Marketers and advertisers are always looking for ways to make their messages stand out. While using metaphors is a fairly old approach, if used correctly, they can still be effective. The idea of a metaphor is to compare something with another thing that is completely different. So, when you say that a chocolate tastes as if it were a drop of heaven, a metaphor is being used. Here are some of the ways metaphors can be used effectively:
1. Make the Offering Attractive
Use metaphors to paint an attractive picture in the mind of the customer while describing a product. It entices them to buy a product or avail a service. After all, who doesn’t want a peaches and cream complexion or denims that fit like second skin?
2. Highlight a Benefit
Metaphors are great tools when you wish to add some drama to a benefit of your product or service. Just a few playful words can effectively highlight the benefits of your product. It is definitely better to say that a soap will keep you as cool as a cucumber during the summers rather than only saying that it will make you feel fresh.
3. Think Out of the Box
Most of the time, you will be selling a product or service that is already being offered by someone else. You will always compete for audience attention. The best way to get it is to think of something different that breaks the clutter and sticks in your audience’s mind.
4. Portray the Spirit and Essence of the Brand
This articleOpens a new window cites the example of Skittles in capturing the brand’s spirit and essence. The company used the tagline “Taste the Rainbowâ€, and rightly so, there are few other metaphors that can effectively describe the colored candy.
5. Use Visual Metaphors
Images stick around longer than words in the minds of people. So, do not be afraid to experiment with images and pictures that depict a metaphor. One of the most memorable examples of this approach is that of the brand, United Colors of Benetton. The company showcases individuals of different races and colors coming together and best depicts unity.
Visual metaphors have been known to work well in advertising and marketing. Customers prefer being told the message in one quick view than having to read endless lines of text.
While metaphors can be extremely effective, they can also be tricky to use. Here are some rules to consider:
6. Be Creative but Relevant
The product and your metaphor needs to be connected at some level, no matter how diverse the idea. So, while you may love snow and you are trying to sell headphones, these is little connection between the two. It is the worst thing for an advertiser or market when the audience does not understand their concept. Not only is the campaign ineffective and vague, it will easily fade in the minds of your audience. Be creative but avoid going overboard.
7. Clichés
The whole point of this exercise is to sound different and say a message like no one has said it before. However, the purpose is defeated when marketers and advertises use already overused metaphors. Feeling “fresh as a flower†might paint a pretty picture, but might already be in use by hundreds of other brands out there. The last thing you want is to get lost among them.
Putting in a little bit of thought and having a lot of fun while brainstorming for metaphors is sure to help you come up with some memorable ones.