What meaning do you make?

I had a fascinating conversation with one of my mentors a couple of weeks ago. He is a hugely brilliant and successful CMO and has worked with many highly successful CPG brands.

I've probably learned more from working alongside Cam than any one else in my entire career.

He was the person who taught me the importance of being on the coal face with consumers- actually speaking and interacting with them. This should happen regardless of the size of the brand, and actually the bigger you get the more you are in danger of losing touch with the consumer.

He also taught me that a brand is the sum of all its parts, and it should feel the same as a social media post as a sales pitch to retailers.

The conversation we had was about how you remove subjectivity when it comes to reviewing creativity.

This is when Cam said something that I have thought of ever since:

“It’s all about the meaning make’

Me…. Huh?

Our job with any marketing or advertising is to create meaning and experiences.

It’s not about us liking or not liking creativity, but instead judging it on what consumers think and feel after interacting with said piece of work.

Studies have shown that 95% of our purchasing decisions are made using System 1 thinking which is subconscious rather than post-rationalised, which is why the feeling and the emotional connection that you can create with a consumer should be central to everything you do.

For anyone creating work, this should be part of the brief- what is it that you want people to think, feel and do as a result of this work, and what will the action be if this is a success.

What’s the meaning you make with your brand?