chief meaning officer: tangible ways to create intangible value
DESCRIPTION
Presentation given in Beijing and Shanghai in April 2010TRANSCRIPT
Chief Meaning Officer Tangible ways to create intangible value
Shanghai, April 2010
“Because the purpose of business is to
create a customer, the business enterprise
has two—and only two—basic functions:
marketing and innovation.”Peter Drucker
MEANING
Macro-trendsFROM POST- TO ULTRA-MODERNITY: “Man as the measure of all things”
Downshifting -> SimplicityValue for money, price sensitivity, discounts
Transparency -> ClarityOpen communications, clear essence
Selfness -> ControlSelf-governance, tangibility
Age of Less -> SubstanceLong-term thinking, lightness
“The job of leadership today is not
just to make money. It is to make
meaning.” – John Hagel
The pyramid
is a cube
GREEN SOCIAL
The pyramid
is a cube
MEANING
FUNCTIONALITY
EMOTIONAL UTILITARIAN
Self-
actualization
Self-esteem
Sense of belonging
Safety needs
Physiological needs
SOCIAL SOCIAL
FUTURE
PRESENT
GREEN SOCIAL
MEANING
FUNCTIONALITY
EMOTIONAL UTILITARIAN
Self-
actualization
Self-esteem
Sense of belonging
Safety needs
Physiological needs
SOCIAL SOCIAL
FUTURE
PRESENT
Social
InnovationValues
Meaning
MEANING =
Unique event…
…that you can share with others
…that relates to a greater purpose
MEANING =
Unique event…
(DISRUPTIVE)
…that you can share with others
(SOCIAL)
…that relates to a greater purpose
(TRANSCENDENT)
PRODUCT/SERVICE
[Scarcity]
COMMUNITY
[Sociality]
PURPOSE
[Transcendence]
MEANING
Real-time conversations
Micro-content
Open collaboration
Internal
brandholdersExternal
brandholders
DATA is the bank…
MEANING is the currency…
CHIEF
MEANING
OFFICER
RULE #1
LISTEN AND CONVERSE (CONVERGE)
The Seven Rules of the Chief Meaning Officer
…but it is not dead…
…but it is not dead…
Everything has changed!
“In the old days, brands
wanted everybody to pay
attention to them.
Now brands need to pay
attention to everybody else.”
- Umair Haque
Your brand is what other
people say about you
when you’re not in the
room.
A brand is a small town
that never sleeps.
The conversation
is the message.
“Brands must have
an argument to win.”
– John Battelle
© Social Butterfly
Empathy vs.
knowledge
“B2B customers are consumers who have the luxury of having a corporation pay for what they want to buy.”
Authenticity
trumps image
“It has to be based on truth. Has to have a sense of wonder.
You must bring something to it that no one else has because of who you are.
What’s interesting about you is you.”
– Alonzo King
Creative
convergence
CONSUMER
EXPERIENCE
Media
Entertainment
Telco
Retail
eCommerceWellness
Auto
Banking
Energy
BRAND
EXPERIENCE
Mobile
Personal
Instant/
Real-time
AugmentedLocation-
based
Gaming
Social
CUSTOMER JOURNEY
BRAND
EXPERIENCE
Mobile
Personal
Instant/
Real-time
AugmentedLocation-
based
Gaming
Social
DESIGN
TECHNOLOGY
BUSINESS
DESIGN
TECHNOLOGY
BUSINESS
CONSUMER
EXPERIENCE
Media
Entertainment
Telco
Retail
eCommerceWellness
Auto
Banking
Energy
Marketing
Advertising
Gaming
Apps
Brand
PR
Publishing
Social media
Interactive
41Everything is connected.
PRODUCTSHardware, software, services
INTERACTIONSWeb, blogs, social networks, Twitter, forums, email…
MESSAGESBrand, advertising, collateral, packaging…
SETTINGSRetail, events…
42
All touchpoints must be integrated.
PRODUCTSHardware, software, services
INTERACTIONSWeb, blogs, social networks, Twitter, forums, email…
MESSAGESBrand, advertising, collateral, packaging…
SETTINGSRetail, events…
43
Marketing must be connected with everything else.
PRODUCTSHardware, software, services
INTERACTIONSWeb, blogs, social networks, Twitter, forums, email, custsvc…
MESSAGESBrand, advertising, collateral, packaging…
SETTINGSRetail, events…
R&D
Eng.
Design
Marketing
Manuf.
SW Dev.
Sales
Exec
Strategy
Web
Brand
Company
Retail
Partners
ODM
SW Dev Advert.
RULE #2
ATOMIZE!
The Seven Rules of the Chief Meaning Officer
The Shrinking Brand
Only 48 seats
Only 48 seats
Only 48 seats
51
Only 48 seats
Economy of
micro-scale
Shorter
attention
spans
Hyper-
connectivity
Miniaturization of
content, products,
and services
Hyper-
transparency
Fragmentation of
demand and
supply
Only 48 seats
SHRINK YOUR
BRAND!
