Combining Ideas to Capture the Filipino Culture and Market - Research Paper Example

?Running Head: FILIPINO CULTURE AND MARKET Combining Ideas to Capture the Filipino Culture and Market School Combining Ideas to Capture the Filipino Culture and Market There are a number of foreign cultures that have existed in the U.S. Among them is the Filipino culture, which is reported to have existed since the 18th century. To date, the estimated number of Filipinos in the U.S. is over ten million (Pimentel, 2010). Indeed, Filipinos have populated the U.S. for so long, but how this fact has affected the Filipino market is quite unclear. This paper investigates on the culture of the Filipinos and their behavior as a part of the U.S. market. In assessing the Filipino culture, the study hopes to suggest some strategies to attract and fulfill the needs of this particular market. Filipinos are natives of the Philippines, a country in the Asia Pacific region near Hong Kong and Malaysia. Historians have noted that the Filipinos have a mixed culture due to their mixed ancestry. The earliest generations of this culture are Malays who came to the Philippine islands for settlement (Halili, 2004). They scattered all over the country, and because the Philippines is an archipelago, the Filipinos speak different dialects or local languages (Agoncillo, 1974) but like their Chinese neighbor, manage to maintain a national language also called Filipino. Chinese inhabitants are also all over the country but they settled in the Philippines merely for business, hence the Filipino of today also bears some Chinese ancestry. In 1521, the Philippines was discovered by Spanish colonizers led by Magellan (Halili, 2004). This started the colonization of the Philippines by the Spaniards whose settlement lasted for more than three centuries (ibid.). This long history of colonization has a great impact on the Filipino culture. Nevertheless, the cruelty of the colonizers kept a distance between the natives and the former. Rizal, the Philippine’s national hero whose name is acclaimed in some Western countries like Germany, noted in his writings how the Spaniards, especially the rulers of the Church treated the Filipinos with lambasting words, unjust imprisonment and disappearance, denial of property, among many other acts of injustice (Capino, Gonzales, and Pineda, 2005). The Philippines was liberated from the Spanish regime when the Americans came in 1901. Unlike the Spaniards who did not teach their language for fear of being overpowered, the Americans, through the Thomasites taught English to the Filipinos and promoted education, especially free elementary education. The Thomasites were the first American teachers who came to the Philippines to teach the Filipinos (Halili, 2004). The Americans noted the lack of education and the poverty that loomed in the Philippines after the Spanish regime. They attempted to improve the living conditions of the Filipino by sending some scholars in the U.S. to study (ibid.). Those Filipinos may have inspired others to come to America, thus explaining the wide population of Filipinos in the U.S. at present. When the WWII broke up, the Philippines was invaded by Japan and along with Filipino soldiers, some American soldiers were tortured by the Japanese to march several miles from Bataan Province to Manila (ibid.). This is known today as the Bataan Death March, in which some soldiers died of hunger and thirst. After four days, when additional American troops were sent to the Philippines, the Japanese invaders were ousted, making the Filipinos free from another threat of colonization. The different settlers in the Philippines impacted the Filipino culture, making it a combination of the Spanish, American, and Japanese culture superimposed by the Malay ancestry it has. Filipinos nowadays have healed from their past and seen on American television, for instance, Charice Pempengco, ultimately project easy adaptability with other cultures. Their clothes are a cross between Western and Asian influences. They have developed a cultural adaptability style that tends to accept differences and unify them. For instance, many Filipinos can be seen wearing Chinese blouses along with a pair of jeans, American polos with their Filipino bamboo hat and the likes. Combination is really the trend among them. The same attitude can be observed in the way Filipinos prepare their food. Filipino dishes such as adobo, menudo, dinuguan, and so on is usually a combination of sour, salty, bitter and sweet tastes, with a dash of black pepper or sliced chili to add to the spice. The way Filipinos behave in the food market is particularly a reflection of their history. Filipinos love food. They make dinners a means to bond with their loved ones, especially their family. Commonly, a Filipino dinner would compose of grandparents, parents, and children. On certain occasions, which are very often among Filipino communities, Filipino banquets would compose of the family and extended family comprising relatives such as cousins up to the second lineage, great grandparents, and great grandchildren. The banquet may also include neighbors and friends or even new acquaintances. Filipinos love to cook too. In fact, the present executive chef at the White House is a Filipina named Cristeta Comerford, who has held the position since the time of Bush but has been in service there since the time of Clinton (McFadyen, n.d.). Filipino cooks are pleased if their guests would appreciate their cooking. Filipino hospitality is one of the best aspects of the Filipino culture. Unlike in other cultures, Filipinos do their best to serve their guests; they offer the best seat, best dishes, best drinks, and treat their visitors with warmth, care and respect. They like it when