cultural-context

Cultural Context — perception is coded by where you are

Psycho-logic works on perceived reality, and perception is written in a local language you don't automatically speak. A guarantee that reads as "confident" in one market reads as "desperate — why would they promise that?" in another. Cheapness signals "smart value" here and "they cut corners, how disrespectful" there. Before you reframe, signal, or redesign a moment, establish the local rules for what the move will mean. This is the lens; market-recon is the fieldwork.

The principle

Sutherland's levers all act on perception, and perception is set by culture — so the same lever, unchanged, produces different behaviour in different markets. The default failure is exporting a home-market playbook and assuming the psychology transfers. It doesn't. What transfers is the method (find the perception, not the metric); the content of "premium," "trust," "safe," and "expensive" is local and must be re-derived per market.

The dimensions that rewire the moves

Treat these as hypotheses about the target market — dials, not verdicts. For each move you're about to make, ask which dials bend it.

• Uncertainty avoidance — how much reassurance, detail, guarantee, and precedent people need before acting. High-avoidance markets reward explicit guarantees, credentials, and "everyone else does this too"; low-avoidance ones find the same reassurance patronising. (bends costly-signaling, experience-design)
• Individualism vs collectivism — does "what you gain" persuade, or "what your family/group/neighbours will think"? Social proof and belonging beat personal-benefit copy in collectivist markets. (bends reframing, costly-signaling)
• Status & power distance — whether visible hierarchy, prestige, and authority attract or repel. Status signals that lift desire in one market read as vulgar or untrustworthy in another. (bends reframing, costly-signaling)
• High- vs low-context communication — how explicit the message must be. Low-context markets (e.g. much of the US) want it spelled out; high-context ones (e.g. Japan) read tone, restraint, and what's left unsaid — over-explaining signals mistrust. (bends every message and reframe)
• Mental-accounting & price norms — what "expensive" means, whether round or .99 prices signal quality, whether haggling is expected, which pocket a cost lands in. Price framing is not portable. (bends reframing)
• Trust locus — where credibility comes from: institutions and certifications, personal relationships and introductions, or peer reviews and ratings. Aim your costly signal at the local source of trust. (bends costly-signaling)
• Taboo & sacredness — what must not be joked about, discounted, rushed, or made "fun." Cross this and no clever frame survives it. Critical in death, health, money, religion, and family. (vetoes moves that violate it)