If you’re looking for innovative ways to make your advertising stand out, you might want to try a metaphor. Marketers have used metaphors to enhance the appeal of products and services using simple, catchy, and memorable words and phrases. Understand how metaphor ads work and be inspired in your next marketing campaign.
What are Metaphor Ads?
Metaphor ads or visual metaphors use images of objects that suggest something else. They use a picture to represent a different idea when promoting a product or service.
Visual metaphors are effective because they tap into the power of the audience’s inner mind.
They may not process everything right away, but they may understand some aspects of what is being communicated on a deeper level. With consistent exposure to metaphor ads, viewers will figure out what is being said underneath the surface.
Businesses can benefit from using visual metaphors in their advertising campaigns. This includes startups that want to create strong marketing strategies and existing businesses looking to enhance their process to become more visible.
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Benefits of Using Visual Metaphors
A clear understanding of the advantages of visual metaphors encourages you to consider using them in your advertising efforts. Here are a few essential benefits:
- Help your audience get your message quickly. Metaphor ads can save you the hassle of spending time describing something. It results in less effort on your part while gaining more attention from your audience.
- Generate curiosity. It encourages viewers to pay closer attention to your ads to figure out the meaning of the metaphor. Once you’ve made them curious about your ad, they will become more interested in your brand.
- Memorable: Your target audience will remember ads with visual metaphors because of creativity and uniqueness. As a result, it makes it even more likely that they’ll remember your brand.
- Help your brand stand out: It can be overwhelming to differentiate your brand in the market. Luckily, visual metaphors can help you stand out.
Creating Effective Metaphor Ads
An example of metaphor ad designed by Penji
Below are some steps that you can follow if you want to start creating visual metaphors. Remember that this is not an infallible method and that you will probably not get any good metaphors often, but frustration is part of the process.
1. Establish the main message
It is crucial to start with the main message you want to communicate. Let’s pretend that we work for an air conditioner company, and our main message is that our products are the best for cooling your house.
2. Brainstorm some potential familiar elements
Remember that they must be clear so your audience can correctly comprehend and decode the message. In this case, we will establish a relationship between the cold and polar bears.
3. Combine the elements to create the message
Once you are happy with your familiar elements, combine them to create your message. Our advertisement for our air conditioning company will be a standard house’s living room, with the air conditioner on and a polar bear chilling on the sofa.
4. Always ask for different points of view on your final product. The message may be straightforward for you (because you created it), but it needs to be more precise for those not involved in the creative process.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
The visual metaphor creatively represents a concept that can make or break your marketing efforts. Consider these common pitfalls to avoid wasting time, money, and effort in creating metaphor ads.
Overuse and mixed metaphors
One of the most common mistakes when using metaphors and analogies is overusing or mixing them up. Too many metaphors and analogies can make your story sound clichéd, forced, or confusing, as they can distract from the main point or create conflicting images.
For example, suppose you say that your protagonist is “a lion in the courtroom, a lamb in the bedroom, and a snake in the boardroom.” In that case, you use three common metaphors and create a contradictory impression of their personality.
To avoid this pitfall, use metaphors and analogies sparingly and selectively and ensure they are consistent and coherent with your story and your characters.
Culturally insensitive metaphors
Another common mistake when using metaphors and analogies is to use them inappropriately or insensitively. This can happen when you use metaphors and analogies based on stereotypes, prejudices, or cultural assumptions that may not resonate with or offend your audience. For example, if you use a metaphor that compares a woman to a flower, you may be implying that she is fragile, passive, or decorative, which may not be the message you want to convey or how she wants to be perceived. To avoid this pitfall, use metaphors and analogies that are respectful, relevant, and accurate, and be aware of the potential implications and connotations of your choices.
Contradictory metaphors
Another common mistake when using metaphors and analogies is to use them contradictorily or illogically. This can happen when you use metaphors and analogies incompatible or inconsistent with your story’s facts, logic, or tone or create paradoxes or fallacies in your argument.
For example, suppose you use a metaphor that compares your antagonist to a vampire, then show them walking in the sunlight. In that case, you are creating a contradiction that undermines your credibility and suspense. To avoid this, use metaphors and analogies that are compatible and consistent with your story’s reality, logic, and tone, and avoid creating paradoxes or fallacies in your argument.
Successful Metaphor Ad Campaigns
To better appreciate the value of using metaphor ads to promote your product or service, we picked two of the 20 Visual Metaphor Ads from Top Brands. Learn from the experiences of McDonald’s and the World Wide Fund (WWF) in integrating metaphors into their advertising campaigns.
McDonald’s Ad
To show its customers that McDonald’s is open 24/7 this simple yet clever visual metaphor ad campaign deserves a special mention. Nocturnal animals with eyes split into the iconic golden arches symbolize their round-the-clock service. The ad not only emphasizes their extended hours but also reinforces brand identity in a creative and memorable way.
Ad by WWF (World Wildlife Fund)
This February 2020 WWF advertisement on the delicate balance of our ecosystem is an excellent example of a visual analogy. Here, two completely unrelated things are compared: our ecosystem and the game of Jenga.
The only thread connecting the two concepts is the idea of imbalance. In the game of Jenga, if even one piece is moved, the whole structure crumbles. Similarly, even if one species goes extinct or becomes endangered in the ecosystem, it creates an imbalance, costing the lives of all in the ecological niche.
This ad is one of the most incredible examples of visual metaphors from which to take inspiration.
Conclusion
Visual metaphors can enhance your message’s impact. This guide can help you create more engaging and memorable ads. Avoid overused, mixed, and culturally insensitive metaphors and analogies. Asking for different points of view from your team can help you avoid these common mistakes.
If you want to try metaphor ads for your marketing campaigns, don’t hesitate to consult professional designers. At Penji, we only hire the world’s top 2% talents. You will always get the best designs from our expert graphic designers and illustrators. Ready to subscribe? Learn more about how things work at Penji by watching this demo video.
