Development in emerging economies leads to a cohabitation of traditional and modern forms of retailing. This diversity allows for centuries' old consumer behavior patterns to continue along with new options. The street markets or Feira Livres1 of São Paulo, Brazil demonstrate how consumption patterns are culturally determined. Participant observation, both in supermarkets and at feiras, and interviews with consumers and vendors are used to investigate consumer shopping patterns, along with evolving patterns of retail structure. We find that informal markets, such as the feira, are able to coexist with modern, Western‐style retail institutions, partly because of ingrained food preparation habits and deep‐seated consumer impressions about superior qualities offered by feiras (e.g., the perceived freshness of the produce). Our findings support the Natural Selection Theory of retail development in that we find evidence of adaptation. Specifically, the supermarkets in Brazil have evolved to include departments that imitate some of the popular characteristics of the feiras.

RESUMO: O presente estudo busca identificar as estratégias de propaganda utilizadas na região do Mercosul e analisar os fatores associados à escolha dessas estratégias. Um modelo conceitual é desenvolvido e testado para estratégias de propaganda adotadas por marcas brasileiras anunciadas no Brasil, Argentina, Paraguai e Uruguai. Os resultados obtidos neste estudo exploratório sugerem que, apesar dos consumidores dos países integrantes do Mercosul serem vistos como diferentes, a padronização dos elementos da propaganda é a estratégia mais utilizada pelos participantes deste estudo. ABSTRACT: The purpose of this article is to identify the advertising strategies adopted in the Mercosul