In every category, there are brands people buy and brands people believe in. Or framed differently, high engagement categories, brands people deeply care about (I do my research, brands are a badge), and low engagement - those mostly bought on auto-pilot (I choose them but I’m not emotionally invested in the brand.)
Yay! Or meh.
Both important in the ecosystem of things we need, things we love and things we aspire to.
The difference lies in meaning.
For nearly 30 years, I’ve worked with highly specialised individuals, devoured books and attended masterclasses that have shaped my understanding and belief that meaning isn’t decoration, it’s direction. It’s true that it isn’t often possible to alter consumers conversion from “meh” to “yay”, we can influence their connection in a positive way. It’s the emotional and cultural code that determines whether your brand earns a place in someone’s memory, or simply passes through their feed.
Most decisions are made unconsciously. Behavioural psychology reminds us that people don’t choose logically — they choose emotionally, and then rationalise later. That’s where Meaning, the first sphere in our BrandOrbit™ philosophy, comes into play.
Meaning connects positioning, storytelling, and symbolism — translating strategy into emotion. It’s how we bridge what a brand intends to say with what people actually hear, feel, and believe. As Roland Barthes said, “you don’t just fall in love — you enter the text of love.” Meaning operates in the same way: it’s authored, received, and constantly reinterpreted through culture.
The power of meaning isn’t abstract, it’s visible in every enduring brand.
Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi: Both sell sugar water, but only one sells happiness. Coca-Cola’s unbroken focus on emotional consistency (“Open Happiness”, “Share a Coke”) has made it a universal shorthand for connection. Pepsi, in contrast, has reinvented itself repeatedly — and it has been argued, they have lost meaning in the process.
Liquid Death: A masterclass in modern positioning. By wrapping water in heavy metal aesthetics, the brand redefined hydration as rebellion. Its success isn’t about taste, it’s about identity. Love it or hate it, you can’t argue it’s been one of the most hotly debated brand case study of the last 50 years.
De Beers: The diamond engagement ring wasn’t a cultural truth until a brand made it one. A symbol was authored, shared, and embedded into human ritual. That’s the long game of meaning.
Nestle Kit Kat: Proof that meaning endures when aligned. Its “Have a Break” platform hasn’t changed since 1957 — yet it continues to evolve through culture, proving that emotional distinctiveness beats visual novelty.
Meaning isn’t about what you make, it’s about what people make of you.
Our work draws on decades of research and thought leadership in branding, psychology, and semiotics — from Al & Laura Ries, who taught us that “positioning is what you do to the mind of a prospect,” to Debbie Millman, who reframed branding as the art of meaning, not marketing.
From Mark Batey’s research on symbolism and shared values, to Mark Barden’s challenge for brands to create meaning that improves people’s lives, these thinkers remind us that brands thrive when they embody belief systems, not just business goals.
Meaning, when designed with behavioural insight, becomes a gravitational force. It pulls people closer, shapes their perception, and influences the cultural language of a category.
At Edison, we build brands from the inside out — not around what they look like, but what they stand for.
Our approach combines behavioural science, semiotic analysis, and creative storytelling to identify the symbolic and emotional codes that make brands unforgettable. Meaning helps us decode how audiences interpret signals — colours, sounds, rituals, language — and recode them for stronger emotional resonance and market impact.
When done well, meaning becomes an ecosystem: every message, mark, and experience orbiting around a central
Because while design may catch your eye, meaning captures your mind.
