At milk*, we work hard to put ourselves into the consumer headspace and while we are usually thinking domestically, this review of “Fish Can’t See Water: How National Cultures Can Make or Break Corporate Strategy” caught our eye. In the 1990’s Walmart decided to expand into Germany by purchasing two German retail chains and “Walmartizing” them. They put in bright lighting (too wasteful), added “greeters (too forward) and instructed employees to speak English (–Huh?). Needless to say, it was a catastrophic failure with profits falling over 150% in one year. “Fish Can’t See” breaks the world’s cultures into three types: “Linear-Active” (North America and Northern Europe) stresses timekeeping and getting-to-the-point, “Multi-Active” (Latin America and Southern Europe) stresses emotion and sociability and “Reactive” (Asia) stresses harmony and “saving face”. Many countries fall into a combination of these three types, and understanding cultural characteristics and how people think is key for success.