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RapCult
06-11-164 THE
CULTURE CODE An
Ingenious Way to Understand Why People Around the World Buy and Live as They
Do Clotaire Rapaille |
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“This book is just plain astonishing!” (Warren
Bennis) Trained as a psychoanalyst in “The Culture Code is the unconscious meaning we apply to any given thing—a car, a type of food, a relationship, even a country—via the culture in which we are raised.” (5) We grow up in different worlds. Cultures are different. The differences lead to our processing information in different ways. Learning is connected to emotion. Without emotion there is no learning. The strongest emotions occur in childhood and the early experiences and their concomitant emotions result in imprints that affect our thought processes and future behaviors. Each imprint affects us on an unconscious level and in combination they define us and make us more of who we are. (6) Each culture has a different interpretation, a different “code,” for the same things. These codes guide our actions and define the differences between cultures. The culture code provides a remarkable new set of glasses to view ourselves and our behaviors. (11) In focus groups, Rapaille uses three different questioning techniques. In the most profound one he asks for their earliest memories of the item or idea in question. This elicits their strongest imprints and through the structures of their stories he ascertains how, in their deepest nature, people relate to the item in question. For example, Chrysler engaged him to find out how to
market the failing Jeep Wrangler. The
earliest memories people had of jeeps brought up images of being on open
land, going where cars couldn’t go, freedom from restraints, the American
West, etc. The Code for Jeep in When you ask people why they do things, they really don’t know. So they tell you what they think. That’s why polls and surveys are often misleading. People actually do things because of the imprinting from their early experiences and emotions. The meaning of imprints varies among cultures. To understand the meaning you must learn the code for the imprint in that culture. (14-24) The American code for cars is IDENTITY. “Americans want cars that are distinctive,
that will not be mistaken for any other kind…, and that trigger memories…of
the excitement of youthful passion.”
“The German Code for cars is ENGINEERING.” (26)
The Germans expected the PT Cruiser to fail but it was a hit in As a culture, the Some cultural traits consistent with adolescence: (33-34) · Focus on the ‘now’ · Dramatic mood swings · Constant need for exploration · Challenge to authority · Fascination with extremes · Openness to change and reinvention · Feeling that our elders are out of date and we know more than they · Desire to remake the world · Making our own mistakes rather than learning from others · Preoccupation with love, seduction, and sex · Certainties become uncertainties in the blink of an eye “Americans—regardless of their age—view love the way an adolescent views the world: as an exciting dream that rarely reaches fulfillment. The American Culture Code for love is FALSE EXPECTATIONS.” (38-9) “Our cultural unconscious compels us to have unrealistically high standards for love.” (41) “Americans are fascinated with violence.” TV and movies are filled with violence. “When marketers use sex in advertising, they connect with this fascination.” (53) “One of the primary tensions in the American culture is the one between freedom and prohibition. We consider freedom an inalienable right.” “At the same time, however, our culture is very strongly inclined toward prohibition. We believe we shouldn’t drink too much, play too much, or exhibit too much wealth.” (55) “Why are so many of us fat when we know fat is bad for
us? Because fat is not a problem. Fat is a solution.” Discovery sessions showed that being thin
made people feel proud and successful.
Being overweight related to “being punished,” “keeping inside,” and
being “a real turn-off.” (68) “The
Code for fat in “Before we can conquer the solution of fat, we need to answer one fundamental question: from what am I checking out?” (70) “Americans are doers.”
Nike says, “Just do it.” “This
culture-wide call to action informs the way we look at our health.”
(76-77) “For Americans, health and
wellness means being able to complete your mission.” “Americans believe that if they are strong
enough to act, then they are healthy.
