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Clendenen 1
Emily Clendenen
Dr. Hsu
International Marketing
March 3, 2017
Classic Ropes in Brazil
I have chosen the country of Brazil. The product that I will market there is Classic
Ropes. They are a line of ropes made for both sides of team roping, both heading and
heeling and also calf roping. They are used very popularly for competitive rodeo. There is
a niche market in Brazil for ropes used for rodeo. Rodeo is growing quietly but surely in
Brazil, and unless a person has ties to the rodeo world they wouldn’t be aware of it. There
are several Brazilian cowboys that have come to America to compete in the different
professional rodeo associations here. Most of them are in the Professional Bull Riders
Association, however there are a few Brazilian ropers that have made the National Finals
Rodeo for the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association the last couple of years.
History
Sao Paulo is a state on the coastline of Brazil. Within Sao Paulo is a small city
called Barretos, that has been hosting a rodeo that some call the biggest in the world. It
had been going on for 52 years in 2007, which would mean this year is its 62nd year. It is
a showcase for the country and western scene that Brazil has to offer. It is a 10 day event,
and it is estimated that by the end of the event around 800,000 visitors have been in and
out. In Brazil, they play country music called “sertanejo” that attracts city folk to the
country for this rodeo too. The national cattle industry in Brazil runs about 200 million
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cattle, so needless to say the need for ropes is there (NPR.org, 2007). I also personally
know a professional team roper from here in the United States that has been to Brazil to
put on roping clinics there for young ropers who want to improve, who also need ropes.
Geography
Brazil is the biggest country in South America and lines the coast. It has a very
tropical climate. Temperatures don’t usually get below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. It is humid
and sticky especially along the coast. In the mountains as well as southern Brazil it can
get cold in the winter time with temperatures that may drop to 32 degrees Fahrenheit. It
also gets rainy from January to April in the north and April to July in the south. The best
months to visit are usually from March to November (World Travel Guide). These
weather patterns are very important to rope sales. Unless a roper owns an indoor arena or
covered arena, they can’t rope in the rain. That means we would expect a general decline
in rope sales in January through April in northern Brazil, and a decline in sales in April to
July in the south. There are also different kinds of ropes that hold up better in different
kinds of climates, so ropes would be sold according to the climate of the region it is being
sold in as well.
Economy
The population of Brazil as of 2016 is 205,823,665. The GDP in 2016 was $3.135
trillion. The average income per month is $678.90 a month. Brazil’s natural resources
include coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, citrus, and beef. As
previously mentioned, the beef industry is prominent in Brazil. There are several
industries, including textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore, steel, aircraft,
Clendenen 3
motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and equipment. Brazil is an important trade
partner with the U.S., with a trade surplus of $4.3 billion in 2015. There are virtually no
trade restrictions between Brazil and the United States. The labor force includes 110.4
million Brazilians. There would be plenty of places to sell the ropes in Brazil considering
that the cattle industry is so large, there would be plenty of feed stores in which to sell
ropes (CIA World Factbook).
Legal/Political Environment
There will be no legalities regarding selling ropes and Brazil is a good business
partner of the United States, so their attitude to U.S. business partners is good. I will be
dealing with small generally self-employed business owners, so the government should
not be involved (CIA World Factbook).
Culture
The religion in Brazil is mostly Catholic at 60%, and Protestant at 22%. Family
life is very important in Brazil as is in most Spanish cultures. The average Brazilian goes
to school for 15 years, and education expenditure is 6% of the GDP. For business
etiquette, it is considered rude if you arrive on time. It is better to be about 30 minutes
late. When shaking the men’s hand, you look them in the eye. Women greet each other
by kissing each other on the cheek. When setting up a meeting with a business owner that
may potentially carry Classic Ropes, I will make sure to be a little late as opposed to
being on time in America (CIA World Factbook).
Technology
In Brazil there are 120.676 million internet users, which is about 59.1% of the
population. There are also 257.814 mobile cell phone users. This indicates that more than
Clendenen 4
half of the population of Brazil has access to internet. The people that can afford internet
will also be the people that can afford to buy Classic Ropes (CIA World Factbook).
Infrastructure
There is 28,538 kilometers of railways, and 1,580,964 kilometers of road, 212,
798 of which is paved. There are also many major ports because Brazil lines the ocean, in
addition to 4,093 airports (CIA World Factbook). This being said I think there would be
plenty of different ways to transport the ropes to the country and around the country.
Also the Brazilian banking sector is strong, diversified, and is also adequately capitalized.
It is very highly capitalized and modern corporate governance has allowed them to
continue to be successful even with global credit conditions not faring well (“Brazilian
