The Culture Code

An Ingenious Way to Understand Why People Around the World Live and Buy As They Do

By: Clotaire Rapaille

Narrated by: Barrett Whitener

Internationally revered cultural anthropologist and marketing expert Clotaire Rapaille reveals for the first time the techniques he has used to improve profitability and practices for dozens of Fortune 100 companies. His groundbreaking revelations shed light not just on business but on the way every human being acts and lives around the world.

Rapaille's breakthrough notion is that we acquire a silent system of Codes as we grow up within our culture. These Culture Codes invisibly shape how we behave in our personal lives, even when we are completely unaware of our motives. We can learn to crack these Codes and achieve new understanding of why we do the things we do. He has used the Culture Code to help Chrysler build the PT Cruiser: the most successful American car launch in recent memory; helped Procter & Gamble design its ad campaign for Folger's coffee, one of the longest-lasting and most successful campaigns in the annals of advertising; and he's helped GE, AT&T, Boeing, Honda, Kellogg, and L'Oreal improve their bottom line at home and abroad. And now, in this fascinating audiobook, he uses it to reveal why Americans act distinctly like Americans and what makes us different from the world around us.

Understanding the Codes gives us unprecedented freedom over our lives. It lets us do business in dramatically new ways. And it finally explains why people around the world really are different and reveals the hidden clues to understanding us all.

©2006 Clotaire Rapaille (P)2007 Gildan Media Corp

Good book - poor narrator

This was a very interesting book. A quick, easy "read"... The most annoying aspect of the book was the robot like narration. Awful. Could've been a much more enjoyable experience had they selected a more upbeat narrator.

Worth 6 Hours of your Time

Plenty of interesting observations here. I've worked for a Japanese-based company for 15 years, and the explanations/observations about this particular culture were spot-on (and, I'm sure my Japanese freinds would agree about the many more conclusions made about Americans).

One warning: the Narrator's reading style really bothered me. I've purchased 20+ Audiobooks, and have never really been bothered by a narrator to this degree before. I got through the book by setting my iPhone to "2x" speed. Before buying, listen to the excerpt and make your own conclusion.

Great Book, boring narrator

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Culture Code?

all of it

What three words best describe Barrett Whitener’s performance?

Way too monotone

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but only because it is complex and I wanted to reflect on what I was learning.

Any additional comments?

Great, great book.

a pretty divisive book...

on one hand agree with the reviews that it can be interpreted as overlly sterotypical and anecdotal, on the other hand the authors conclusions of each cultures "code"s are pretty good n insightful too. a pretty heavy "reflective" piece, focusing largely on americans...if only all americans can have such awareness of their "background/upbringing" influences, the world will be a better place... 😂

Must Read

Must read for everyone. I loved the book. Amazing information.