuing to rise. Instrumental in driving growth were small-batch bourbons, whiskeys and single malt Scotches, plus innovations in flavor (think Fireball Cinnamon Whiskey and dessert-inspired Pinnacle Whipped Vodka).
The ANA (Association of National Advertisers) and 4A’s announced new guidelines to help agencies and clients improve their productivity in the agency search process. 
























