Why Meaning Matters

We're wrapping up season two with a conversation about the changing meaning of menstrual health and hygiene that demonstrates just how connected we all are. In today's episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal talk about what hair ‘down there' and free bleeding mean to today's consumers including toppling the patriarchy and environmental impact.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   There's an aspect of menstrual health that is seeing a change right now and it's what women consider to be “basic hygiene”. That includes pubic hair and its associated notion to the lack of hygiene which bears no scientific reality.   UJWAL [00:05:41] “It's a patriarchal expectation and it's certainly a problem in culture and it's being challenged.“   The media portrayal of being completely bare from 20 years ago is being challenged by women raising important questions and pointing out the purpose of pubic hair.   JASON [00:07:34] “There is a purpose for why our bodies are a certain way. And when we mess with it, it messes us up. And that starts to basically be a pushback against the expectation. And that's where expectations start to change.“   Social media is playing a role in the discourse and facilitating circulation of the free-bleeding movement and greatly impacting the feminine hygiene space with new product lines.   UJWAL [00:09:57] “They're amazing products now that are specifically built for, let's say, heavier flow days that are period underwear that are genuinely ten times more comfortable, and we can see consumers talking about this, but there's a symbolism around that, right. Which is that, the symbolism is, this thing isn't hiding the way it used to be and the other symbolism is that this is actually better for vaginal health. And so that makes a huge difference.”   JASON [00:12:28] “And that in and of itself is basically creating different narratives and different tensions and challenges in what is the right thing to do.”   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Consumers are tethered to their smartphones everyday but what are the culture dynamics at play? In today's episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal put down their smartphones to talk about the myths and changing meaning of cell phones.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   While MotivBase is studying the meanings around cell phones some would say, ‘What is there to analyze? It seems like everyone has one.'   UJWAL [00:02:13] “I think that's the whole point about studying meaning. The unsexy topics become sexy when you examine what they mean because there's always something that surprises us.”   Health meanings with respect to cell phones is one of those surprises. Consumers have all the health apps on their smartphones but, in contrast, these phones have been cause for unhealthy behaviors as well.   UJWAL [00:03:15] “There's been a lot of lobbying on this. But for the first time we're seeing consumers clearly make that distinction. And the distinction comes through two words, because meaning is all about words and language, and that language is Quality of Life.”   Consumers, while addicted, have come to a level of acceptance that smartphones are a part of who they are.   JASON [00:05:12] “Now I've become this person that has almost become somewhat of a creature that is partially the phone and the phone is part of me. And, that in and of itself is something that I readily accept because it allows me to thrive at so many things that I couldn't thrive at previously.”   Additionally, there is social capital in the narrative around cell phone usage. That is, there is a distinction developing between appropriate and inappropriate usage; an emerging form of cell phone etiquette.   UJWAL [00:07:47] “There's so many little moments now let's call them millions of little micro moments that are happening every day with our cell phones. The point is, do you use it to enhance your quality of life, to solve problems, to be present in the moment, to live a healthier life? Or, do you use it to, actually, to the detriment of your quality of life?”   Equally mind blowing is the distinctions that consumers are making on the role of artificial intelligence (AI), their phones and the roles that the companies producing these devices are playing.   UJWAL [00:11:30] “What's interesting to me again, is the consumer's making a distinction. The consumer does not want to fake creativity. The consumer wants the technology to help them become more creative. Let me rephrase that. Help me learn to be more creative.”   UJWAL [00:12:58] “And of course there's an entire industry of human centric design that is built around these design principles. How do you design to teach people things? And, so this has already been done in a zillion industries. I think it's just a renewed focus. It's a different way to approach the use of the technology itself.”   In the next episode, our hosts wrap up season two with a conversation about menstrual health and hygiene. Stay tuned for episode twelve, season two finale of Why Meaning Matters.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

In today's episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal continue the conversation on the myths and meaning of cannabis use in today's Western culture including the newly prominent work from home lifestyle, perception and consumer buying power.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   In season one, our hosts discussed how ideas start as myths in culture which eventually become truths when enough people agree or build consensus on that myth. Cannabis culture is no exception.   UJWAL [00:03:06] “I think there's something very interesting there because the myths around it are especially exacerbated by the fact that now we are going into a culture where we're saying it's okay to work from home.”   For cannabis companies, not only does this mean legitimizing and selling cannabis products, it also means tackling the threat of newly developing myths such as work-life balance and productivity when working from home.   JASON [00:04:40] “You know, now it's this idea of killing productivity, which while at the same time is a little bit less dramatic potentially of some of the embellishments that happened in the past. But in some ways it's more dangerous because you know, what is really interesting is that the more a myth is easy to understand and the more a myth is easy to identify as something you can relate to, the more sticky it can be”   How cannabis use continues to be represented and perceived in media and pop culture is that of unproductivity and a disconnect from science.   UJWAL [00:07:55] “So if you're a cannabis company, you have gotta be freaking out right now, because on one hand, everybody started to throw money at cannabis and it's not yielding the way it was supposed to yield. And on the other hand, I have not seen a single example of a cannabis company, a cannabis brand that has found a way to build a proper legitimate brand out of this. It's a mess.”   Comparing the subcultures built around the role of alcohol and smoking as facilitating productivity while cannabis continues to be linked to a notion of laziness.   JASON [00:10:05] “Again, alcohol has the aperitif. It's sophisticated, right? Like what is cannabis's aperitif?”   There remains large groups of consumers who don't believe in what “Big Cannabis” is doing and prefer to stick with underground sources where legitimacy has been built over time.   JASON [00:11:27] “If cannabis wants to make inroads with those groups of consumers, they also have to figure out what authenticity means with those consumers. Otherwise, they're going to constantly be at odds with each other.”   UJWAL [00:12:15] “The definition of authenticity is different in the context of cannabis for recreation and it's different in the context of cannabis for medical purposes, let's say for pain relief and all that sort of stuff.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, the myths and meaning of cell phones in a world craving authenticity.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!    

