Thinkers360
Interested in getting your own thought leader profile? Get Started Today.

Dr. Martina Olbert

Founder and CEO at Meaning.Global

London, United Kingdom

Dr. Martina Olbert is the world's leading expert on creating meaning in business known simply as The Meaning Expert™, recognized by Forbes as the 'global authority on brand meaning'. She is a business visionary, thought leader, strategy advisor, humanist, futurist, author, speaker, consumer psychologist, and social scientist reimagining the future of business with meaning to serve our complete humanity and the planet. Thinkers360 called her the Global Business Thinker on Sustainability, Marketing, and Ecosystems To Follow In 2022.

Martina is the Founder and CEO of Meaning.Global, an expert strategy consultancy helping leaders envision new possibilities for future innovation, value creation and growth as we move toward a new sustainable economy where aligning with our humanity is a must. She works with organizations to uproot their legacy mindsets and shift their perspective to see the world anew: as a space of infinite possibility to create new forms of human value that elevate our collective wellbeing.

She sees business as the most potent creative force for change in the world. Her vision is to use the immense social power of business and brands as a catalyst for global social, cultural, economic and environmental growth which can lead us into a more meaningful, sustainable and humanistic future. Her core effort is to realign business with humanity so we can start seeing business as an expression of our own humanity, not as a system where it is an afterthought.

She gives expert advice on meaning, strategic innovation, human foresight, sustainability, diversity, value creation, growth, consumer behaviour, and societal and cultural shifts. Her clients include banking and finance, investment fund, private equity, luxury, hospitality, social enterprise, start-ups, a presidential candidate, tech, media, agencies, education, medical and consumer goods.

Martina is a global keynote speaker represented by Chartwell Speakers in London. She spoke at events in North America, LatAm, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Her insights are frequently published in global media publications like Forbes, BBC, Newsweek, WARC, Campaign, Vogue Business, Luxury Daily, Jing Daily, Branding Strategy Insider or the American Journal Of Consumer Research.

She is the author of 'Reimagining Consumerism As A Force For Good' and the globally acclaimed 'The Luxury Report: Redefining The Future Meaning Of Luxury'. She is currently writing her new book 'Humanistic Realignment In Business' which will come out in 2023/24.

You can contact Martina at hello@meaning.global

Available For: Advising, Authoring, Consulting, Influencing, Speaking
Travels From: London
Speaking Topics: Reimagining Business/Brands As Catalysts For A Better Future, Sustainability, Innovation, Ecosystems, Meaning, Diversity, Marketing, Humanized Growth

Dr. Martina Olbert Points
Academic 15
Author 36
Influencer 111
Speaker 27
Entrepreneur 20
Total 209

Points based upon Thinkers360 patent-pending algorithm.

Thought Leader Profile

Portfolio Mix

Company Information

Company Type: Company
Minimum Project Size: Undisclosed
Average Hourly Rate: Undisclosed
Number of Employees: Undisclosed
Company Founded Date: Undisclosed

Areas of Expertise

Business Strategy
Change Management
COVID19
CSR
Culture 30.82
Customer Experience 30.18
Customer Loyalty
Digital Disruption
Digital Transformation 30.01
Diversity and Inclusion 31.31
Ecosystems 38.14
Future of Work
Health and Wellness 30.08
Innovation 30.16
Leadership 30.56
Management 30.05
Marketing 34.32
Public Relations
Startups
Sustainability 43.63

Industry Experience

Consumer Products
Financial Services & Banking
Healthcare
Higher Education & Research
Hospitality
Media
Oil & Gas
Other
Pharmaceuticals
Professional Services
Retail
Telecommunications
Travel & Transportation
Utilities

Publications

1 Academic Award
Dean's Award for Doctoral Dissertation
Charles University in Prague
January 12, 2011

See publication

Tags: Marketing

1 Academic Whitepaper
Reimagining Consumerism As A Force For Good: From Consumer Collectives To A Human Collective
Meaning.Global
July 07, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Marketing

2 Analyst Reports
The Future Of Luxury Brands
ThePowerHouse
June 01, 2021
Introduction from ThePowerHouse report on The Future Of Luxury Fashion:


We believe that luxury is experiencing an identity crisis, now more than ever. The question is: What is luxury? For this same reason, we invite Dr. Martina Olbert, a global authority on brand meaning, luxury strategist, consumer psychologist, social scientist and visionary thinker redefining the future of luxury.

