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1. Cultural Insight
Unlocking meaning
through the power of semiotics

2. CULTURE
The sum total of human production
The medium through which we express and
communicate
How we give meaning to the things that we
buy, the choices we make, how we are
perceived
Culture is constantly changing
Brands are part of culture and need to keep up

3. BRANDS THAT UNDERSTAND
CULTURE CAN HAVE MORE
EFFECTIVE CONVERSATIONS
WITH CONSUMERS
Culture is the currency through which brands
communicate with consumers
Being in tune with culture means being in
tune with consumers

4. Cultural Insight
does not talk to
consumers; instead it
offers deep insight into
meanings and ideas
from analyzing
communications and
cultural progress i.e. the
latest in advertising,
packaging, retail
environments, art, media
Consumer Insight
traces current
motivation, needs,
desires, opinions and is
by nature more
‘backward looking’,
while Cultural Insight
provides a more future
focused POV

5. Semiotics: Analyzing meanings that consumers can not articulate
Semiotics is the established science that translates
cultural and branding signs with more complex
meanings
Simple signs easily translated by anyone

6. Cultural Insight helps us
understand the meaning behind
culture & branding (comms,
packs etc.) and the associations
between the two

7. How do we make sense of what we find
We look for patterns in culture, by
looking at how ideas are expressed
e.g. ‘Purity’ being expressed
through transparency, colour blue

8. When we conduct a semiotic analysis, we look
for ‘codes’ or patterns. Often we might see
similar signs and symbols being used across
several different brands.
For instance, in the water category, ‘Purity’ is a
‘code’ used by many brands (all use blue, water,
nature, simplicity).
Understanding how culture and brands evolve over time

9. We use adjacent categories as a source of inspiration
REACHING OUT
TO EMERGENT
MARKETS
Japan
Korea
Europe
Brazil
United
States
UNDERSTANDING TODAY CREATING TOMMOROW

10. Work process
Collecting a large amount of relevant visual material
Analyzing them according to the comparative patterns they create
Making appropriate recommendations based on brief
1.
2.
3.

11. Be Relevant Be Clear Be Fresh
 Market entrance
 New product placement
 Strategic understanding
 Market audit
 Positionings
 Strategic planning
 Innovation
 Communication trends
 Creative briefs
Understand the cultural
context of a concept or
category
Inspiring future brand
expression
Understand the meaning
of your brand (and
competitors)
How Cultural Insight helps a brand

12. Be relevant:
Understanding the Cultural Context of ‘Natural Goodness’

13. Be clear:
How dairy brands are communicating ‘Natural Goodness’

14. Be fresh:
Inspiring, impactful expressions of ‘Natural Goodness’ outside the dairy category

15. Be Relevant
How Cultural Insight helps a brand

16. THE CHALLENGE
Royal Salute had a long established positioning based
around leadership, but were unhappy with its Chinese
adaptation
THE APPROACH
A deep dive into the cultural meanings of leadership &
success
Understanding how these meanings are evolving based
on their defining visuals
Pinpoint specific expressions that describe the new
kinds of leadership
10 leadership platforms (codes) representing directions
that the brand could take and inform the creative brief
CASE
STUDY
THE RESULT
A brand new campaign portraying a more relevant
and emerging form of leadership centered around
personal vision, talent, bravery and determination
Case study: Chinese perceptions around Leadership
Advertising
development

17. Code
Scene from TV ad:
creative production
symbolizing talented and
visionary personality
Scene from TV ad:
exploring far away lands
symbolizing bravery and
determination
CASE
STUDY
Output: Specific visuals fed into a creative brief
Advertising
development

18. Be Clear
How Cultural Insight helps a brand

19. THE CHALLENGE
Unilever came to us to refresh the Zhongua brand in
terms of communicating ‘Freshness’, and ‘Science’
THE APPROACH
Gained understanding of the current world of
toothpaste packaging in terms of visuals, symbols,
pack formats, opening mechanisms and so on
Then looked at adjacent categories in order to bring
fresh inspiration and help the brand stand out from
competitors
Finally designed a 'toolkit’ that influenced their briefs
THE RESULT
Repackaging of large part of their portfolio to include
contemporary formats such as vertical design and
thick tube cap but also fresh expressions of
freshness and science such as sensorial intensity
and ‘x-ray effect’ visual cues
Case study: Toothpaste packaging and beyond Repackaging

20. Output: Insight on emergent packaging
Pack design innovation recommendations based on emergent and adjacent category examples
Repackaging

21. Be Fresh
How Cultural Insight helps a brand

22. CASE
STUDY
Innovation
Case study: Product innovation for female consumers
THE CHALLENGE
Diageo wanted to learn how to market and innovate
better to its female consumers
THE APPROACH
Drawing from the world of perfume, we analyzed how
ingredients and flavors can be used in conjunction with
image and text to provide inspiration for product
innovation as well as how this product should be
packaged and communicated to ensure meaning
consistency from concept to execution
THE OUTCOME
A strategic tool clearly linking relevant inspirational
codes with particular Diageo brands’ in terms of
innovation potential

23. CASE
STUDY
Output: Product, pack and comms innovation Innovation

24. CASE
STUDY
Innovation
Output: Product, pack and comms innovation

25. Our Work - Codes OutcomeClient - Project
President – New
natural tea pack &
campaign
GSK – Product
innovation for
Maximuscle
Further case studies, output and implementations
Johnnie Walker
Blue – Limited
Edition bottle
Lindt – New
positioning &
creative
implementation

26. This presentation is provided for the purpose of strategic planning by Added
Value’s contracted client to whom it is presented in the jurisdiction to which
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Thank you
Contact
Panos.Dimitropoulos@added-value.com