In today's episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal bridge the connections between sleep and pain to cannabis. They explore the use of cannabis for managing inflammation, how it interacts with other supplements, and how it's being used on a daily basis for general health and wellbeing. There's a lot to unpack, so let's dig in…   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   As alluded to in the last episode, consumers are looking for a solution for their sleepless nights and for pain relief.   UJWAL [00:03:19] “It's seen as a solution for pain and in particular as a holistic solution for pain, because the consumer is becoming more and more aware of the, not just of the opioid crisis in America, but also of the general over-prescription of painkiller crisis in the US.”   There is still a cultural hurdle or stigma for cannabis users to overcome however cannabis use for chronic pain and inflammation has become more acceptable in recent years.   JASON [00:06:41] “So it's exciting because it really does start to present a really interesting place where something that has been so associated with, again, Matthew McConaughey, ‘All right. All right. All right', now is basically being associated with, you know, my mother's friend who is really kind of figuring out a way to deal with her arthritis.”   Cannabis use now intersects with food, nutrition and supplement culture more than ever before. And consumers are asking smarter questions that may not have been considered in the past. For example, ‘Are my supplements and cannabis doses interacting with one another?' Or,  ‘Could one have a negative impact on the other?'   UJWAL [00:09:09] “So if you're a cannabis company, you may have to think about how to get into the supplement business because those Venn diagrams are getting more and more intertwined with each other. And then on the other hand, if you're a supplement company, you have to think about how to get into the world of cannabis, because those Venn diagrams are getting more and more intertwined.”   Consumers are accustomed to the question, “How many drinks do you have per week?” The alcohol industry is also impacted as consumers gravitate towards substances they believe they have more control over.   JASON [00:11:59] “I can start to science my dosage. I can think of it more as a medicinal element that helps me basically kind of maintain less stress, as opposed to these other things that I feel are kind of a little bit harder to control.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, from storefronts being high while working from home, we dive deeper into the conversation and myths around cannabis culture.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

In today's episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal discuss the shifting meaning of sleep. From consumer concern for tolerance to sleep aids and drugs to holistic sleep support and how living with chronic pain impacts sleep.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   It seems consumers are desperate for a good night's sleep and are prepared to try anything to make it happen. But, researchers at MotiveBase are seeing a growing concern for tolerance and long-term effects of sleep aids.   UJWAL [00:03:20] “So now suddenly people are realizing, ‘Hang on a second, this is not sustainable for me long-term. I can't be popping certain pills just to help me sleep. I need more natural solutions'.”   Exercise, eating habits, screen time, recovery. Consumers have become more aware of the holistic impact of their daily choices that can lead to a better or worse night's sleep.   JASON [00:06:19] “So as consumers are thinking more about the holistic choices they're making it's just natural that sleep has risen in the conversation and the narrative because it is so important to how we live our lives, but also how we basically recover from all these aspects of life that happen when we're awake.”   UJWAL [00:07:57] “And the problem is that you will struggle to find a company that demonstrates that today, a holistic approach to sleep in the future, sleep in general, and the impact of sleep on our overall health and wellbeing, … because all the solutions are targeted solutions.”   And with this shift in understanding the interconnectedness comes the developing connection of sleep and pain particularly for those living with chronic pain.   UJWAL [00:10:40] “The consumer realizes that, ‘Hang on a second. If I'm living with pain, that too bears a connection to sleep.' And again, it's a chicken and an egg, right? I don't know what comes first but the point is that it bears a connection.”   This presents a tension of sorts amongst consumers.   JASON [00:11:16] “Where on one side of the equation, we've got a group of consumers that is realizing that we can't just be reactionary. Right? We can't. Take a pill to solve a problem.”   JASON [00:12:03] “Now the tension on the other side is there is a group of consumers that are reacting because they are trying to overcome this notion of pain and they're exploring, and they're looking for new types of solutions.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, we take a closer look at one of the solutions that is creating a huge wave in the area of holistic health application. Cannabis.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

In today's episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal discuss the meaning of premium oral health. There are three areas that consumers and companies in the oral care industry are concerned with: sustainability, formulation or ingredients, and ease of use.   Consumers are overwhelmed by the options in the toothpaste aisle. Major companies have struggled to improve their margins. It goes to show that there is a cultural gap somewhere and MotivBase is exploring what it all means.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   To the consumer, sustainability in the context of oral health means zero waste. And not just zero plastic waste.   UJWAL [00:04:19] “So zero waste is not just reducing waste, which is the obvious but in the consumer's mind it means being minimalistic. Yes, I know that's not technically zero waste, but that's why we study meaning.”   JASON [00:05:15] “[W]hat you're kind of alluding to right now is that, even as people are thinking about the role of, you know, caring for oneself or taking care of one's teeth, they're looking for better solutions, but less solutions with less to clutter the environment, because at the end of the day that says something about how they're choosing to live their lives.”   From outer packaging and presentation to product formulation, we're starting to see all the do's and don'ts of the food industry show up in oral health and the oral care aisle. It's simply par for the course now for a product to be considered premium in oral health.   UJWAL [00:07:38] “...not only is it innovative, it also does not have all the don'ts right? Whether it's preservatives, sugars, harm to animals, all of that stuff. It has to be a combination. You can't just do one of them and go, ‘yep, this is premium'.   Toothpaste. Tooth brush. Floss. Mouthwash. Teeth whitening. The list goes on. One thing is crystal clear, there's a complex set of considerations that are going into place every time we walk down the oral care aisle. And it has to be as simple and as easy as possible.   JASON [00:12:45] “All of these things are kind of a toolkit that we're building and we're assessing each and every one of these components as we put together our Batman utility belt of oral care for each of the members of our family.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, we move from the bathroom to the bedroom to dissect the cultural meaning (and challenges) of getting a quality night's sleep.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!    

Erin, Jason and Ujwal have tackled some heavy topics up to this point but in today's episode of Why Meaning Matters, they discuss the topic to end all topics: Cow farts. Join giggling children everywhere as they dive into the meaning and value we place on methane and climate change.   Consumers have been led to believe that grass-fed tastes better, is better for your health and is better for the environment, often paying a hefty premium for grass-fed products. As it turns out, that's only partially true.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   What we're now discovering is a grass diet promotes increased methane gas production; a huge problem from an environmental justice and climate change standpoint.   UJWAL [00:04:31] “So if you're one of those people that's trying to be environmentally sustainable, suddenly one discovers that, ‘Hey, all this symbolic capital, all this symbolic currency that we had thrown towards grass-fed, we're taking some of that back and we're checking it back towards grains.”   There is some truth, and a gourmet chef will agree, grass-fed tastes better. But, as flavor and animal welfare remain culturally meaningful, the meaning of methane is becoming more important to consumers at a very fast rate.   JASON [00:09:05] “So, as this becomes more and more kind of dominant in culture and more people become aware of it, does this shape a new benefit? Does this shape a new reason to believe in a brand or a product because they are ahead of the curve in solving for this [methane] problem, which separates them from all the other beef products that are on the market?”   According to MotivBase research, culturally, cows and beef consumption aren't going anywhere. So, what does the future of farming look like?   UJWAL [00:09:54] “I think Erin, the key here is where we're headed toward, and this is already happening from a technology standpoint, we're headed towards carbon-neutral farms.”   And for the individual consumer who is looking to have an impact the approach can be similar. For example, composting is one way to influence the environmental outcome.   UJWAL [00:12:12] “So a very direct relationship there in terms of what I do in my home and what the farm does because it's pretty much the same thing in a way.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, we open wide to explore the meaning of healthy teeth and oral health   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!  

