The Comfort, Joy & Meaning Framework: Meaning

Growing up in the country, miles and miles from a little town in Western Kansas, was, on occasion, lonely for me.

On forays into town, my mom always allowed me to stand by the spinning comic book display while she shopped. And I would always come home with two or three comic books – almost always, those were Spider-Man titles. Spidey was snarky, creative and always listened to his gut. He was also occasionally paranoid and often conflicted. You can imagine, I identified.

When Spider-Man’s creator, Stan Lee, passed away in 2018, I discovered that it was, uh, well, a much bigger deal to me than I might have imagined. I realized that Stan had provided me with a lot of joy and comfort and, perhaps most of all, meaning in those years. I think it’s fair to say that he just might have been my best friend from 1976 to 1981. 

Meaning from a comic book?

Well, yeah. 

Stan taught me how to be a creative through those pages. For sure, I learned story structure, the power of great art direction and illustration and the craft that it takes to make just the right turn of phrase at just the right moment. And this has shaped my whole life trajectory. 

Of course, that didn’t register in the moment of my kid life. It only became clear with the bad news that day. Those stories. Those characters. They did mean something to me. See, Stan gave me a little escape from our little house in a little place at a time when my little mind really needed it. 

It could be easy to say this is all just nostalgia (not that there’s one damn thing wrong with nostalgia). But, it’s more than that. I’m still not sure I’d have ever become a creative without Stan’s indirect influence. Today, I wonder if Stan knew that? I hope he did. But my whole life has been an attempt to do what Stan taught. To tell great stories. Bring people a little light or a little reason to think about something interesting every day. Putting good stuff into the world is exactly what I am meant to do. 

What Meaning Really Looks Like

This is the way of meaning. 

Yours might not be by making cool stuff. It might be about making sure others get a chance to experience the good stuff. Could be sharing tomatoes from your garden with a co-worker. Or volunteering. Or fostering a dog. It can even just be sitting quietly and being present as the sun sets. There’s meaning in your grandma’s strawberry pie recipe. And the parking lot you tailgate in. 

The Comfort, Joy & Meaning Framework: Understanding the Missing Piece

In an age of rapid change and uncertainty, the search for meaning has become a defining feature of the human experience.

Our proprietary study – The Comfort, Joy & Meaning Framework reveals that meaning is not just a personal quest – it’s a social imperative, shaping the depth and durability of our connections with others, our communities, and the brands we choose.

While our research confirmed that Joy drives word-of-mouth and Comfort drives repurchase, we discovered something equally compelling about Meaning: it's the most powerful driver of brand advocacy – and it's also where brands struggle the most.

Among the three pillars of the C/J/M Framework, Meaning consistently scored lowest across the brands we studied. This isn't surprising when you consider Maslow's Hierarchy of Human Needs – you need to satisfy foundational needs before reaching self-actualization. But here's what should concern every marketer: this gap represents the biggest untapped opportunity in brand building today.

In the Comfort, Joy & Meaning Framework, Meaning goes beyond surface-level purpose statements. It measures a brand's ability to:

• Create genuine connection with others through shared experiences

• Foster a sense of belonging to something bigger than the transaction

• Align with consumers' personal values and identity

• Help people express who they are to the world

The Meaning Gap: A Massive Opportunity

When we examined the data, we found that fewer than one in five consumers (19%) regularly see marketing that aligns with their personal values. Yet 54% say they actively engage with content that reflects what they believe in. That's a massive disconnect – and a massive opportunity.

Among our top-scoring brands, we saw clear patterns in how they successfully deliver Meaning: they build communities, they stand for something clear and authentic, they help customers express identity and they connect to something bigger.

The bottom-performing brands in our study shared a common weakness: low Meaning scores coupled with weak connections to consumer values. These brands may be functional, even occasionally enjoyable, but they lack the deeper resonance that transforms customers into advocates.

In today's culturally complex market, this is increasingly risky. Our data shows that 72% of consumers simply want a brand that resonates with them. When you can't articulate what you stand for beyond product features, you become interchangeable.

Building Authentic Meaning

Consumers are savvy. They can spot inauthentic purpose from a mile away. Building genuine Meaning requires:

• Clarity of values: Know what you stand for, rooted in your brand's authentic history and actions.

• Consistency over time: Meaning isn't built through one campaign. It's demonstrated through sustained commitment across every touchpoint.

• Community, not just customers: Create spaces where people can connect with others who share their values – with your brand as the facilitator, not the hero.

• Action over words: Show, don't just tell. Consumers want tangible evidence that you're living your stated values.

Meaning is a Non-Negotiable for Growth

If you're focused solely on driving immediate conversions, Comfort and Joy may be sufficient. But if you're building for long-term growth and competitive resilience, Meaning is non-negotiable. It's what transforms satisfied customers into passionate advocates who will defend your brand, recruit others, and stick with you even when competitors offer lower prices or flashier features.

The brands that will win in the next decade won't just be seen or even felt – they'll be believed in. And that belief starts with Meaning.

So, what does your brand mean to others? What does it mean to you? And what happens if you can connect those things? Good things happen, friends. Good things.