Poke the Two Faces of Metaphors

In marketing a face wash for men, when would it be better to use the tagline “Regenerate your skin” or the tagline “Recharge your skin’s battery”? The first is a literal claim, while the second uses a metaphor. Or what are the tradeoffs in replacing the literal “Bring a cold refrigerator-freezer to your kitchen” with the metaphorical “Bring the Arctic to your kitchen”?
     The answer from studies at University of Montpellier and Institut Supérieur De Gestion is that a metaphor is best used to support claims of innovativeness, but risks disrupting claims of social responsibility. From the perspective of consumer personality, metaphors increase adoption intentions of shoppers who value innovativeness, but decrease those intentions for shoppers prioritizing social responsibility.
     Other research as well as anecdotal reports from marketing professionals finds that the ambiguity of a metaphor resonates the creativity associated with innovation. It’s true that the same ambiguity can lead to multiple interpretations, which in turn raise suspicions of socially irresponsible deception by the marketer.
     Still, the ambiguity requires time to understand, which holds attention to an advertisement at first exposure. Once having figured out the correspondence between the metaphorical object and the marketed item, the consumer often feels proud. That generates positive feelings about the item and receptivity to subsequent exposures to the ad. Because of the benefits of metaphors, look for ways to feature them while employing other ways to portray social responsibility to the degree necessary.
     Be careful not to overuse metaphors. You want to fascinate the reader, not irritate them with an unwanted puzzle. Although similes tend to be less persuasive than metaphors, you might choose to use a simile with audiences who are likely to move on rather than aim to comprehend. “This new item will be a jet pack for your success” is a metaphor. “This new item will be like a jet pack for your success” is a simile.
     As long as the meaning is clear, a visual metaphor—a picture or photo which symbolizes the retailer’s points—is more persuasive yet. Images are remembered better than words. Keep adding incidental details to verbal descriptions and soon some of the important elements are forgotten. Keep adding incidental details to images and those extras actually enhance memory for the important elements. Also, visual information usually enters the consumer’s brain below the level of conscious awareness, avoiding mobilization of the consumer’s resistances.

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