In this episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin invites Jason and Ujwal to discuss the results of a report produced from a recent partnership with Nielsen IQ where MotivBase was tasked with decoding the implicit meaning of altruistic purpose when it comes to health and wellness.   What is altruism in the context of wellness? Fundamentally, when it comes to our health and wellness, it's a human being's recognition that, for our own betterment, for our own mental health and physiological health, people also need to do things with others in mind.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   The research in partnership with Nielsen IQ took place in both the US and the UK and the results of the case study might surprise you! The first revelation? Americans are far more altruistic than the British, when it comes to health and wellness.   UJWAL [00:03:13] “I was actually surprised by that, especially given all the, I don't know, dismal news that we hear every day, right. Coming from the states. I was surprised by that. I think many of our clients are surprised to see that as well.”   Embracing other's need for health and wellness is becoming more prominent in culture. Take mental health in sport, for example.   JASON [00:05:51] “[Football] is one of the most American of sports. And meanwhile, you've got these icons of the sport talking about their full support and starting to reveal themselves issues they've had with depression, starting to reveal issues themselves that they've had in regards to not having supports back in their day and how we need to change things and how we need to be able to understand and take care of ourselves.”   Made clear by the research study, this is also the case in the context of elderly care, both in the US and the UK, as has been highlighted throughout the pandemic.   UJWAL [00:07:32] “... and that's part of the altruist purpose is, ‘How do I help the older members of our society thrive?' Their job isn't to survive. Our job isn't to help them survive. Our job is to help them thrive.”   The results of the study showed a clear distinction between the British and American approaches to helping the elderly thrive yet, fundamentally, the meanings are the same.   UJWAL [00:09:22] “In the UK part of it, the consumer just sees their job as just showing up. You know, part of it is, if I have a grandmother in elderly care, I just need to show up. In the US it's a bit more involved in the sense of, ‘How do I volunteer?' Maybe I take somebody to the bank because they need to run an errand. Maybe I run errands for them.”   On the thread of living with dignity, for the elderly and other marginalized communities, is the notion of healthy eating for all and improving access to quality food sources.   JASON [00:12:07] “If we don't solve to help people have access to healthy food it has an impact on the health system. It has an impact on us as a collective and a society. It has an impact on how we get along together. It pulls apart the social bonds that basically are holding us together. So we need to be more aware of these and we need to work better together to solve these problems because it will make my life better as well.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, we take a fun, yet serious, side shuffle on the topic of nutrition and turn to that of cows and agriculture.   To read the full report referenced in today's show click HERE.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.

In this episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal explore what it means to have healthy skin in today's society. MotivBase and folks in the skincare industry have been tracking and waiting for the meaning and importance of skin health to become mainstream and now it has! Our hosts make the connection between wellness and skin health through deep healing, achieving balance and embracing imperfection and why that's important to the industry moving forward.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   In a COVID world, we find ourselves under a microscope. The actions that we take are representative of how well we are and how well we are has become a status symbol.   JASON [00:04:57] “So as people are going through this process where they're reassessing health, it is coming forward and presenting itself directly in relation to skin, because at the end of the day, that's really kind of one of the first things that people see when we come into contact with them.”   The average level of knowledge of the consumer in various areas like food, skin health, and well-being has increased through the pandemic bringing key topics of skin health to light.   UJWAL [00:05:58] “...I think this is very interesting because on one hand you've got things like deep healing, which is inside out. On the other hand, you've got this notion of balance, which is really how I look on the outside is a reflection of how I am on the inside.”   What does the meaning of healthy skin look like through the lens of feminism and how women in particular are presenting themselves? It looks like juggling and weighing out the options, like wearing makeup versus showing up in workout gear on a business video call.   UJWAL [00:6:49] “And so one of the areas that's also coming up in the mix here is this whole notion of embracing imperfection. So, in the middle of healing from the inside and achieving balance is also this notion that there is such a thing as imperfect balance.”   JASON [00:09:36] “The balance is starting to shift a little bit. Because at the end of the day, there's something that is becoming a little bit more pertinent and important than some of the old triggers that may have been a way of showcasing one's value through how they look.”   Embracing imperfection isn't models with slightly different body types wearing your company's clothes. Ujwal and Jason say embracing imperfection is next level and brands, particularly in skincare, need to take note.   UJWAL [00:11:30] “What we're talking about is maybe if you know, I have a little bit of crow's feet under my eyes. I don't need to go crazy, hiding all of that to make myself somehow feel youthful.”   JASON [00:13:11] “It's not enough just to think about these consumers as a canvas that has been painted upon to create a completely new image. There is more subtext to the consumer than there ever has been before.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, we tackle the meaning of Wellness and Altruism by looking at a MotivBase case study.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

In this episode of Why Meaning Matters, we shift our conversation from the exterior of home and fashion to the interior of the human body as Erin, Jason and Ujwal explore the changing meaning and consumer understanding of infectious disease. Infection and disease has been seen by North Americans as an ‘other' problem. But, triggered by a global pandemic striking close to home, that cultural meaning is changing by leaps and bounds. Listen in as we discuss consumer awareness of immune health and the inequities associated with it.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   While the knowledge of immune health has grown over the last few years, consumers are still very confused on how to improve and manage their own immune health.   UJWAL [00:03:31] “People realize suddenly, hang on a second, sleep has a role. Food has a role. My stress levels has a role. So this is truly a holistic approach to immune health, which a lot of us have would have imagined, would have happened sooner. But in many ways, the pandemic has finally brought this culture to bear.”   A topic or idea like immune health only has as big an impact as the things people are associating with it.   JASON [00:06:20] “It is literally expanded in culture to become more dominant and that's why it's really kind of driving a lot of changes all the way down from kind of how we're thinking about how we live our lives, but also in the choices that we're making and, you know, kind of how we're, we're actually behaving on a day to day basis.”   For the first time, the problem of inequity is being highlighted and noticed by the middle and upper middle class consumers in the context of immune health.   UJWAL [00:07:23] “If you look at sleep itself, it's such a privilege in America, right? Because if you look at somebody, let's take a single mother, who's in a lower income household. She's probably working shift jobs and holding three jobs together, barely has time to take care of her kids, can't sleep. How can she improve her immune health?”   JASON [00:9:04] “The nation was faced with an existential nightmare and they had to contemplate mortality and they had to think about the role of community and they had to think about, ‘How can we basically make choices that will protect others, which will inherently protect me?'”   So, what does it all mean for consumers and retailers who are thinking about community immune health?   JASON [00:12:48] “Changes and shifts in the idea of what an infectious disease means is going to change how we buy things.”   It also changes policy.   UJWAL [00:13:05] “For example, if you hire shift workers, what are small changes you can make to reduce their stress levels, to give them better sleep, to give them better access to health initiatives, to mental health and mental wellness practices?”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, we continue our conversation on health and look at the changing meaning of healthy skin and skin care.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

