DEEP METAPHORS™
The universal metaphors all people use to understand their world – including your brand
WHAT IS THIS AD SAYING?
It's pretty obvious, right? You don't need to think too deeply about it. You don't need a list of product benefits and reasons-to-believe. You infer all of that from this metaphoric visual.
They are rooted in universal human experiences and unconsciously shape the stories we tell ourselves about our world.
In 14,000 ZMET interviews across more than 2,000 projects in nearly 40 countries, we have helped our clients identify the Deep Metaphors™ that are central to their brands and consumers.
This is how metaphors work. They not only cut through the clutter and communicate clearly, but they also can shape how we think and feel.
Deep Metaphors™ are the most powerful of all. Deep Metaphors are common to all of us, from Paris, France to Paris, Texas.
AN EXAMPLE OF A DEEP METAPHOR
Virtually all of us have experiences with Balance very early in our lives. We learn to sit up, crawl, walk, and run.
We learn that maintaining our balance is good. We learn that losing our balance can be bad.
We use this universal physical experience – Balance – to make sense of new and more abstract experiences throughout life, including:
Love "I have fallen for him"
Laws "The scales of justice”
Personalities "She is a steady, stable leader”
Problems and opportunities "We have reached a tipping point"
This is the magic of Deep Metaphors™.
Oh, and the Deep Metaphor in the IKEA ad? Container. Many of us feel "boxed in" when it comes to home decorating. IKEA inspires us with home decor selection that will make us stand out from our neighbors.
Sounds a little bland –maybe even silly -- when you say it in words. But it doesn't sound silly at all when it is communicated metaphorically.
Because Deep Metaphors are so...well...deep, they work in ways consumers aren't even aware of. They operate in the unconscious, where 95% of thoughts and decision-making occur.
That is why it is so critical to get below the surface to understand what is really going on in your consumers' minds.
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Explore more on the science of Deep Metaphors™ from Gerald and Lindsay Zaltman's Marketing Metaphoria: What Deep Metaphors Reveal about the Minds of Consumers, available on Amazon.
You can also contact Lindsay Zaltman directly.