Media and entertainment in Argentina: Doing business in a fragmented society

SILVESTRI, L.; VASSOLO, R. S.

Handbook of Spanish Language Media

Routledge

Lugar: No Informado; Año: 2009; p. 1 - 1

We explore the issues of vertical and horizontal fragmentation in Argentina by examining how consumers relate to media and entertainment content and technologies. We focus on belly-of-the-market consumers (the most affluent at the bottom of the pyramid) and observe the way they relate to products and services, move to acquire them, and build aspirations and dreams. Subsequently, we compare their behavior with that of high- and low-income consumers. Results evidence that both vertical and horizontal fragmentation are prevalent: belly-of-the-market consumers not only differ in their behavior with individuals of different socioeconomic characteristics, but also – quite strongly – among themselves. Fragmentation seems to be tied to four distinct factors: consumers’ lifecycle stage, gender, income level, and degree of social embeddedness. Our findings have important implications for companies doing business in fragmented societies where the M&E industry is still awaiting major changes in structure, technology, and market offerings.