In this episode of Why Meaning Matters, Erin, Jason and Ujwal delve into the meaning of fashion by exploring size inclusivity, the second-hand market and sustainability.   Our homes and the way we dress are huge indicators of our values and our personalities. And, just like in the conversation around home - there's a discernible shift in the conversations and the meaning of Luxury apparel presenting an opportunity for those in the retail space to capture more hearts and minds.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   The meaning of luxury apparel is changing as it's becoming more accessible to the average middle-class consumer thanks to the second-hand market otherwise known as the circular economy.   UJWAL [00:04:17] “I mean, people traditionally, we've thought that if something is sold secondhand, that's depleting the brand. Today, it's actually enhancing the brand because it proves that your products last for decades. It proves that your products potentially retain value.”   It's not just about the item either. It's about the research, the reward of discovery and the story that goes with it.   JASON [00:07:24] “All those things come together in one artifact. So I don't even have to say anything. I just have to wear that thing. And someone who is in the know knows all those things about me just by seeing that article on my arm or on my back.”   A key driver of the sustainability conversation is the desire to reuse something that's already on earth.   JASON [00:09:19] “And not just in the context of they wanted value for money but concerns around what does that mean for constantly buying and throwing away, buying and throwing away.”   Underlying the entire meaning of fashion conversation is a notion of privilege and inclusivity. Including at a body size and shape level.   UJWAL [00:11:08] “We're seeing it rear its head with vintage pieces, but it's also now a key driver for modern new pieces. So if you're a luxury apparel brand, you cannot get away from size inclusivity. And I have to clarify here, size inclusivity doesn't mean just making sizes 8, 10, 12.”   We're starting to see an evolution of what mid-tier retail means leading to a desire to make quality pieces accessible.   JASON [00:13:07] “This is the thing that we need to take into consideration when it comes to fashion as well is that how am I able to manipulate my clothing in such a way where I can incorporate a high-end piece to work with less high-end pieces in a way that allows me to really kind of have a robust wardrobe.”   And it's time for luxury brands to own the circular part of their own economy.   UJWAL [00:13:47] “It's time for these brands to own that because then they can shape the narrative better. They can do and solve the problem of access, of inclusivity, both in terms of price, in terms of size, in terms of what they stand for.”   Next week on Why Meaning Matters, the changing meaning and consumer understanding of infection and disease.   Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

We start off season two with a challenge! Join our hosts as we go deeper into the world of Meaning and apply it to, as one listener put it, just about anything. The first topic: Home decor and design. Throughout the pandemic the meaning of ‘Home' and the space we live (and work) in has shifted.   Erin, Jason and Ujwal explore the meaning of home design and decor via three themes - accessible living, calming retreat, and working & learning - and how retailers can jump on the opportunity of helping consumers to create multifunctional spaces.   Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   Creating accessible homes is less of an afterthought and more forward thinking. It's becoming about people incorporating their value systems into the design of their home and displaying their social capital.   UJWAL [00:04:38] “If my home is accessible, in the future, one day, for example, if I have somebody who comes to my home who is in a wheelchair they will realize that my home is just as welcoming to them as it is to anybody else who can walk on their two feet with privilege.”   Thanks to social media and virtual meetings, our home interiors are now exterior facing reflections of our choices.   JASON [00:08:04] “So as we start to think about these different choices about what they say and those choices showing the values of the type of person we are, those are clearly things that are going to be shared across the spectrum and garner feedback.” In addition to paying attention to how we want others to feel about our homes we've also spent a lot of time considering how we want to feel inside our homes. The notion of a calming retreat is seeping into the mainstream. UJWAL [00:09:52] “It's also feeling like that because I'm also looking at myself in the damn Zoom camera and I'm seeing my own space and my own background and that also kind of makes me feel good about what I've achieved.” So, where are the opportunities for companies and marketers in the home decor and design space? MotivBase says it's not just about solving the accessibility, calming and work at home problems. UJWAL [00:13:10] “I think what the audience needs is the Lego pieces, because the audience can't figure all this out on their own. Right? So, if you have a retailer saying, ‘Hey, I'm going to give you all the Lego blocks and I'm going to give you the instructions. Just go put that together in your space.' Huge opportunity.” JASON [00:13:26] “Whoever cracks ‘multifunctional creativity' in the home will win because that cat is out of the bag now.” Next week on Why Meaning Matters, the developing Meaning of fashion and apparel. Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about. If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   Our hosts wrap up season one with the question, “Where to next?” With the world opening up to the deeply academic study of anthropology as a way for them to get outside of their own preconceived notions and ideas of how something should work or how something works, where does the conversation need to go next? The team at MotivBase calls it looking through the ‘industry lens' versus the ‘consumer centric lens'.   UJWAL [00:02:33] “When we talk to companies, we always contrast the industry lens from the consumer centric lens, because they're fundamentally different sometimes so dramatically different that it makes all of us in the room kind of feel stupid for not having thought it, but that's why the anthropologists, that's what we need to keep in mind.”   It's really a conversation that any corporation or business can start to have.   JASON [00:03:51] “And this idea that we can act without emotion, this idea that we can act purely based on logic with actually decoding the human condition and thinking about the role it plays in creating a stronger connection with people, whether that's through that is through kind of the thing you sell, whether that's through the messaging that you use right down to just what the actual company stands for.”   When Motivbase's team steps back they realize how much perspective they have accumulated through the work they do across areas they didn't understand previously.   UJWAL [00:09:04] “You know, the other day my wife was asking me something about a particular brand of tampon she was using and I gave her advice on something else that she could try only because we had done three massive projects on this because she wanted to consider the whole sustainability game and the whole gut microbiome game.”   MotivBase's understanding of people runs as intricately and as deeply as Meaning does through our daily lives.   JASON [00:10:22] “I mean, even if we're talking about a movie that they went and saw the night before, it's a completely different understanding of why choices were made or what it's actually saying to people or how it's going to be received because they have their finger on the pulse of where culture is going and what is going to resonate with people… .”     Coming soon! In season two of Why Meaning Matters hosts Erin, Jason and Ujwal share some funny examples and also some very serious examples of issues that may not seem obvious or considered traditional insights but are extremely relevant and are driving a lot of innovation in various industries. Why Meaning Matters is a podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   Our hosts explore how data collection facilitates measurement of Meaning and the trust and privacy issues that follow. Awareness that online activity is being tracked in some way has become part of the everyday consumer experience. We're asked to accept cookies when we visit a website and terms like GDPR compliance have become symbols that data collection and use is being done properly.   When MotivBase was launched, the team went through a challenging ethical process to create a model that did not look at personally identifiable information like photos, names or IDs.   JASON [00:05:09] “And instead we follow the breadcrumbs that consumers leave us through language in order for us to get to a place where we can understand what is happening emotionally and culture, but we're not actually saving, storing or collecting anything that belongs to anybody.”   For example, someone makes a comment in a forum about Probiotics and cooking with fermented food. The full comment is not collected as it would have to be protected. Instead the topics are collected.   UJWAL [00:07:41] “We are extracting the topic ‘cooking'. We're extracting the topic ‘fermented foods', and what we're storing actually is topics and the relationships between them. Literally the distance in multidimensional space between them, coming back to the solar system analogy. We're storing these topics, which are these planets and the distance between this planet and the planets next to it and the moons around it and all of that other stuff.” Within the next 24 months, the tools that the personalization industry currently uses will not be permitted. MotivBase's model for collecting language and meaning rather than personally identifiable information (PII) withstands those changes and can still deliver a personal message or experience.   