TIMING DISTRIBUTION
CONTENT/FORMAT
TIMINGDISTRIBUTION
CONTENT/FORMAT
Micro-blogging Video/audio-snacking
Widgets
Social mediaLean into the
frame
Take advantage of
the new prime
times
Adjust your
marketing cycle
Democratic
exclusivity
“Small” amateur stories
RULE #3
ACTIVATE YOUR CUSTOMERS
The Seven Rules of the Chief Meaning Officer
“Brands aren’t defined by campaigns
anymore, but by the consumer ecosystems
we nurture to support them.”
-Mike Mendenhall, CMO, Hewlett-Packard
58
“Open it up and it will design itself.”Norman Lewis
Top innovators are 19% more likely to have an open approach to
innovation compared to the average company. They are especially likely to
open up their business intelligence and idea development to third parties
- Arthur D. Little innovation report 2009
If you have something to show, hide it!
Create a new reality
Activate dormant networks
RULE #4
THINK AND ACT LIKE
A MEDIA COMPANY
The Seven Rules of the Chief Meaning Officer
“The first rule of the Fight Club: Don’t talk about the Fight Club.”
Marketing is like a newsroom
Speaker series
Print magazine
Video
Blogs
Social media touch points
Weekly frog news
Newsletter
Marketing Hardware Marketing Software
Brand architecture Live brands
Messages Conversations
Sales brochures Endorsements
Feature lists Expertise
Destination sites Distributed/social web
Tradeshows Mobile applications
Trademarks Goodwill
Pull Push
Packaging Revelations
Out-of-the-box Insights
Status Experience
Point-of-sale Point-of-views
Closed Open-source
Look and feel Interaction
Direct mailing Connections
Billboards/ads Customer service
Print collateral Widgets
………. ……….
RULE #5
GIVE MORE THAN YOU TAKE
The Seven Rules of the Chief Meaning Officer
“You are what you share.”- Charles Leadbeater
“Giving is the New Taking, and Sharing is the New Giving.”
– Trendwatching
“You make a living by what you get.
You make a life by what you give.”
– Winston Churchill
Radical Transparency
Democratic Exclusivity
Democratic Exclusivity
Free sharing of
abundance vs.
monetizing
scarcity
“Create more value than you capture.”Tim O’Reilly
“Media is inherently social. It provides an idea pathway between people.”- Faris Yacob
Social media will be THE media
Social Media is here to stay.
The influence of the masses will only continue to grow as
Social Media tools improve and more and older consumers
climb the Social Technographics Ladder, moving from in-
actives, spectators, and joiners to collectors, critics, and
creators.
Social marketing will be THE marketing
All products and services will be SOCIAL
Social publishing
Social impact
Social content
Social networksWhere?
What?
How?
Social gamingWhat for?
Social search
Social shopping
Social currency
Business
must be
social
RULE #6
Be the change
The Seven Rules of the Chief Meaning Officer
RULE #7
Interrupt Disrupt!
The Seven Rules of the Chief Meaning Officer
Disrupt schemata
The product is the story.
The story is the product.
The desire to connect
1. LISTEN AND CONVERSE (CONVERGE)
2. ATOMIZE!
3. ACTIVATE YOUR CUSTOMERS
4. THINK AND ACT LIKE A MEDIA
COMPANY
5. GIVE MORE THAN YOU TAKE
6. BE THE CHANGE
7. DISRUPT!
The Seven Rules of the Chief Meaning Officer
PRODUCT/SERVICE
[Scarcity]
COMMUNITY
[Sociality]
PURPOSE
[Transcendence]
MEANING
Real-time conversations
Micro-content
Open collaboration
Internal
brandholdersExternal
brandholders
DRAMATIC
Making sense
Cohesion
Convergence
Morale
Consistency
Imagination
Entertainment
Cultural relevance
Characters
Suspense
Comedy
Tragedy
Identification
SOCIAL
Connecting
Community
Belonging
Identity
Like-minded
Affinity
New people
Status
Compassion
Fun
Love
Friendship
Hobbies
Fans
CONVERSATIONAL
Listening
Empathy
Adaptive
Changing messages
Two-way
Let go of control
Open
Respect
Flow
Topical
Point-of-view
SMALL
Micro
Customizable
Relevant
Actionable
Eye-to-eye
Direct
Instant
Accessible
Sharable
Atomized
DISRUPTIVE
Making you think
Disruption
Divergence
Deconstruction
Surprise
Shock
Unexpected
Unlikely
Challenging
status quo
Unique
Attention-grabbing
Different
In your face
RESPONSIBLE
Doing good
Political
Socially responsible
Eco-friendly
Ethical
Human rights
Values
Family
Nation
Common Good
Earth
Chief Meaning Officer checklist