Martina is the Founder and CEO of Meaning.Global, a global strategic intelligence consultancy helping clients navigate the fast-changing socio-cultural context and understand how the evolving symbolic meanings in our world today impact brands and businesses and where their value shifts next.

She advises some of the top luxury, consumer and lifestyle brands in the world on meaning, culture, brand and business strategy, innovation, new relevance and the rapidly changing consumer behaviour.

She is regularly featured as a commentator on brand meaning and the future of luxury in global media publications, such as Forbes, Luxury Daily, Luxury Society, BBC, Jing Daily, Vogue Business, WARC and ELUXE, and is the author of The Luxury Report on Redefining The Future Meaning Of Luxury.


Martina is the best person to reflect on this identity crisis and help us understand how luxury brands can overcome it by adapting their own meaning to what people value as luxury today.

Dr. Martina Olbert explains the shift in the meaning of luxury and where the opportunity lies for luxury brands in the future:

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

The Luxury Report: Redefining The Future Meaning Of Luxury
Meaning.Global
June 12, 2019

See publication

Tags: Culture, Marketing, Sustainability

16 Article/Blogs
Part Three: The New Luxury Essentialism. How can a return to functionality help luxury brands regain their forgotten core value?
The Collective
July 14, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Marketing

True Value Of Diversity In Business: It's Not Representation, But Value Creation
Meaning.Global
July 11, 2021
A lot has been said about Diversity and Inclusion and their role in business.

However, mostly when we hear about diversity, we hear about the need for a better and more effective social representation. But that is only the starting point for the debate about Diversity in business. The true value of Diversity in business is as an engine for value creation and meaningful social growth.

The true meaning of diversity in business is about the diversification of value. Not just about the input, but mostly about the output. That is the competitive advantage that businesses have over each other.

This new in-depth piece explores how our wrong, inaccurate and outdated thinking about Diversity is costing us in the future value creation we don't have and how it's stopping us from making real social progress. It also looks at what we can do to fix it and rewire our minds to unleash the real creative power of diversity in business.

What we cannot think we cannot change.

See publication

Tags: Diversity and Inclusion, Ecosystems, Leadership

The True Meaning Of Relevance: It's Not What You Think
Meaning.Global
May 28, 2021
We don't understand properly what relevance means in business today. Not understanding the true meaning of something hinders its potential for growth. This is why it’s important that we understand what things mean in and of themselves.

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Marketing

https://eluxemagazine.com/culture/post-aspirational-luxury/
Eluxe Magazine
April 23, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Marketing

What is Post-aspirational Luxury?
Eluxe Magazine
April 23, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Marketing

The Failed Human Potential Of Digital Media
Meaning.Global
April 19, 2021
Digital networks were supposed to bring global connectivity leading to the expansion of human consciousness. Instead, people have become enormously skilled at being totally irrelevant.

See publication

Tags: Digital Transformation, Ecosystems, Leadership

The Systemic Inhumanity Of Business
Meaning.Global
February 11, 2021
Should we finally address the systemic inhumanity of business or will we continue to pretend it doesn’t exist?
The one that reduces the man to an object.
The one that reduces the man to a resource.
The one that reduces the man to a candidate.
The one that treats the man as a cog supposed to fit in a machine.
The one that doesn’t realize that without the man there is no machine.
When will we finally learn the truth and be brave enough to change and implement it?

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Marketing

Innovation Is Human
Meaning.Global
February 10, 2021
Innovation is a very misunderstood subject in business still. With the boom and large-scale adoption of digital technology and all the possibilities it has to offer, it seems that businesses–and big players especially–have forgotten the very meaning of the word Innovation.

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Management

THE HUMAN VALUE ECONOMY
Meaning.Global
February 05, 2021
Once upon a time, there was only one world — the natural world.
Then we’ve civilized our society and created another and completely different world — the simulated reality.
This is where we were proud of all our most recent inventions and gadgets such as brands, products, services, technology, the Internet and all the greatness these things had to offer.
We celebrated progress, but we’ve progressed so much that we lost the connection to what is real and what isn’t.

The Illusion is great for boosting the economy but atrocious for boosting the human spirit, our self-esteem and well-being. Because what is good for the economy is killing us.

