The Meaning behind Meaning in Marketing

 A hot topic for all brand marketers is aligning your brand to purpose. Our job as marketers is to do something more for society and civilization than persuade them to choose our product over the competitors. Corporate social responsibility is no longer a page on a website but should be deeply connected to the heartbeat of an organization. We have even been defined as living in an era of meaning – a time when our corporate responsibility is interwoven with the future of humankind.

We are at a point where we have bought into the idea that brand marketing serves as a role in our lives. In fact, the most impactful brands are those that are welcomed into homes around the world with open arms. They are searched for by people who know that the brand’s voice serves that purpose in their lives. The work for us to do as marketers is to understand how to make our connection as meaningful as possible. Further to that, identify what meaning actually mean. Meaning doesn’t always co-

relate to cause – meaning can be how your brand provides value (Walmart) or joy (Disney). Meaning can be how you bring communities together (NFL) or how you inspire youth to think bigger (Crayola). It’s up to you to define the meaning for your brand and align your communications to it, so that you’re laddering to something bigger.

A lot of marketers get caught up in the HOW, and understandably so, it’s not an easy exercise. If a brand is well defined there’s a pre-existing runway in the form of values and characteristics that help shape your meaning. The important part to this is to layer in consumer sentiment and values that are broader than your brand – how do consumers feel about the world? How do they feel about your category? What are things that worry them about their future – especially within your category? If you’re a food and beverage brand is it the health of their family? If you’re a bank is it being able to financially support their future? If you’re an auto brand is it the concern about a clean environment for tomorrow? For a QSR is it about finding more moments of joy with your family?

Starting from the mindset of a human being brings you closer to meaning that is actually meaningful. By diving into human truths – fears, concerns, worries of our future – brands can find a way to connect their vision with the challenges we are all facing as humans. This can mean we are working towards global issues of environment, economy and inclusivity. It can also mean we are working to bring joy, laughter, and togetherness. The depth of meaning is how much it connects with another human. Yes, some of us can aspire to change the world, but if all of us aspire to make another person feel heard and connected, we are bringing meaning to our jobs.