Metaphorical Shortcut
New or complex ideas are easier understood through existing ones
If you’re launching something new that’s very different to what’s already out there, a story told through existing knowledge will help bridge the gap.
Chang & Yen (2013). Missing ingredients in metaphor advertising. Journal of Advertising
The study
Setup
408 people were shown one of three versions of a shampoo advert. The control just had the words “Say bye-bye to your dandruff” with an image of a couple. The two metaphor versions both had “You may erase anything unwanted” with either an eraser (implicit) or the bottle of shampoo (explicit) rubbing out words on a blackboard.
Results
Results showed greater purchase intentions for the product with either metaphorical ad.
Chang & Yen (2013). Missing ingredients in metaphor advertising. Journal of Advertising
Key Takeaways
Leverage our existing understanding of the world for new ideas or concepts. Complicated ideas are best understood through existing ones. What analogies can you draw that your customers can relate to?
Metaphors come in different flavors:
Juxtapositions: two images next to one another;
Fusions: mixing two concepts into a single one; or
Replacements: switching one thing for another.
Just make sure that you harness real world understanding to help ground your new idea.
Metaphorical Shortcut
New or complex ideas are easier understood through existing ones
If you’re launching something new that’s very different to what’s already out there, a story told through existing knowledge will help bridge the gap.
Chang & Yen (2013). Missing ingredients in metaphor advertising. Journal of Advertising
The study
Setup
408 people were shown one of three versions of a shampoo advert. The control just had the words “Say bye-bye to your dandruff” with an image of a couple. The two metaphor versions both had “You may erase anything unwanted” with either an eraser (implicit) or the bottle of shampoo (explicit) rubbing out words on a blackboard.
Results
Results showed greater purchase intentions for the product with either metaphorical ad.
Key Takeaways
Leverage our existing understanding of the world for new ideas or concepts. Complicated ideas are best understood through existing ones. What analogies can you draw that your customers can relate to?
Metaphors come in different flavors:
Juxtapositions: two images next to one another;
Fusions: mixing two concepts into a single one; or
Replacements: switching one thing for another.
Just make sure that you harness real world understanding to help ground your new idea.
Metaphorical Shortcut
New or complex ideas are easier understood through existing ones
The study
Setup
408 people were shown one of three versions of a shampoo advert. The control just had the words “Say bye-bye to your dandruff” with an image of a couple. The two metaphor versions both had “You may erase anything unwanted” with either an eraser (implicit) or the bottle of shampoo (explicit) rubbing out words on a blackboard.
Results
Results showed greater purchase intentions for the product with either metaphorical ad.
In detail
Connected to
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Metaphorical Shortcut
