International Business - Jamaica

Jamaicans fear the unknown and have a strong taste for superstition. A marketing approach has to take into account the fact that Jamaicans sometimes prefer superstition to rational alternatives (witchcraft is preferred to a rational doctor). References to purely Jamaican beliefs can help appealing more to the average Jamaican, and increase the “made for us” feeling.

Jamaicans are proud of their country. In the marketing approach, it is thus very important to take that fact into account.

This can be done by using the concept of “co-marketing”: global brands associate with local brands (that are loved in Jamaica). Co-marketing happens when two individual entities companies create and jointly develop a new product, service or brand (and normally jointly promote it). As Jamaicans use many American brands, a coproduction American brand and Jamaican brand could be a temporary point of difference for a brand, either Jamaican or American.

Jamaicans are very patriotic people, proud of their country. It is important for a brand to recognize, in its approach, that Jamaica has developed a lot since independence (even if violence and corruption are still present). Highlighting strong involvement areas of Jamaicans’ life, such as sport, national heroes, some teams, will appeal to them and help a marketing approach being successful.

Jamaica is a country that is « mediumly developed ». A marketing approach has to recognize what has been done by Jamaicans themselves, freed from Britain for 50 years. But this recognition must emphasize the Jamaican person and not her government: politics are a very sensitive point (that will be dealt with later).

Finally, Jamaicans are attached to their patois. There is a strong identity linked to this language close to, but different from the classical British English.

You can be mysterious, but in each case you must be honest with Jamaicans, more than with anybody else. It is a habit Jamaicans have between them, when communicating. Lacking...