The metaphor is one of the most powerful communicative tools available to a copywriter, but it has to be used with care.
When we use metaphors (or similes), we compare one thing to another so we can understand or explain it better. We do this to explain it, to understand it or sometimes just to make our language more colourful. For example, consider these famous lines:
Life’s but a shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more.
A metaphor opens up new ways to think about something
Here, the core of the metaphor is the equation 'life = theatre', with the secondary meaning 'people = actors'. In these lines, Shakespeare is explicitly saying that our lives are as brief and futile as a play – a meaningless shadow rather than anything real. Implicitly, he’s also saying that we have little control over our destinies, like actors whose lines are written down. Once the parallel is drawn, a metaphor opens up new ways to think about something.
Image and emotion
A good example of a strong copywriting metaphor is Castrol’s slogan 'liquid engineering'. In just two words (the 'engine oil =' part of the equation being understood, or provided by an image), it transforms an everyday, almost commodity product into something essential and sophisticated.
Metaphors derive their power from imagery and emotion
Ad-copy metaphors like this derive their power from two sources: imagery and emotion. In general, people find it easy to grasp concrete images, and harder to understand abstract concepts. Moreover, they respond more strongly when their hearts are appealed to, rather than just their minds. 'Liquid engineering' equates Castrol’s oil with attentive, skilful engineers, suggesting that it provides a similar level of care, while appealing to the customer's desire to care for their engine and safeguard their investment.
Metaphors in NLP
Neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) takes language seriously, acknowledging that it shapes the way we think. Words and figures of speech are chosen not at random but for very particular reasons. By paying attention to what people say, we can learn about the way they see themselves or the world. To an NLP practitioner, metaphors are interesting precisely because of their limits: there are things that they show and things they hide; things they 'allow' and things they 'disallow'.
For example, we might say that a trusted friend is 'a rock'. Obviously, there are lots of unintended literal meanings: our friend probably isn't thousands of years old, rough to the touch or permanently rooted to the spot. We're saying that they're solid and reliable. However, they are human, so their moods and opinions probably do shift around a little. Since rocks don't change, our metaphor obscures this aspect of their personality. The diagram below shows how the metaphor focuses our attention on common ground, while obscuring unshared characteristics.
Business metaphors
Metaphors can have many layers of meaning, making them more powerful as tools for thinking. For example, a common metaphor for a workforce is family – as in 'we’re just one big family here'. Family-owned firms, or those where the founders still take a central role, are more likely to see themselves in this way. Normally intended in a positive sense, the comparison evokes friendliness, mutual support and emotional commitment – all desirable values.
Metaphors can have many layers of meaning
However, there are some common work experiences that don’t happen very often in families: people leaving (voluntarily or otherwise), changing roles or moving up the hierarchy; senior figures delegating or relinquishing power. A 'family' company may have trouble managing (or even acknowledging) events like this, because they don’t fit easily into its worldview. Or it may find itself using 'family' approaches to business problems – dealing with disagreements as if they were between teenage siblings rather than adult colleagues, for example.
This highlights the importance of 'stepping out' of metaphors when they are no longer useful. NLP encourages us to find 'what works'; to choose the ways of thinking that help us solve problems. If it's too limiting to think of a company as a family, find another metaphor that opens up different possibilities. One well-worn example is the sports team: members are equal and have clear roles, goals are clear and leadership is hands-on and focused on outcomes (in theory at least).
Work as warfare
Another often-used business metaphor is military conflict. We often hear about 'sales forces', 'the front line', 'marketing campaigns' and so on. Again, it's worth considering what this metaphor allows and disallows. Traditionally, military forces are serious, disciplined and aggressive rather than cheerful, nurturing or supporting. Perhaps most significantly, they are dominated – structurally and culturally – by men. The work/war analogy shows that workplace metaphors can be instruments of power, serving the interests of those who get to choose them.
Metaphors can be instruments of power
However, what's good for the boss may not necessarily be good for the company. Conflict demands strong leadership 'from the front' and unquestioning obedience from the 'rank and file'. A business run this way may be very good at responding to sudden crises, but it may be hard for people to come forward with new ideas or challenge established methods. An 'army' company may find it hard to distinguish between constructive criticism and disloyalty.
The emphasis on fighting and winning may also give rise to a 'bunker mentality', where problems are seen in terms of enemies to be beaten rather than problems to be solved. Leaders who are hammers see the whole world as a nail.
Climbing the ladder
If your career is a ladder, be sure it's against the right wall
At the individual level, we sometimes talk about our careers as 'ladders'. This is a very interesting metaphor with many dimensions. A ladder is a clearly delineated, straight-line path from a lower level to a higher level; that is its sole purpose. You climb it alone, taking a single route with no choices, and you can't really see your destination until you arrive. If your career is a ladder, you'd better be sure it's against the right wall, because getting off half-way could be fatal and it's a long climb back down.
What's the alternative? Maybe we shouldn’t use any metaphor at all – by objectifying our careers we blind ourselves to the many choices we have at any given moment. But if we do need a comparison, perhaps we should opt for a journey, a game or a process of organic growth (like a tree maturing).
Making metaphor work
What does this all mean for the copywriter? Here are some pointers.
- Choose metaphors carefully. The right comparison illuminates a point like a ray of sun breaking through the clouds. But the wrong one can quickly lead you into deep water. Be sure your metaphor is appropriate.
- Dig deeper. As the examples above show, metaphors (particularly familiar ones) often have layers of meaning that you might not want. Consider what your metaphor really says about the product, service or company you're promoting.
- Use sparingly. Only use metaphors when they're needed: to clarify points that would otherwise be difficult to explain or understand. There's little benefit in introducing a metaphor purely to add colour or interest – it should always communicate meaning.
- Be original. Comparisons, like oranges, are best when they're fresh. A clichéd metaphor has less power to communicate because it's just too familiar.
- Less is more. If we expand the 'orange' comparison further, we could say that metaphors bring a new flavour to your writing, and when you open them up you find they have many different parts. But this would be an example of taking a comparison too far. Most metaphors support just one or two good points; after that, they should be dropped. Overloading them usually just confuses the reader, or makes them forget the first (and most important) point.
- Don't mix metaphors. 'Let's run that idea up the flagpole and see if it holds water.' 'We weren’t on the same page because they were dancing to a different beat.' Adding metaphors together doesn't concentrate meaning; it dilutes it. Give your metaphors room to breathe, so your reader can absorb each one fully before you hit them with the next. If they're too close, or if they overlap, the result can be ridiculous.