UJWAL [00:09:14] “If Erin engages with products that have meaning like ‘organic', ‘sustainable', ‘better for you'. Then I can identify other meanings that Erin will also engage with. Ie., maybe there's something about ‘handmade', ‘crafted', ‘local'. Right? I can identify that by simply identifying how one set of meanings connects to another set.”   Those companies and organizations who adopt these methods now will be ahead of the Commerce versus Culture curve.   JASON [00:12:33] “And I think that, you know, when you think about social capital, the people that are going to leverage this to basically force change and to suggest that we are more inherently open-minded to protecting people's privacy are going to get social capital. They are going to be quote unquote revolutionaries of the digital age.”     In the next episode, our hosts wrap up season one with a conversation about monetizing Meaning and where commerce and culture will be in two years. Stay tuned for episode twelve, season one finale of Why Meaning Matters. A podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   In this episode, our hosts put the nuanced conversations of previous episodes into context, discussing how studying meaning works beginning with the core tenant of structural anthropology- giving meaning to the world through analyzing natural language. Surveys and focus groups generate unnatural conversations so the team at MotivBase takes to the internet where millions are engaging in natural conversation every day.     UJWAL [00:03:57] “And these millions of people are talking about pretty much anything and everything imaginable. And especially in places like forums, where they get to hide behind pseudonyms, they are open to being vulnerable there.”   The methods and principles used to analyze and measure meaning now versus 100 years ago are not all that different. It's simply on a larger scale. AKA Big Data. More importantly,  it's not about what is being said or who's saying it. It's about the words being used.   JASON [00:05:28] “Now, all of a sudden [it] takes on some of the mass from that other topic, the association starts to transform not only how we think about it, but how prevalent it is in culture. This is what Ujwal is describing. This is the theory that goes back to what these social scientists were leveraging back in the day.”   The data analysis now can help companies to know what meanings are still in the myth stage before they become innately known truths. Because, in the context of the businesses MotivBase works with, once something becomes a truth, it's too late to change it.   UJWAL [00:11:16] “And so the whole purpose of us doing this type of analysis is so that we can identify things while they're still in myth stage, while the meanings are still developing, to use the mass analogy of Jason's earlier, while we can identify, while these triggers are developing so that we can run predictions, help our clients understand when something will in fact become truth.”   The ability to analyze and predict and understand applies to anything. Philosophically speaking, so long as there is language around a topic, a trend, an idea then meaning exists.   UJWAL [00:12:12] “And so really what we're trying to figure out is how much does something exist in culture, right? How much, as in, how much consensus have we built around it to the point where it exists and has just become complete truth…”     In the next episode, our hosts chat about the trust factor involved when it comes to collecting and analyzing Big Data in the current climate. Stay tuned for episode eleven of Why Meaning Matters. A podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.    Our hosts jump right into what phrases like “natural”, “non-chemical”, or “made from natural source material” mean to the consumer and why it matters to businesses selling products with these labels. For Ujwal and Jason, working with companies on sustainability and natural-related initiatives means explaining something called ‘cultural requirement' when the results don't meet expectations.   UJWAL [00:03:40] “And you are sitting there going, ‘But I made my product more sustainable. Why am I not selling more?' Or, ‘Why am I getting not getting better margins off of it?' And that's because in the consumer's mind there are cultural requirements and cultural requirements come based on the meanings we associate with things.”   Consciously or not, consumers are making balanced values-based decisions when they're buying a product including those labeled with words like ‘all natural' and ‘non-toxic' based on their own complicated formula.    JASON [00:05:59] “...at the end of the day, there's this kind of, this yin and yang, this kind of back and forth, this kind of job that we have in order to think about what is the thing do for us and from a value standpoint, does it align with how I'm trying to kind of do the math in my head?”    Simply put, cultural requirements change as you change the context. Expectations for ‘natural' in the context of food will be different from that of cleaning products or personal care products.   UJWAL [00:07:53] “And that's what's fascinating about this is that as you change the context and make it more and more nuanced and more and more specific, their cultural requirements become more specific because people have more agreement on the meanings behind these things. And, when we get to those specific meanings, we create for ourselves a blueprint where we know exactly what we need to do, what benefit we need to deliver, and what we can expect in return.”   As it turns out, there's even a nuanced difference between saying a product doesn't contain something versus saying it does. Ujwal shares an example of packaging for a dish soap product.   UJWAL [00:09:56] “So that could mean, on one hand, a new label that says, ‘Made without Virgin plastics'. And in that case, the without label is just as powerful as saying, ‘Hey made with Post-consumer recycled materials' or ‘Made with recycled plastic' and in that situation, the question we're actually asking is why should we pick one versus the other, and what benefit and what meanings will it imply in the marketplace? And they're different.”   If there are such subtle differences in word choice and meaning, whose responsibility is it to educate the consumer? The reality is, it's an ongoing debate.   JASON [00:12:16] “I think that there is a question and around the choices that we're making as a collective, but there's a huge opportunity when it comes to these companies in being at the forefront of really understanding and driving change. The key to it, though, the key to it is really understanding where culture is going and where they should be making the right inroad that link back to what that corporation or that brand stands for because there's no sense in swimming against the tide.”   The other side is that we have very little control over how education and meaning spread in culture.   UJWAL [00:13:40] “You know, we started in the early episodes talking about how new ideas developed from myth and they slowly transpire into becoming actual stories, truths in culture. A lot of what we're trying to do is figuring out when something is in the mid-stage, how much impact can we really truly have on it? And that's when you can have some amount of impact, but ultimately it's sort of, it's a democracy in a way.”   In the next episode, our hosts pick back up on the topic of how Meaning is studied. Stay tuned for episode ten of Why Meaning Matters. A podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   Our hosts dive into the meaning of Sustainability and how it remains undefined. It has such little consensus amongst consumers that it hasn't reached mainstream status. This creates challenges for brands and marketers to generate and display more tangible benefits. MotivBase studies meaning to find solutions to those challenges.   UJWAL [00:03:31] “At the moment we're far from there because the meanings around sustainability are actually very diverse. They're not converging fast enough. Even though the word Sustainability is mentioned a lot and talked about a lot, there's not enough convergence happening on what it actually means. That's the part that's interesting for us.”   JASON [00:04:57] “I think the other problem is, that if I asked everybody to close their eyes right now and think about sustainability, everybody has a different idea in their mind.”   For the individual, impact on the consumer's wallet, geography, and emotion are key to initiating action.   JASON [00:5:53] “It's really hard to convince a large group of people to do something entirely on logic. And they need to feel that it is important for themselves as the individual and for that larger group of people.”   It's the job of the team at MotivBase to study meaning so that they can help organizations figure out what is the tangible benefit of sustainability that can apply to the context of the brand, product, or solution.   UJWAL [00:09:34] “I can't just say, ‘Hey, this is a sustainable product'. Not enough people agree on what it means. However, if I say, ‘Hey, by the way, if you buy my jeans, you will have saved 40% in water usage in the way this jean was manufactured'. Okay, that's tangible. And I can compare this jean to the other one and go, ‘This is 40% less water'.”   What does the consumer get out of purchasing sustainable products? Basically, two things: Tangible benefits and a social science concept called Symbolic Capitial.   UJWAL [00:12:34] “... there are two sort of value systems at play, especially when it comes to sustainability. One is that tangible benefit, health, wellbeing, saving money. The other is the symbolic benefit. Both are just as valuable. And obviously, ideally, the holy grail is you deliver both.” In the next episode, our hosts continue the conversation on the meaning of sustainability by taking a look at its deep relationship with the myth of “All Natural”. Stay tuned for episode nine of Why Meaning Matters. A podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!  

Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   Our hosts dive into culture and meaning for children framed by the myth of the Superhero. From the symbolism of the female superhero costume to the impact on consumer decision-making. How do we have conversations with our kids about the storylines and images they're exposed to? And, how do we manage what meaning they take away from it?   As adults, we're more aware than children of the meaning of how characters are presented and represented starting with the physical appearance of the superheroes and the impact it can have on young minds.   UJWAL [00:03:39] “A lot of these are, I think, subtle cues that our children take. And it could be potentially damaging. So it's a big question to ask in terms of not just what our children are exposed to, but also how do we manage and control what meaning they take away from all of that?”   Layer in how these worlds are expanding and the organizations like Disney that own the rights to these superheroes it's no longer as simple as being Team Batman or Team Superman.   JASON [00:05:07] “Now it's really about having all these different types of characters with all these different types of layers with all these different types of approaches and philosophies that provide us to think a little bit deeper about what do these stories mean, but also what is right in regards to the kind of type of child that I'm trying to kind of instill with the values that are important to me.”   The team at MotivBase has been studying the narratives and meanings particularly around female superheroes and has made some interesting observations not only on how the characters are sexualized but also the unattainable self-image that is presented to young kids, particularly girls.   UJWAL [00:08:35] “And I think the reason why this is so powerful is we're saying it's not enough to just throw in a bunch of female superheroes. We also have to think about how they are represented, the implicit meanings that are communicated in what they say, how they present themselves, whether they have a ‘boob window' or not, and what that symbolizes.”   JASON [00:09:41] “I think one of the questions really comes down to the interconnected meanings that are linked back to these types of things, because you know, that child or parent that looks at how somebody is being expressed, then ladders down to choices in fashion, it ladders to choices in food. Self-image is linked to so much of what we do every day, every week, every year that these things are all interconnected.”   The creation and proliferation of the superhero don't stop on the pages of a comic book or on the big screen, it translates into packaging, marketing, apparel, and beyond.   UJWAL [00:12:19] “I think the point is that if we know that some of these things have an impact on the self-esteem of a child, of somebody who is taking in implicit clues from what they see around them, then it's important for us to have this conversation and it's important for brands to think about how they can play a positive role in what they bring to market.”   Speaking of playing a positive role in the marketplace, Erin sets up the next episode with a reference to Captain Planet as our hosts get into the meaning of Sustainability. Stay tuned for episode eight of Why Meaning Matters. A podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.  The pandemic has illuminated the notion of emotional energy and self-care, the rhythm of being human in the workforce, and its impact on marginalized populations. In episode six, we learn how the changing meanings of gender, masculinity, and femininity matter to the way you are running your business and marketing your brand.  UJWAL [00:04:23] “Even if you've locked yourself in a room, the ‘madness'  is unfolding around you. And, it becomes difficult and it's certainly harder for women to have the emotional wherewithal, to be present in the moment, to give their everything, to feel good about their work.” Since work is at home and home is at work now for so many, brands, businesses, and organizations are in the early stages of looking for solutions to facilitate recovery and rejuvenation of emotional energy and self-care for the consumer.  JASON [00:06:16] “They may be doing different things, but the reason for needing to find the solution is quite ubiquitous and quite kind of similar, if you can get to a high enough level, if you look at the meanings that are really kind of shaping the need for it.” With the concepts of emotional energy and self-care being applied in the context of work, it isn't enough for employees to see it as being important, they need to know what is acceptable. UJWAL [00:07:47] “Their bosses and, and the powers that be at these [00:07:50] organizations also need to think about what is acceptable, what is the new norm, so to speak, in terms of how we work and how we encourage people to work so that they feel good about the time spent doing the thing.” And what is acceptable could look very different from one organization and individual to the next as we become more aware of the rhythm of being a human in the workplace. JASON [00:09:11] “So, whether or not it is kind of thinking about the four-day workweek or whether or not it's just thinking about how we shape and structure our time in order to better serve the responsibilities that we have within that household.” UJWAL [00:10:14] “An increased awareness of the rhythm of being a woman in the workplace, the rhythm of being a man, the differences that that has. And then, of course, the rhythm of being somebody who doesn't fall into one of these binary definitions as well, because that also feeds into the broader conversation we're having because we have to be able to make space for people to feel comfortable, to establish that rhythm that works for them. I think that's really what we're getting to.” Our seemingly small choices for self-care and what we deserve then impact the bigger picture.  JASON [00:12:01] “I'm going to say to my wife, let's treat ourselves and order food in which has an impact on grocery, which has an impact on QSR, which has an impact across the food chain as people do this more and more and more, but it also has an impact on everything from, am I treating myself with personal care products? Am I finding ways to kind of shift what I'm thinking? Am I a server that's not going to go back and work at a restaurant because I deserve better? These are impacting small moments. These are impacting big shifts and these are all things that are tied together.” Erin sets up the next episode on pop culture, what it means to be a hero, and what does it all mean for the next generations. Stay tuned for episode seven of Why Meaning Matters. A podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about. If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.  In episode five, Erin continues with the mini episode arc around the topic of the changing meaning of gender and why it matters to organizations. Bringing feminity and masculinity into the conversation she asks how C-suite executives like CMOs can dig into how relevant it is to what they do. Take the ‘gender reveal party' as an example. UJWAL [00:03:27] “Let's take retailers as an example, they all do a lot of promotions around pregnancy, right. And they're all these cultural events, like the gender reveal party that has been a huge part of how retailers go to market in order to, you know, obviously make more money in specific moments in time in people's lives. So how do they, how do they re-examine the role of the gender reveal party, starting with the traditional colors that are used to denote the gender to even the fact that you need some sort of a gender reveal party.” Events like gender reveal parties tie into our changing meaning around maternity and motherhood as well. Ujwal shares another example of a tangible translation of feminism into the world of business and marketing; a meaning that has trickled down into how healthcare providers and pharmaceutical companies market and deliver products and services.  UJWAL [00:06:08] “If you take the meanings around pain and chronic pain, you will see a whole narrative, what we call a microculture, a whole microculture of meaning around how chronic pain is treated differently for women than it is for men. And, one of the reasons for this is that women are culturally expected to live with pain, literally because they're going through it every month, but also because generally, because they're going through it every month, there's an expectation that, uh, pain is part of the livelihood of a woman, which isn't in the same way for a man.” Jason says that a word like ‘feminism' is not just a word. It can be a very loaded term and the word doesn't always capture its evolving meaning. Equity, fairness, an even playing field, and more are being represented by this word. JASON [00:08:02] “What we're now starting to see is, is that that is the shift that is starting to take place. That is the expectation or the demand that is not just coming from women. It's coming from men as well. It really is coming from, again, dare I say, this enlightenment that we need to go beyond an individual word to really understand what it means and get to a place where we can find that connective tissue that's making things better for people, whether or not that's people that are buying our things or whether or not that's people in our organization.” Jason shares an example of how organizations are future-proofing their businesses by embarking on this learning experience to get to know what womanhood and the changing role of feminism mean, allowing communication and marketing to follow cultural changes. JASON [00:11:29] “When I started working in advertising, I remembered working on a CPG brand. And you know, one of the first things I learned is that if you worked in feminine care, if they were doing a product display, they would dip the tampon, but the liquid had to be blue. And it was blue for years and years and years because God forbid, we actually think about what this thing is supposed to do.” Erin sets up the next episode with the notion of women CEOs running their businesses on the feminine cycles and emotional energies. Stay tuned for episode six of Why Meaning Matters. A podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.   