Their greatest fear about being sick is the inability to do
things. The Code for health and
wellness in “The Code for doctors in “Americans are fascinated with youth and the fanciful
notion of staying young forever.” “We
look at Europe as the old world and “For Americans, youth isn’t a stage of life, but something you can hide behind, something you can wear instead of your actual age. The American Culture Code for youth is MASK. There is evidence of the youth-mask connection everywhere in our culture.” “…any attempt to look younger is a version of wearing a mask.” (88) In “The American Culture Code for work is WHO YOU ARE.” “Americans very strongly believe that they are what they do in their jobs.” “If our jobs feel meaningless, then ‘who we are’ is meaningless as well.” (116) “A billionaire still works sixty hours a week because he needs constant affirmation of who he is.” “…we believe that if we work hard and improve our professional standing, we become better people.” “We’re always seeking the next promotion, the next opportunity, the next chance for something big.” (118) “Deep down, we believe that you never have to be stuck in what you do. Self-reinvention is definitely on Code.” (119) “None of us want to feel that we are ‘done,’ that who we are will remain stagnant for the remainder of our lives.” Even retirees seek new jobs. (119) “…the notion that we ‘come from nothing’ pervades “We truly believe there is a link between goodness and monetary success and that those who cheat and lie their way to the top ultimately meet their comeuppance on both the spiritual and financial planes.” “Studies show that Americans are the most charitable people in the world.” “While the generosity seems to be heartfelt, there is a strong sense of obligation that comes with being wealthy in this culture.” (127) “What the Codes for work and money show, though, is that work is an essential part of who we are and that we just want a chance to proves ourselves and receive tangible evidence that we have succeeded.” (129) The Japanese commitment to zero defects never took hold
in “At the same time, though, we have a simple and clear quality demand for our products: they need to work.” (137) “…Americans put a premium on functionality.” [That’s why they like the Stuff CD. dlm] “We expect our products to break down. However, because our Code for quality is IT WORKS, we expect problems to be resolved quickly and with a minimum of disruption.” “The bottom line is that great service is more important to Americans than great quality.” (138-39) “The American Culture Code for food is FUEL. Americans say ‘I’m full’ at the end of a meal….” “Americans regard their bodies as machines.” “All of us know…that we need fuel to run these machines.” (146) “Alibis give ‘rational’ reasons for doing the things we do.” “Alibis make us feel better about what we do because they feel logical and socially acceptable...” “…an effective marketing campaign needs to consider the alibis while addressing the Code.” “Alibis…are the kind of thing you are likely to hear in a focus group. While you can’t believe what people say, it would be a mistake not to listen to it and incorporate it into your message.” (155-56) “While shopping is wondrous and life-affirming, buying sends a very different unconscious message, especially to women. Buying signals the end of shopping, the point at which you sever your connection with the world and go back home. While you are shopping, you have access to myriad choices. When you buy, you narrow your choices down to one.” (160) “Just as different cultures view various archetypes
differently, they also view “The French Code for Lego blocks were great for marketers in “The bottom line for business is that it is not possible
for an American company to succeed in the world marketplace with one global
message.” (179) Remember, the code for
Jeep Wrangler in “…the key to successful immigration (here or elsewhere) is connecting with the Code of the local culture.” (181) [This is true of foreign missionaries also. dlm] “The American presidency placed the finishing touch on
the rebellion against British rule.”
“In choosing George Washington, the electors selected the leader of
that rebellion.” “This meshed effectively
with a culture in its infancy…and it connects especially well with our current
adolescent culture.” “…we are happy to
follow a rebel as he leads the charge.
Several of the twentieth century’s most successful presidents had
strong rebellious streaks. Bill
Clinton was a “This is a very powerful notion and one that never
existed in history before the founding of In politics the person wins who appeals to our gut survival instinct over both the thinking and emotional part of us. [The author calls it our reptilian brain. dlm] The one who exhibits the most cortex (thinking) generally loses. (184) “The Culture Code for the American presidency is MOSES…, a rebellious leader of his people with a strong vision and the will to get them out of trouble. Moses also made his people believe they could do the impossible.” (186) “In many ways, ideology and platform are not the basis of decision.” “The basic components of the country really do not change very much during one presidential administration. What does change is the spirit of the country, the sense of optimism or the lack thereof. This largely relates to the president’s ability to fill the shoes of Moses, to make us believe that he can take us to the Promised Land.” (189) “Presidents who resonate deep down with the American archetype are excellent entertainers-in-chief.” (189) “The Code for “We are the product of dreams and we are the makers of
dreams. Discovering this Code puts
many of the other Codes in this book into context.” (195) “We’ve built our
culture on dreamlike stories that, amazingly, are true.” “We have become the most powerful, most
influential culture in the world because we believe in the power of dreams. Optimism is not only absolutely on Code, it
is essential to keeping our culture vibrant.”
“Pessimism is off Code in “Remaining on Code means supporting our dreams and our
dreamers. We want to encourage people
to have big ideas, to take risks, and to learn from their mistakes.” “We want our teachers to inspire
creativity.” “ “ “The Culture Code offers the benefit of great new freedom gained from understanding why you act the way you do. It gives you a new set of glasses with which you can see the world in a new way.” (198) |
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