20 years decoding LATAM consumers for Pepsi, Oreo, Doritos, Gatorade and OXXO
For Brand Insights, Marketing & Innovation Leaders

Your dashboards tell you what. We tell you why LATAM behaves differently.

Syncretic is the qualitative insights partner global brands use to decode Mexico and South America. Ethnographies, focus groups, panels, interviews and strategic recruitment — under one LATAM partner.

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Quant dashboard · CDMX
Product trial: 71%. Repeat purchase: 12%.
TRIAL
REP
AWAR
FAV
The what is clear. The why isn't.
Qualitative · Mexico City, 34, F
"I tried it once. It just doesn't fit how I actually cook at home."
Syncretic · ethnographic fieldwork · 12 households
From data to the why.
20yrs
decoding LATAM consumers
500+
qualitative studies delivered
12
LATAM countries operated in
6
qualitative methodologies
Trusted by brands growing in Latin America
Pepsi Doritos Oreo Gatorade OXXO Café Olé
The Problem

AI gives you the answer. It can't give you the LATAM context.

Quant tells you trial dropped 12 points. Generic global research tells you it's "cultural." Neither tells you what to do about it. We do.

Without us

  • Generic LATAM panels that flatten Mexico, Brazil and Argentina
  • Translators, not moderators — meaning gets lost
  • Reports bloated with jargon, missing the actionable insight
  • Recycled participants who say what they think you want to hear
  • Launches that test well in quant and underperform in market

With us

  • In-country moderators, in-language, in-culture
  • 4-step participant verification — real consumers, never recycled
  • Insights as strategic narrative, not 80-page jargon decks
  • Direct line to the why behind your dashboards
  • Recommendations your CMO can act on Monday morning
The Syncretic Method

Six steps. One partner. No vendors stitched together.

We don't run a template study. Each project is designed end-to-end around your strategic question — and we own every step of the pipeline so nothing gets lost in handoffs.

01

Listening

We start by understanding your questions, challenges and goals — not selling you a method.

02

Methodology

Custom design tailored to your context — the right tool for the right question.

03

Recruitment

Real participants via our 4-step verification. No professional respondents.

04

Preparation

Pre-tasks that get participants into the right mindset before fieldwork begins.

05

Fieldwork

In-market, in-culture sessions — observed live from your digital backroom.

06

Analysis

Concise, insight-rich reports that translate the why into action.

Methodologies

The right tool for your strategic question.

Six qualitative methodologies, mixed and matched. Whether you need a deep cultural read or a fast concept validation, the design fits the question — not the other way around.

Ethnographies

Inside everyday life

POV videos, consumption diaries, in-home observation. Captures what people actually do — not what they say they do in a survey.

Focus Groups

Real-time idea sparking

Designed experiences that surface tensions and opportunities through structured group dynamics. Pre-tasks ensure participants arrive primed.

Online Workshops

Co-creation at distance

Small group sessions with live digital backroom — you observe, ask probes in real time, and hear truths your reports could never convey.

In-depth Interviews

One-on-one, no filters

The depth group settings can't reach. Participants open up, go further, and reveal what truly drives or holds back behavior.

Online Panels

3–5 days of context

Chat-based, agile, asynchronous. Participants respond with text, images and videos — habits and perceptions unfold with time and nuance.

Strategic Recruitment

The right voices only

The most crucial step. Precision profiling, curated database, initial screening, second validation. Garbage in is garbage out — we filter ruthlessly.

Selected work · de-identified

Three briefs. Three LATAM unlocks.

Iconic brand · Mexican confectionery

A pride campaign that missed the mark with teens — and how qualitative saved it.

Challenge Campaign centered on Mexican pride failed in quantitative testing — brand needed to understand why before launch
Audience Teenagers across Mexico · digital community + in-person fieldwork
Method Online community + projective techniques + visual stimuli

The insight

The solemn tone of the campaign clashed directly with the vibrant, playful, and down-to-earth spirit that young people actually associated with the brand. What was framed as national pride came across as distant and out of touch.

What we delivered

An emotional narrative platform where street humor, cheekiness, and spontaneous joy replaced performative patriotism. Four strategic territories gave the brand clear direction for messaging that felt genuinely Mexican — not aspirationally so.

Outcome

A new conceptual platform with a truly Mexican soul — one that didn't just talk about identity, but embodied it through everyday experiences as an emotional truth.

Global food company · frozen snacks

Healthy convenience that missed the mark

A global food company needed to validate a new line of air fryer snacks targeting health-conscious consumers. Phase 1 interviews flagged low enthusiasm. Phase 2 ethnographic fieldwork revealed why: the product concept didn't map to how people actually cook. We redefined the strategy around more relevant benefits and channels — turning a near-miss into a launch-ready brief.

British multinational · candy · low-price segment

Low price, low excitement — high potential

A British confectionery brand wanted to unlock the "low spend" teen candy segment, but low pricing was triggering rejection. Anthropological observation revealed that accessible products serve deep social and emotional roles for teens — easy to share, linked to everyday after-school rituals. We reframed the product from "cheap mini version" to a tailored offering with genuine everyday value.

Why Syncretic

Three reasons brand teams come back.

There are bigger global research firms. There are cheaper local ones. Here's why insights leaders serious about LATAM choose us.

Cultural translator, not vendor

We don't drop a deck and disappear. We translate consumer culture so your team can build strategy on it — and we stay close enough to keep translating as the market shifts.

6

Full pipeline under one roof

Listen, design, recruit, prepare, run fieldwork, analyze. One partner for all six steps means nothing gets lost in handoffs — and your timelines compress.

20 years LATAM, only LATAM

We don't dabble. We've run qualitative across 12 countries in 3 languages for global brands — Pepsi, Oreo, Gatorade, OXXO. That's our entire story, and our entire roster of moderators.

FAQ

Questions insights leaders ask before booking.

How do you complement our existing global research partner?+
Most of our clients already work with a global agency for quant and pan-regional studies. We slot in as the LATAM cultural deep-dive — taking the quant findings and answering the "why behind the why." We adapt to your existing frameworks and deliverable templates, and routinely brief in formats designed by your global teams.
Do you do quantitative research too?+
No — qualitative is our only craft. When quant is needed, we partner with established quant houses or hand off to your existing partners. This focus is the reason we go deep where generalist firms stay shallow.
Which LATAM markets do you operate in?+
Mexico is home base — Mexico City, Guadalajara, Monterrey and beyond. We've run studies in 12 LATAM countries including Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Central America. Local moderators in every market — never generic LATAM.
What does it cost?+
Pricing depends on country, sample size and methodology — typical projects run $15k–$60k USD. We send a one-page proposal within 48 hours of the discovery call so you can budget with confidence. Volume discounts apply for ongoing engagements.
How fast can you start?+
Recruitment can begin within 5 business days of contract sign-off. Most projects deliver in 5 weeks brief-to-insight. Tight launch deadlines? Tell us — we've turned briefs around in 3 weeks when needed.
Can my team observe sessions live?+
Yes — that's our default. You join from a separate digital backroom, watch without interrupting, and send live notes or probes to the moderator. Some truths are too hard to believe when they're only in a report. Hearing them in real time is the whole point.
Get in touch

Have a LATAM question quant can't answer?

Book 30 minutes. No deck. We'll listen, ask 3 questions, and tell you whether we're a fit. If we're not, we'll point you to who is.

30-min discovery call · no pitch, no slides
One-page proposal in your inbox within 48 hours
NDA ready to sign before we see your data
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Schedule a Discovery Call

Direct link to Sofía's calendar. Same-week slots usually available.

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