In episode four, Erin begins by reminding listeners of episode three's conversation around the changing meanings of gender. Tying that into today's topic she asks why organizations need to care about the meaning of gender, feminity, and masculinity.   Ujwal says organizations need to care about meaning because of the influence it has on the products a company produces and how it empowers organizations to market those offerings.   UJWAL [00:03:17] “We've come to a point where I think especially a lot of our marketing colleagues, talk to us about how they operate from a position of fear, right? It's more about not saying the wrong thing rather than learning to say the right thing again. And that's because we're not asking about meaning.”   Take comedians and their product- comedy, for instance. Some say comedy is dying. Ujwal and Jason believe it's not dying rather a re-learning of the meaning and the why behind what we say.   JASON [00:05:21] “And I thought it was such a really, really important kind of thing that was, you know, it hit really close to home because a lot of what we're doing is we get so focused on the ‘what' that we don't take the time to take a step back and start to question the ‘why' behind the ‘what'. And this is a perfect example of a topic that requires that.“   Erin steers the conversation back to corporate organizations, the impact of examining the why behind what they say and the trickle-down effect it has on leadership, running an organization and building a team. The Fortune 1000 companies that MotivBase works with aren't just paying attention to what gender means to the consumer. They're really trying to understand the role of gender in their own organizations.   JASON [00:07:56] “They're starting to think about what's happening at a senior leadership level. Are there preconceived notions that have led to a structure and are they considering kind of how that may be a disadvantage? Have they prevented a different type of thinking, a different type of approach to evolve within an organization that could have given it a competitive advantage? You know, these are the types of things that get very much tied to understanding the role that gender can play, not just in how you're communicating with your consumer, but how it's really kind of shaping how you operate as a structure.“   For large American companies, there are more CEOs with the name John than there are female CEOs entirely. Erin asks, “What is it that needs to be said internally to at least show awareness of the changing meaning?” Ujwal says it's complicated and acknowledges the challenges that these large organizations face when it ultimately, and realistically, all comes down to money. It's in seeking the opportunities.   UJWAL [00:09:51] “So a great example of this is, you know if, let's say, and this is true, we're seeing how the meanings around gender are evolving, it's becoming, there's greater acknowledgement of the fact that gender isn't a binary thing. It's not a one and a zero that we could lie on a spectrum of gender. We need to create openness and how we in how we are able to express who we are as people. So all of that is great, but of course, from an organization's perspective, that's a very complex topic to make money off of, right. But then, you can distill it down to say, okay, so what is the area where there's an opportunity? Turns out there is an opportunity because there is now a whole generation of parents with young children that are going, how do I not make the mistakes my parents made?”   It's safe to say that organizations that see the meaning of gender matters at the family unit level and at the cultural leadership level are owning the narrative, so to speak. And often it's the little changes that begin to build bigger changes. Like incorporating gender-neutral bathrooms.   UJWAL [00:12:07] “This is not just about marketing by the way, going back to your earlier point, Erin, this also helps their own employees. It makes somebody who's applying for a job go, You know what? The fact that I have a gender-neutral bathroom in my office is something that's going to help me in, you know, feeling comfortable, feeling accepted. Feeling like I can be myself. Think about how significant of an impact that is on your brand. It will trickle down eventually to impacting how people think about you.”   Jason agrees, saying it's indicative of companies trying to future-proof their business.   JASON [00:13:04] “I think that that is the big thing that is taking place with gender right now is that the companies that are trying to understand the shift, that are deconstructing what is happening, are going to be the ones that are going to better serve their consumers in the future because they're asking the question, ‘Why?' at the right time.”   Timing is everything and as people, particularly women, begin to return to the workforce post-pandemic Erin sets up the next episode where she and hosts Jason and Ujwal will discuss the meaning of feminity and masculinity and why it matters.   Stay tuned for episode five of Why Meaning Matters. A podcast produced by Story Studio Network and iContact Productions for MotivBase- Decoding implicit meaning behind what people talk about.   If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge. In episode three, Erin begins by highlighting the changing meaning of gender and asking Ujwal and Jason how they work with corporate clients as the meaning has shifted. Ujwal shares a story of a “cringe-worthy” marketing campaign that once landed in his inbox. UJWAL [00:02:35] “They just launched a line of clothing that was all the color gray. First of all, it looked terrible. I mean, who wants to dress their children in gray? It's a boring color. Come on. And then on top of that, they completely misunderstood the core concept of what gender-neutral could mean, could imply. Nobody there sat back and asked, ‘What should this mean?'” Jason elaborates on the surface-level and, arguably, insulting interpretation that was made by a major retailer. JASON [00:03:17] “It was the, you know, desire to play in something that is forward-thinking and provocative and important for a large group of consumers and people moving forward, but not taking the time to actually consider what does this mean to this group of people that are trying to leverage gender-neutral clothing? Why is it important? What are the requirements that will make it relevant to them?” MotivBase has and continues to study the meaning of gender extensively. In the context of the 100-year-old model referenced in episode two, meanings around gender are still in the myth stage. Ujwal shares some examples out of the five or six major interpretations that currently exist. UJWAL [00:4:53] “So some of the myths that exist at the moment, early-stage, early consensus stage, one of it is about literally not feeling ostracized if you were in the boy's section shopping for your daughter. That's one example of gender, right. And I'm sure all of us have been in this situation. I mean, there's so many times where I have bought clothes from the boy's section for my daughter because she loves robots and the boy's section has robots and I buy that and the cashier will say, oh, but this is for boys.” Erin asks how do we start to change that narrative when we, as individuals, don't buy into the old truth anymore? Jason says people are naturally rethinking how an individual's rights could (and often do) mean more than their own preconceived notions. JASON [00:07:29] “I almost think of it like a magnet. Okay. The idea of being open and aware and more cognizant of individuals and their rights to basically express themselves is slowly drawing more and more people to the party, because at the end of the day, people are starting to really start to understand that if they were in that position, that's something they would want people to do for them.” Ujwal reminds us that, at this stage, we're still talking about multiple meanings, plural, not meaning, singular. Eventually one or two will come out on top dependent on the strength of the ‘magnet'. UJWAL [00:08:43] “You can kind of think about meanings as if you know, they're a bunch of boxers. You put them all in a boxing ring. Eventually one or two of them will survive. And that's just culture for you. Right? And so our job becomes to figure out which of these meanings is more likely to survive. And we can do that by tracking how much consensus it's getting over time.” The idea of the gender binary is one meaning that is heading out the door but it takes time because it is infused in every aspect of our lives from the way we hire to who we believe plays videos games. Jason shares some examples of brands shifting their messaging because of this. JASON [00:11:58] “The reality is, is that as Ujwal referenced, you know, we're talking about meanings, not just meaning, and these things are interconnected and these things are putting tension in the marketplace and reshaping kind of expectations, not just specifically around gender, but in the associations that gender are linked to.” Erin sets up the next episode with mention of ‘Pink Tax' and the myth of feminism. What it means now. How it is shifting. Stay tuned for episode four of Why Meaning Matters. If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Welcome to Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.  