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Innovation, Leadership

Part Two: Back to Essence: Entering new luxury paradigm What does COVID-19 mean for the future of luxury brands?
The Collective
January 12, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Marketing

Part one: The new meaning of luxury. How is COVID-19 redefining what luxury means today?
The Collective
October 14, 2020

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Marketing

Rethinking Gender & Identity In The Age Of Fluidity
Thrive Global
October 14, 2020

See publication

Tags: Diversity and Inclusion, Ecosystems, Leadership

Authenticity is the new luxury
Acorn
October 14, 2020

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Marketing

My Directive Statement for Brands & Businesses Amidst The COVID-19 Crisis | Pandemic Culture Series
Canvas8
May 17, 2020

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

A BRAVE NEW WORLD: GLOBALISATION VS. ACCESS TO THE GLOBAL MIND
Meaning.Global
May 03, 2020

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Sustainability

THE ECONOMY OF FEAR, OR MEANING?
Meaning.Global
April 12, 2020

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Sustainability

1 Founder
Meaning.Global
https://www.meaning.global/
April 22, 2017

See publication

Tags: Culture, Ecosystems, Marketing

1 Journal Publication
Reimagining Consumerism as a Force for Good: The Future of Consumer Collectives Is a Human Collective
JACR. The University Of Chicago Press.
October 04, 2021
The consumer model as we know it is hitting its limits today as it is no longer socially and culturally aligned with what people value. Since the COVID pandemic, our human needs and values have been rapidly evolving in a new direction that takes us back to our humanity in a quest to retrieve the lost meaning in our lives. We are experiencing a 180-degree paradigm shift from brands to people reversing the dynamic of the brand-consumer relationships. For this reason, the future of consumer collectives is a human collective. There are no consumers or collectives. There is only one collective: the human collective. As we are reclaiming our humanity and are awakening to our higher needs, segmenting people into consumer collectives is no longer as relevant. To authentically connect with people, brands need to shift their focus away from themselves and their purpose and focus on what people value—and that is meaning. When brands do this right, consciously and on a large scale, they can become the catalysts of a real social change. They can become forces for good—forces for meaningful social growth.

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

1 Keynote
Lead With Meaning At The Core | Brand Week Istanbul 2019: Designing The Future
Brand Week Istanbul
December 15, 2019
"Designing The Future Of Brands: Lead With Meaning At The Core"

Talk Summary:

Brands are in the business of meaning exchange. Meaning is what we consume in all things, be it products, services or our human relationships. It drives our decisions and behaviours. It is the cornerstone of value.

Meaning is the core intangible asset for brands to build and retain value and grow long-term equity. Without meaning, brands become innately hollow, empty shells and mere commodities.

Understanding how people create, share and consume meaning and how to navigate meaning systemically in the global market full of cultural complexity is paramount to the future success of brands and organisations.

Meaning is quickly becoming the new leading business currency in the 21st century. Semiotics and anthropology are the new literacy, the new language that brand leaders need to speak to keep their brands relevant, valuable and profitable in the quickly changing world today.

See the full presentation here: https://www.slideshare.net/martinaolb...

Istanbul, Turkey | November 6, 2019
https://www.brandweekistanbul.com/

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Leadership, Marketing

18 Media Interviews
Reusable Luxury & Eyewear for Optician Magazine India with Dr. Martina Olbert
Optician India
July 23, 2021
Interview on Reusable Luxury and Eyewear with Madhur Gupta, the Founder and EIC of Optician India Magazine.

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

Yellow Is The New Blue As Tiffany & Co Debuts New Color Scheme Under LVMH Marketing Plan
Forbes
June 22, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

Restoring The Meaning Of Luxury with Martina Olbert, CEO Meaning.Global
NXTLVL Podcast
June 22, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

BBC interview
BBC
June 22, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

Dr Martina Olbert Interview: The Meaning Keynote Invitation at HACKcellence Fest, June 16th 2021
Hackcellence Fest Dubai
June 10, 2021
Next Wednesday, June 16th at 1pm UAE time, I will be delivering a keynote for the students from 26 countries all over Africa, the Middle East and India in a unique initiative set up by Suresh Dinakaran of ISD Global in collaboration with Toshiba and Kioxia. Great potential to create a more meaningful future of business and innovation from a fresh and culturally diverse perspective! Love this raw energy.

