Cultural Factor

Understanding consumer behavior requires more than just theory, it requires UNDERSTANDING the culture of your audience.

In my experience leading communications for a Gen Z student community based in the U.S., I faced this reality firsthand. Although I was part of the same age group, I am from Peru and was living there at the time and it was super challenging to follow certain slang or trends that were common for the audience, MY AUDIENCE!!!! Even though we kind of follow almost the same artists, listen the same music, watch the same TV Shows… there was something missing: MY ALGORITHM WASN’T THE SAME.

This experience showed me how cultural and geographical context can influence preferences, communication styles, and engagement (the thing that I cared the most). Even within the same generation, subtle differences in language, humor, and trends can affect how content is perceived.

I think, for brands, this has a direct implication: marketing strategies must consider cultural context in addition to age or demographic factors. A communication that works perfectly in one region may feel irrelevant in another if cultural expression are ignored. To communicate effectively, brands should invest in immerse themselves in their target audience’s environment and adapt messaging and tone accordingly.

For me, a perfect example can be analyzing social media trends, local slang, and visual preferences, and even local “influencers” to make sure theres authenticity. By doing that I feel like brands can build stronger connections and increase engagement.