In episode two, Erin begins by asking how we know we're at a pivot point and what shifts might take place over the next 10 years because of it. Ujwal describes a one-hundred-year-old model that states that ideas usually develop as myths in culture because not enough people believe them at first. Take, for example, the idea that social cohesion is broken in America; it's still in the myth stage. UJWAL [00:03:34] “That is, it doesn't have mainstream relevancy yet. But, what we can see [00:03:40] is that there is greater consensus coming on this topic that is, it's bringing more and more people in, more and more people are agreeing on the fact that social cohesion is broken and on why that might be the case. This model from myth to truth, very, very interesting, and meaning allows us to track and measure this.” The model of myth to meaning to idea takes place over time and when timing of particular events, like the financial crisis of 2008, is immaculate and shakes a population into vulnerability, huge shifts can occur. JASON [00:06:13] “And all of a sudden there was this question in and around, “What is the future going to look like?” Now, there was the immediate short-term implications of that, which we all saw and we all experienced, but long-term what that really started to do is it started to basically make a lot of people question American exceptionalism and that laid the groundwork or sowed the seeds, if you will, for a narrative where somebody could come in and say, ‘Trust me, I am that outsider. I'm going to be able to fix this.'” Erin digs in by questioning how knowing that the meaning of something is shifting from myth to truth is capitalized on, pandering to the lowest common denominator and how it can be used in redeeming ways. Ujwal highlights the example of the 40 million Americans who do not trust the COVD vaccine. UJWAL [00:08:45] “That's no longer the lowest common denominator. That is no longer just somebody who's uneducated. It is no longer somebody who's, you know, maybe into, I don't know, some crazy theories about the way the world works. This is roping in people that are educated. It is roping in people who have some amount of pragmatism in their approach to life. And I think that's the scary part that a lot of organizations don't understand.” For Jason and Ujwal, regularly remind people when they work with organizations to help them understand what their constituents and consumers believe and assign meaning that if empathy is not present they're already off on the wrong foot.   JASON [00:09:51] “... Because the problem is that if we don't have that empathy for how somebody has been living. The particular decision that they're making. We're not walking in their shoes. We're not understanding how we are able to reach out and connect with them. That's important from a political standpoint, it's important from a consumer standpoint.” Erin probes further. If fear and misunderstanding are at the center of it all, how do we have the courage to bridge that gap to move forward and grow in these new environments? Fortunately, Ujwal shares that when something is in the myth stage, it can be adjusted. UJWAL [00:10:52] “The narrative can be adjusted, but if you don't have courage and you sit there waiting and going, “Oh, maybe it won't uptake.” Eventually, it achieves the position of a truth and then there's very little you can do. All you can do is comply with the requirements of the truth. You have to figure out which truth you can play with and that's it. You have to comply. And I think this is why the courage conversation is actually a critical one.” Erin, Jason and Ujwal promise to dive more into broken social cohesion, changing meanings of masculine and feminine, and how we, as individuals, play into the myths that become truths. Stay tuned for episode three of Why Meaning Matters. If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Welcome to the inaugural episode of Why Meaning Matters. A Story Studio Network podcast hosted by Erin Trafford with MotivBase cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and MotivBase president, Jason Partridge.  In episode one, Erin poses the question, why does meaning matter? And, what do coffee and Bill Gates have anything to do with it?  Using it as an example to explain how meaning changes over time, Ujwal describes how coffee culture has transformed over the last decade resulting in four to five major vectors of meaning that we consider when buying coffee. UJWAL [00:02:27] “Was this coffee farmed ethically? Were the workers paid well? You know, what are the tasting notes like? Will this coffee bean work well with whatever intricate machine or system I have at home? There's so much to it now. And you know, one could argue that the world of coffee has sort of become just as complex as the world of wine or even beer. But I think this is what's fascinating about how meaning changes over time.” We live with meaning based decisions everyday. JASON [00:03:16] “Even this morning, I think about the pressure that got put on me as I went to a Starbucks and my wife wanted a vanilla latte and the lineup was so big and I'm looking at my watch and I know that we've got things to do and kids to get to daycare. And God forbid, I had to just get her a dark roast with milk because I didn't have time to wait for them to prepare it. And there was this fear and trepidation of me going back with something that just didn't live up to the expectation.” Bill Gates wrote in 1996 that, “We always overestimate the change that will occur in the next two years and underestimate the change that will occur in the next ten. Don't let yourself be lulled into inaction.” UJWAL [00:07:21] “The reason why [the quote is] so powerful is because traditionally speaking, even today, most companies, they predict where culture, where shifts are happening, they use behavior data to predict. And the problem with behavior is it changes a lot in the short-term. And flip-flops a lot and it makes it very difficult to model it.” Jason elaborates on the impact using the example of decisions around purchasing coffee. More than two decades ago it started with shifts in behavior, consumers wishing to support Fairtrade farming and now it's associated with meanings of sophistication, worldliness, and more. JASON [00:09:53] “At the end of the day, if you'd make a bet on that short-term behavior change. Which is, in and around something like fair trade farming, if you don't zoom out and take a look at how that is being impacted by all these different associations, you don't have the full picture and you don't have a really clear gamut on what you can be doing to make longterm investment and long-term inroads.” Erin questions what changes have we missed over the last 10 years and Ujwal shares the story of Apple and their white ear buds.  UJWAL [00:11:46] “What the iPod or what Apple very cleverly did, ironically, a couple of years later, their strategy completely pivoted, but what they brilliantly did was they launched their campaign with, first, a white earbud because it was clearly recognizable. I could be walking the streets and people would know that I'm an illegal downloader because I had white earbuds.” Clearly, the symbol of the white earbuds has changed since then because of the meaning we attach to it. As the episode wraps up we look to the future. JASON [00:13:13] “I always like to say that cliches exist for a reason and I love the cliche, you need to see the forest for the trees and, you know, part of studying meaning is really taking that step back and really understanding the full scope of what's impacting something that matters to you.” As we find ourselves at another global cultural and societal pivot point, “What does this mean for the next 10 years?” Stay tuned for episode two of Why Meaning Matters. If you want to contribute to the conversation, make sure you drop us an email at hello [at] storystudionetwork [dot] com. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to SHARE it, RATE it, and SUBSCRIBE to the show!

Cultural anthropologist, Ujwal Arkalgud and Motivbase President, Jason Partridge will tell you perception and meaning are the primary pressure points that shape and create the world we live in. “Why Meaning Matters” is a weekly podcast series that explores how meaning shapes our experience and sets our expectations. When meanings shift, our economic, political and cultural landscape shifts along with it. “Why Meaning Matters” is hosted by Erin Trafford and produced for Motivbase by iContact Productions and the Story Studio Network.