My talk will be all about the importance of meaning in business and branding – as meaning is the core of value creation and value exchange between brands and people.

I will talk about purpose versus meaning, the future of brands and organisations and how the real focus in business should shift towards people to make sure businesses deliver solutions to real-world problems and create meaningful value in the context of people's lives. Also, I will talk about my own meaning and carving out my own path in business and how important self-belief and the belief in what you're doing is to your future success.

Register for the virtual conference here: https://lnkd.in/g_qvZZV

For more info, go to HACKcellence website: https://lnkd.in/gbwGu3G

#meaning #purpose #brands #branding #success #future #entrepreneurship #ventures #leadership #collaboration #essentialism #valuecreation #brandgrowth #businessgrowth #levant #africa #middleeast #india #dubai #uae #innovation #ventures #investment #VC

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

WHAT IS ETHICAL JEWELRY? WE DIG FOR ANSWERS
Eluxe Magazine
April 23, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

LVMH, Cartier And Prada Partner To Fight Counterfeits, Invite Other Luxury Brands To Join
Forbes
April 22, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

A wake-up call for luxury
El Pais
April 22, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

What The Aftermath Of The Global Coronavirus Pandemic Will Mean For Luxury Brands
Forbes
March 15, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

Luxury Consumers Haven’t Gone ‘Post-Aspirational,’ Rather They Aspire For Different Things
Forbes
March 14, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

Luxury Turns From Conspicuous To Conscientious In 2021: Challenges And Opportunities Ahead
Forbes
January 10, 2021

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

Discovering the Power of Rituals in Marketing
Acorn
October 14, 2020

See publication

Tags: Diversity and Inclusion, Ecosystems, Leadership

Louis Vuitton Face Shield: In-Your-Face Status Symbol Or New Essential Luxury Fashion Accessory?
Forbes
October 04, 2020

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

What does a ‘life of luxury’ really mean?
BBC
September 16, 2020

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

The impact of coronavirus shifts west
Vogue Business
March 16, 2020

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

The Speaker Show Podcast | Fireside chat with Martina Olbertova and Sean Pillot de Chenecey
The Speaker Show
January 15, 2020

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

Who Is The New Luxury Consumer?
We Are What We Buy on Voice America
December 15, 2019

See publication

Tags: Customer Experience, Diversity and Inclusion, Leadership

Golden Drum 2018 Interview: Creativity & Brand Meaning
Golden Drum 2018
November 13, 2019

See publication

Tags: Diversity and Inclusion, Ecosystems, Marketing

2 Miscellaneouss
NXTLVL Podcast, E11: Restoring The Meaning Of Luxury with Dr. Martina Olbertova, Meaning.Global CEO
NTXLVL Experience Design Podcast
January 09, 2021
EPISODE SUMMARY

Martina Olbertova, CEO of Meaning.Global, author of The Luxury Report and host of the Luxury Renaissance Show podcast and David Kepron discuss the evolution of the concept of luxury and how shifting cultural and economic pressures are a signal to restore the concept to its original meaning. What we buy is much more than the stuff, it's about ideologies and deeper meaning. This is a fasten-your-seatbelt interview that'll challenge much of what we think we know both meaning, value, consumerism and the concept of luxury.

See publication

Tags: Culture, Ecosystems, Marketing

The Speaker Show Podcast | Fireside chat with Martina Olbertova and Sean Pillot de Chenecey
Speaker Associates
May 02, 2020
In this episode of The Speaker Show:

Sean Pillot de Chenecey chats with Dr. Martina Olbertova, the world’s leading expert on creating meaning and cultural relevance in business to bridge the meaning and value gaps between organisations, brands, culture and society.

The chat covers:

• The meaning crisis in business and culture today
• The rising meaninglessness of marketing and advertising due to cultural irrelevance
• Why meaning is the core value of brands and businesses
• The value of culture and meaning in business
• The meaning versus brand purpose conundrum
• What Simon Sinek got wrong in his Start With Why
• The symbolic and cultural value of luxury and why luxury is all about meaning
• How culture works with meaning and purpose
• Why authenticity is the foundation of brands and culture
• My plans, an upcoming book and speaking engagements for 2020

See publication

Tags: Culture, Ecosystems, Marketing

2 Panels
The Meaning of Luxury Panel | Frame Awards 2020 in Amsterdam | February 2020
Frame
March 10, 2020
"What does luxury hospitality look like at a time when a new generation of travellers is rejecting ostentatious displays of wealth and choosing experiential over material excess?"

