Chrysler When Chrysler decided to offer a new sedan, it had already done a great
deal of traditional market research that suggested U.S. consumers wanted excellent gas
mileage, safety, and prices. However, it was only through qualitative research that Chrysler
discovered what cultural anthropologist Clotaire Rapaille calls “the code”—the unconscious
meaning people give to a particular market offering. First, interviewers took on the role of “a
visitor from another planet,” asking participants to help them understand the product in question. Then,
participants told stories about the product, and finally, after a relaxation exercise, they wrote about their first
experiences with it. In this way, Chrysler learned that “cookie-cutter” sedans were “off-code,” and it used
information from the sessions to create the PT Cruiser. With its highly distinctive retro design, this sedan was
one of the most successful U.S. car launches in recent history.36