The Global Code written in 2015 has become a worldwide phenomenon: it is a law ingrained in people's subconscious including a new system of values, ideas and rules. . This code was formed and spread by the global tribe – a group of people who travel often and come from many different cultures. They often set trends, disrupt the old status quo and become the target customers of the world's luxury brands.
Who should read this book?
- Students majoring in sociology and anthropology;
- People who are interested in the differences and similarities between cultures;
- People working in the field of marketing and advertising want to make their brand famous worldwide.
About the author
Dr. Clotaire Rapaille is an international marketing expert and founder of Archetype Discoveries Worldwide, an organization that uses global consumer psychology to build the world's biggest brands. He is also the author of several books on marketing, sociology, psychology, and cultural anthropology, including The Cultural Code: An Ingenious Way to Understand People's Ways of Life and Shopping. all over the world.
What does this book have? Learn about global tribes that are influencing the world.
As you know, a tribe is a group in society that evolved out of authority. It is a group of people living without any particular connection or attachment to nationality, who create their own independent standards of living.
At this point, you can think of the Apache or Cherokee tribe with the image of a priest beating a drum by the fire. But, there are other tribes out there that are not like that.
For example, in recent decades a new tribe has been born. It is a global tribe with significant impacts on our daily lives, forming a common law for the whole world.
You still don't know? So that's what this summary is all about.
In this book you will learn:
- How Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg relate to the global tribe;
- Are you an unknown member of a global tribe; and
- Why according to that tribe, “handmade” is better than “Made in China”.
Today, there is a global tribe of trendsetters based on new multicultural norms.
In recent years, new technologies, changes in the way we move, have led to an unprecedented degree of global hyperconnectivity. Smartphones provide information to people around the world at the touch of a finger, and low-cost airlines fly people to faraway places.
With this hyperlinking, a new phenomenon emerges called the global subconscious , or global law.
Of course, each culture still has its own characteristics; people around the world maintain their own voices, ways of working and cooking. However, there are experiences that we all go through in any culture: going to school, getting a job, getting married, starting a family. And wherever we are, most of us dream of finding a better place to live – a place that will give us a better career, a nicer home, and an ideal environment for our children to thrive in.
These shared dreams and beliefs have given rise to global law in today's hyper-connected world. Multimedia and tourism have fueled the growth of a multicultural global tribe – a tribe that follows and finds inspiration in the goals and desires of others.
A global tribe is a small, influential, dynamic group of people who are not limited by a particular society or culture. Instead, the global tribe adheres to a global set of laws drawn from ideas and inspirations around the world.
As this tribe is made up of inspirational individuals, the cultural parts drawn to the code will become world famous; Tribes are the ones who set global trends.
For example, if a tribe decides that a certain fashion brand or social network is top-notch, people around the world will follow suit and rush to buy or use it.
The power of this tribe remains unrecognized even though companies are now creating and selling their products and services according to the global code that is etched in their minds.
The global tribe consists of six tiers, starting with the court, high-class call girls and vendors.
Most organizations have some sort of hierarchy, and the global tribe is no exception. It has a different hierarchy, not like you might find in a kingdom or a royal empire,
This system has six layers. The top three floors are: court, high-class call girls and vendors.
As with any royal structure, we see the court as the highest class.
The people in the tribe that belong to the court are symbols of success, money and fame. While everyone knows who these people are, only a few actually know them.
The members of the court are truly trend-setters: they decide what music, what clothes are stylish, and they define how to behave cool.
Notable members of the court include Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, the Lauders and the Koch brothers.
The second layer of the stratification system is the high-class call girl. They aspire to be members of the court and, like Kate Middleton, they can marry a prince to enter the court. Others aspire to reach this position by following members of the court – going to the same university, or going to charity events.
Unlike members of the court, high-class call girls are eager to get attention and press; They are like stars about to explode, always hungry to be the center.
The third layer is the suppliers. These are the people who provide the court with luxury items, from watches to cars. They throw court parties and do their best to please them and guess what they want to buy next.
Famous suppliers to the global tribe are luxury brands such as Cartier, Chanel, Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
At the top of the third layer are real estate agents eager to help court members buy and sell land. They also enjoyed speculating on court needs by showing them ads for Newport beachfront homes while they vacationed in Aspen.
The bottom half of the global tribe are typical creators, third culture individuals, and aspirants.
When we come to the lower layers of the global tribe, we meet the fourth layer, consisting of the typical creators.
They are artists, thinkers and philosophers who create artistic and symbolic values for the global tribe.
Just as King Louis XIV and the court in Versailles had creative people to help shape style and flair, the global tribal court also benefited from the help of typical creators.
Oscar Niemeyer, a Brazilian architect, is a prime example of the modern innovator. He influenced modern architecture by working for the country's upper classes and designing mansions for them.
Coco Chanel is another example. She changed the face of fashion and was the first designer sought after by the rich and famous.
After the artists, we have the fifth tier, which includes people from the third culture.
This category is related to children in global tribes, who are born to parents from one culture but have children after moving to another culture. People of third cultures tend to spend a lot of time traveling and living in many different cultures.
Since these people may come from a military family or have parents or have to travel for work reasons, they may have less money than others in the tribe. People from third cultures tend to be more tolerant and open-minded than people from monocultural families.