That was the lead question of our panel discussion at the annual Frame Awards 2020 in Amsterdam, organized by Frame, on February 19, 2020.

The topics included: The new meaning of luxury, where it's all headed and why, what's the role of spirituality, purpose and reconnecting back to our authentic selves in the future of luxury, why technology is just an enabler and how the dynamic of sustainability and circular economy versus the excess of material society underpins the current shift in consumption.

Featured speakers:

• Marcel Wanders, Studio Marcel Wanders Founder, on the essence of great design
• Caroline Cundall, InterContinental Hotels Group Director of Interior Design for Europe, talking on designing boutique experiences for luxury escapism
• Peter Cole, Design Hotels CEO, on how he strives to integrate purpose and spirituality in creating more meaningful hospitality as well as employee experiences
• Dr. Martina Olbertova, Meaning.Global Founder & CEO, explaining the underlying human, cultural, societal and market dynamics of the new luxury in the world today

About Frame Awards:

Frame Awards is a two-day programme with stimulating content that explores innovation in retail, hospitality, work and living through a combination of talks, workshops, installations, live judging, masterclasses and brand experiences. Beyond that, the Frame Awards honours spatial excellence across four main categories in interior design: Spatial Awards, Executional Awards, Societal Awards and Honorary Awards.

See publication

Tags: Culture, Ecosystems, Sustainability

Rethinking Gender & Identity In The Age Of Fluidity
Pass The Mic
December 15, 2019

See publication

Tags: Culture, Ecosystems, Health and Wellness

2 Speaking Engagements
The Luxury Week
The Luxury Week
July 30, 2020

See publication

Tags: Culture, Ecosystems, Sustainability

Role of Ritual Experiences in Commercial Culture
Pass The Mic
November 13, 2019

See publication

Tags: Customer Experience, Ecosystems, Marketing

3 Webinars
Exclusivity vs Accessibility: TOP 5 marketing trends for luxury retail brands
OLIVER
September 06, 2021
Luxury retail brands felt the pain of the pandemic, as more consumers turned to essential spending rather than big-ticket items. From luxury travel to luxury beauty and luxury motors, these brands needed to find their customer online more than ever.

Today, standing digitally accelerated, luxury retailers are using technology to drive greater value into their brand and customer experiences. But they’re also looking for fresh ways to gain a competitive advantage; faced with the democratization of their category (caused by inflated competition), a broadening of the market (no longer saved for the super-rich, but accessible to all), and the need to do better marketing online with less time, less money and more channels than ever.

Joined by four guest experts, Dr. Martina Olbert of Meaning.Global, Louis Westphalen of Breitling, Yves Le Breton and Omar DaCosta-Shahid, the webinar looked into five top luxury marketing trends:

1. Democratization of Luxury and The Rise of Luxury Essentialism with a special focus on the changing narrative of luxury, the importance of personal meaning, relevance, and authenticity

2. Diversifying Luxury's Future Consumer and the need to understand and actively engage new cultural communities, as well as the importance of learning how to create cultural relevance in different markets worldwide to resonate with these new customers

3. Luxury E-Tail And Technology: The rise of blockchain and the importance to engage the luxury customer with new technology solutions

4. New luxury services that are being developed to support new consumption patterns

5. Luxury and Sustainability – is it one and the same?

Join host Chris Woodward, Group Managing Director of OLIVER.

See publication

Tags: Ecosystems, Marketing, Sustainability

Lead With Meaning
CX Emotion
July 22, 2020

See publication

Tags: Culture, Ecosystems, Marketing

How Brands Can Bridge The Gap Of Meaning
NewMR webinar
November 13, 2019

See publication

Tags: Culture, Ecosystems, Innovation

Thinkers360 Credentials

3 Badges

Blog

Opportunities

Contact Dr. Martina Olbert

Book Dr. Martina Olbert for Speaking

Book a Meeting

Media Kit

Share Profile

Contact Info

  Profile

Dr. Martina Olbert