guests ask for some take-home food. Others would even offer their guests to come visit their house just to taste their new menus. The food they serve is all right to the Western palate although some may be too salty like their bagoong (Filipino anchovy) and daing (dried fish). Despite their long stay in the U.S., many Filipinos still long for their own native dishes, thus a number of Filipino food stores have been put up to cater to this market. Among which is Jollibee, a Filipino fast food chain that serves food like those in regular chains like McDonald’s but with the Filipino twist. Jollibee has been in the U.S. since 1998 (Jollibee.com), and it has made a good sale in serving Western dishes like fries, hamburger, spaghetti, and some burger menus. They also have some dishes reminiscent of Chinese ancestry like the palabok (rice noodles with garlic and egg sauce and bits of pork cracklings) and breakfast meals like tocino (Chinese sweet ham), longanisa (pork sausage), and daing na bangus (fried milkfish belly). The Filipinos are said to be second to the Chinese in terms of population in the U.S. This fact makes them an important part of the U.S. current market. The mixed cultural ancestry of the Filipinos makes them quite easy to predict. In clothing, Filipinos would love a combination of Western and Asian styles such as plain textile along with bright colors and prints. In dining, they would love to combine tastes like sweet, sour, salty and bitter. As for footwear, they would prefer something that is neither too loose and open nor too tight and closed. They also love to mix colors and shapes, and like things that have multi-purpose such as the Swiss knife, 12-in-1 scissors and tools. Moreover, they like bags that can go with either a formal or a casual attire, and love pockets for multi-use. Another aspect vital to the Filipino culture is their family tradition. As previously implied, Filipinos have extended families. They consider their Filipino neighbors as extensions of their families, thus give them equal regard the way they do their relatives. Although the Filipino myths do not specify this special attitude, literature from the Philippines reveal the importance they give their family. In particular, the famous song, Anak by Freddie Aguilar (“The Freddie Aguilar Story,” 2009), talks about the care and concern that parents give their children. The same idea is being emphasized in the web site of Jollibee as shown in Figure 1. Fig.1 Fig. 1 Jollibee Web site photo As shown in the web site, Jollibee captures the importance that Filipinos give their children. In turn, the Filipinos shun negative attitudes towards children such as abortion, pedophilia, abuse, and so on, although as always, there are exceptions to the rule. To date, recent government efforts for family planning have been a recurrent topic of debate among Filipinos (Kent, 2011). The family values of the Filipinos should serve as a key to winning this market. For example, dinners for a big family, soap for all types of skin, lotion for mothers and babies alike, drinks in family sizes and other family packages will probably a hit among them. Mothers buying a maternity blouse, or a kitchen tool, for instance, would love to have freebies for their kids like a small stuff toy or a ball that their kids can play with. Filipinos also give high regard for their elders. Therefore, cruising lines and vacation spots should offer family meals and deals with grandparents in mind. On special occasions such as Christmas, Filipinos make it a point to gather together as one community. As such, employers of Filipinos should consider giving their Filipino staff a break on Christmas even giving Christmas packages such as goods that the whole family will love. Other cultures may not understand the way Filipinos behave, especially the way Filipinos regard and help their neighbors. Sometimes, the Filipino hospitality signals other cultures to think of the Filipinos as too trusting and unwise, leading them to abuse the people. However, those who have experienced the warmth of the Filipinos would definitely appreciate the kindness and generosity that the Filipinos demonstrate. The colonial history of the Filipinos serves as an important aspect of its culture and practices. Because of colonization, Filipinos have developed a love for mixtures, for instance, mixture of colors, shapes, tastes, and styles. Moreover, their regard for their family, especially their loved ones have led to their valuing of products and services that support family traditions and concern for the elders. Therefore, in marketing for this culture, establishments should always consider the people behind their target client. Furthermore, marketing strategies should be careful in their portrayal of children and mothers, in consideration of the family values that Filipinos have. References Agoncillo, T. (1974). Introduction to Filipino history. Manila: Radiant Star. 24. Capino, D. G., Gonzales, M.M. & Pineda, F.E. (2005). Rizal’s life, works, and writings. Manila: Goodwill Trading, 155. Halili, M.C. (2004). Philippine history. Manila: Rex Bookstore. Kent, M. (2011). RH bill in the Philippines. Retrieved from http://www.bukisa.com/articles/505745_rh-bill-in-the-philippines Jollibee party. (photo). (n.d.). Retrieved August 2, 2011, from . McFadyen, J. (n.d.). Cristeta Comerford white house executive chef. Retrieved from http://immigration.about.com/od/successfulimmigrants/p/Comerford_Pro.htm Pimentel, B. (2010). How many Filipinos are there in America? Retrieved from http://globalnation.inquirer.net/viewpoints/viewpoints/view/20100401-261950/How-many-Filipinos-are-there-in-America The Freddie Aguilar story. (2009). freddieaguilar.com. Retrieved from http://freddieanakaguilar.com/bio.html Read More