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August 07, 2007
The Culture Code: an Indian take
I've been reading The Culture Code by Franco-American international marketer Clotaire Rapaille. It reveals a series of so-called Culture Codes, which are high level cultural archetypes embedded in the larger cultural consciousness of a nation. The good Monsieur doth not pontificate much--it's a pretty thin volume that basically sets out only how Rapaille uncovered the Codes for shopping, health, food, sex and a whole bunch of other things using his patented method. An archetypal Code is a single concept OWNED by a subject area in a cultural context. If that's too abstract for you, an example is "The Code for alcohol in American Culture is GUN." He sold these insights to Fortune 500 corporations around the world for a whole bunch of money, and they in turn made a whole bunch of money positioning products in peculiar ways in America and Europe.
The book is as haughty in making astonishingly sweeping statements about various American and European cultures as it is humble in explaining how the consequences that flowed from these Codes successfully persuaded people around the world to buy various products. Every chapter follows a comforting, if repetitive, parallel structure. First, Rapaille sets the stage for the Code at hand by stating some commonly held truisms that relate to the subject being explored. For instance, at the start of the section exploring the American code for Home, he says "When we gather for Thanksgiving Dinner, we reconnect with our homes and affirm the importance that home has in our lives". He hints at a hypothetical archetype after stating a few more of these bits of conventional wisdom. Then he lists supposedly verbatim accounts of people he has interviewed on the subject (in this case, of home). His Patented Method™ essentially consists of a focus-group-meets-shrink-session-meets-pajama-party, where subjects spend three hours (including one lying down on pillows) telling him about their first memories of home. He cherry picks pieces of these interviews, develops them a little bit and makes an astonishing jump to uncover the archetypal Code IN CAPITAL LETTERS.
The logical leaps Rapaille makes when unveiling the code can seem a bit, uh, lofty but he usually manages to redeem himself by explaining the consequences that flow from the Code. He rounds out the explanation by mentioning examples of advertising campaigns which were successful by 'staying on Code', or adhering to the archetype. In passing, he also mentions counterexamples--advertising campaigns that failed because they went 'off Code'. His method is altogether fascinating, even if I don't always agree with everything that flows from a Code. I won't give away too much; the book is an engaging read and I don't want to spoil it for you. The money sentence in the book, however, has to be "Ronald Reagan was much more reptilian than either Jimmy Carter or Walter Mondale." I burst out laughing when I read this sentence. Attempting to explain it though will spoil the hilarity, so I am not going to attempt it here.
Needless to say, the good Monsieur does not even go near uncovering Culture Codes for the emerging markets of the world: Brazil, Russia, India and China, which will drive the future of worldwide commerce in the decades to come. I am going to try to make my own hypotheses for Indian Culture Codes, although there is no way I can test them out by hosting three hour patented pajama parties for my fellow countrymen. I've said here before that I think Indian and American cultures aren't all that different; I'd hazard a guess that it's because the Codes for many things in Indian and American cultures are the same.
The Code for India in Indian Culture is RESILIENCE AND REBIRTH. Indian children are raised with the message that Indian culture is the most valuable thing they are going to inherit. One of the most heavily emphasized attributes of this culture is its timelessness. India was the choice target of multiple waves of invaders from Central Asia and they left unimaginable trails of death and destruction in their wake. Every major invasion undoubtedly changed India but India's resilience helped in its rebirth after each one of them. This theme comes out in Jawaharlal Nehru's first speech to Independent India on Aug 15, 1947. He said
"Long years ago we made a tryst with destiny, and now the time comes when we shall redeem our pledge, not wholly or in full measure, but very substantially. At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom...We end today a period of ill fortune and India discovers herself again."
which really captures it best. So, any products that emphasize resilience, (cyclical) timelessness and rebirth do really well in the Indian market. Remember the multi-generational commercial for Woodward's Gripe Water? It's an old commercial but one of my most vivid and lingering memories of advertising. If you want Indian Cultural Codes for other things, maybe large sums of money will induce me to share them with you ;) They sure made it easier for M.Rapaille. Jus' sayin'.
Posted by Vishy at 10:44 PM | Comments (0)