Finally, we have the aspirants, or the hustlers.
Aspiring people come from life outside the tribe but always pursue the ambition to be a part of it. Although they have money and try to become members, they are held back by fear that they have no rights or do not understand the rules of the global tribe.
Aspirants still have things to learn – like how to talk about topics like art, opera or polo games or how to mingle at a charity event.
Following the triple principle helps global tribe members to become global citizens with a wide network of contacts.
After these initial recaps, you're probably thinking how it's possible to become a member of a global tribe.
One of the first things you have to do is follow the rule of threes.
The principle of triplets means that each member of the tribe must have at least three residences, be it central or urban, that they call home. And if you don't own real estate in such places, as a rule members must have lived in three different countries, speak three different languages, and be familiar with three different cultures.
For example, look at Jean-Paul, a prominent member of the global tribe. His mother is French and his father is American, giving him dual citizenship. Therefore, he has lived in both France and the US, but he also lived in Toronto (Canada) while attending university and worked in Madrid for four years.
With such a resume and job in Madrid, Jean-Paul speaks English, French and Spanish, but he is also familiar with Italian thanks to his Italian girlfriend. All of this gave him a wide circle of friends, classmates, and colleagues around the world and made Jean-Paul recognized as a member of the global tribe.
And people like Jean-Paul have vast global connections, tending to stay with their friends while traveling rather than staying in hotels. This is often true of members of the global tribe. With phone, email, and tools like Facebook and Twitter, they can easily make cross-border communications.
It also helps members of global tribes often live in places with favorable locations and international links.
These are megacities with large airports that have flights to other cities around the world. They are also trade-friendly cities, conducive to free trade, and strategically located to connect people with goods and services.
The major cities that meet these requirements are Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai, Monaco and Luxembourg.
According to the global tribe, luxury is a unique combination of craftsmanship.
As we saw in the previous summary lines, the people in the tribal court set the trend. But that doesn't mean the other members just follow them, everyone follows the court-determined standards of luxury.
Because today's world is hyper-connected, people can keep a close eye on the global tribe to see what they're buying – and make it their goal.
Years ago fashion magazines were what gave us a glimpse of the trends, but these days you can go online every day and follow several Instagram accounts to see what famous court members are wearing and wearing. buy something.
Because their multicultural taste is considered the best, and because they have enough money to spend, the courts are now fully qualified to set the standard for world luxury.
And for the global tribe, luxury doesn't just mean expensive – it suggests something unique and handcrafted.
So, instead of just looking for fashion brands from Italy or France, the global tribe will decide on luxury with labels like "pre-order", "make to measure" or "make to order".
In the tribe, unique and handcrafted items are most appreciated.
There has been a recent outcry against machine-made biodegradable products. People want one-of-a-kind products that offer originality and artistry just like crafts. Those are products made with patience, passion and dedication – things that help put on a luxurious coat for the item.
For example, there are many expensive watches that are made by movement, but the handcrafted ones by Patek Philippe are always more coveted, thanks to the skill and finesse required to create them.
In short, the global tribe creates the highest standard of luxury and a system of associated complementary properties; Society's job now is to follow them.
Successful brands around the world follow global tribal luxury and capitalize on it.
So, if being part of a global tribe isn't within your reach, you might want to create a global brand that excites them and fulfills the needs of your tribe.
One of the first steps to a successful global brand is to sell your product in a way that affects people all over the world.
In the end, if you really start a brand that resonates with people, it has the potential to grow into a luxury brand.
Take Jeep as an example. They use a marketing strategy that advises people not to need a way because with Jeep they can make their own way. Men can remember this message because subconsciously every guy wants to become their own big boss and create their own rules.
The success of Jeep's campaign shows us that if you understand what the global tribe aspires to, you can use that knowledge to create a long-lasting and luxurious product or brand.
Other brands succeed by capitalizing on the fact that the global tribe likes to be a special group with the privilege of easy mobility.
Laphroaige is a famous brand of Scotch whiskey that has implemented a marketing plan to make customers feel special.
They do this by offering their customers a membership to the Friends of Laphroaig club. And once they join the club, the offer becomes even more special: members will have the opportunity to purchase a square foot of land in Scotland.
In terms of travel, American Express knows that the global tribe wants to get around simply and quickly.
So they established a one-step international pick-up system. This allows passengers as soon as they land at the airport to have access to a personalized guide to guide them through the gates and assist with the formalities.
In doing so, American Express fulfills two key elements of the global tribe: they make customers feel special and they make commuting easier. And this is an arrow that hits two targets.
Final conclusion
The main message of the book:
The Universal Code is a new set of values and beliefs shaped and composed by the global tribe. People respect the global tribe because they have multicultural palates and can follow them easily thanks to the hyperlinked nature of today's world. Global Tribes are international style icons that set the standard for luxury, by which they predict products that people around the world want to buy.
Action advice:
Let's integrate when going on a business trip abroad.
When you go abroad, even if you can't speak their language, try to blend in with the culture. This is especially important if you are there for business. Before meeting your business partner, prepare by learning about their country's customs, such as how to address your superiors, how to come to an agreement or dress code. .
