We assign meaning to everything we do.

We are transacting through the medium of meaning. Everything from saying "good morning" to buying a pair of shoes, pass through the medium. People are meaning mongers.

We trade in meaning. We buy a pair of jeans but we are buying permission to feel hip and sexy. We buy permission to feel good about ourselves.

But meaning is relative.

Meaning changes from person to person, from setting to setting, even from mood to mood.

And meaning has value. It has cultural capital. It comprises your brand's equity.

Discovering and disentangling this lexicon of meaning empowers brand stewards and product designers. It helps you say what you mean and mean what you say.