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There is some advertising in Cuba, but primarily for political messages. Billboards that praise the revolution are seen throughout the country. And until recently, there wasn’t much need for advertising, because there was not much choice.
Cuba has begun to allow some degree of private enterprise—everything from small mom-and-pop stores to fancy restaurants are springing up on the island country. Printers provide business cards, posters and other signs. But the chief way most Cubans promote their businesses to other Cubans and to the tourists visiting Cuba is by word-of-mouth (WOM).
Want a good paladar (a home-based restaurant) or need a casa particular (the Cuban version of a bed and breakfast)? Then your best bet to finding it is word-of-mouth. On my recent visit to Cuba, I visited an excellent paladar, which was recommended to our group by some people from England.
Cultural organizations face a similar challenge. Maiuly Sanchez Correa, director of international and public relations for the Laura Alonso Ballet, says the newspaper runs a cultural calendar once a week, but her organization depends mostly upon WOM to attract new visitors to their performances.
WOM, posters and flyers play a major role in promoting businesses in Cuba. Gladys Barrera Font, who operates Balconies Lamparilla, a casa particular in Old Havana, is planning on posting signs on the three balconies that surround her place. Her two-bedroom apartment includes breakfast, lunch and dinner and even a taxi service if needed. Most of her clients are referred to her by former guests or Dance Havana, a dance school also located in Old Havana.
She says many of her guests have posted positive reviews on Trip Advisor, but her use of social media has been minimal. She has no website, but recently got a Facebook page. But like other Cubans, she has depended largely on WOM to help make her business successful.
In the United States, companies spend millions of dollars trying to develop strategies to create WOM or “buzz” about their products or services to their target audiences. In Cuba, business owners have mastered WOM. But as private enterprise expands and Cuban consumers began to have more choices, the Cuban ad-free world, most likely, will slowly come to an end.
Dr. Gladys Barrera Font and husband Adalberto, an economist, own and rent out a casa particular in Old Havana. (Photo by DeWayne Wickham)