Social media for private businesses in Cuba

During break, I went on the Miami and Cuba study tour. Cuba is nationalized country, with around 80% of people working for the government or government controlled businesses. Fidel Castro’s mission was to establish society with equal rights, focusing on education and healthcare and limiting income inequality. Along with this mission, exposure to the rest of the world has been limited. Just in the past few years, citizens have gained more access to mobile device communication and to the internet.

We visited a private business, O2 spa. Three sisters started this business in their family home. The creativity and quality surprised many of us. They had equipment shipped from Mexico and from family members in the U.S. They actually had a spin studio! During the discussion, we asked how they promoted the business. They started with mailers and have moved onto Facebook. Another form of social media is promotion on a Havana city app. The government created an app to advertised activities in Havana. I was surprised by the level of government involvement and centralization of the businesses, even for privatized businesses. I took photos to capture this unique app — I call it the Yelp of Havana.

This app allows citizens and tourists to search activities in the area and for companies to promote their different services. In the future, perhaps O2 will create its own app and community network, but for now, in this regulated environment, the app serves as a great way to spread the word about their business.