Project Metaphor

Here’s a well researched article about the power of metaphor. It points to many studies of how the brain confuses the literal and the non-literal, as well as some unforgettable examples of influential metaphors in instances of genocide, peace talks, job-hirings, psychological trauma, and more.

This is Your Brain on Metaphors, NY Times

We all know that metaphors matter, but its nice to see it in science.

Here’s a metaphor you’ve probably seen, but what are they trying to say? Why does Apple compare two types of computers to these two types of people? It’s not hard to say why, but pay attention to some of the small memes of communication in these ads that indicate just what sorts of personalities these two products have.

The PC takes himself more seriously, and yet is worse at his job. He’s not accessible. He’s tight and rigid and certainly not fun. He’s stuffy and out-dated. He likes spreadsheets. I almost wish PC’s would run a campaign of their own in the same style, and fight back a little.

One of the most interesting parts of personification is that it’s setting up an extended metaphor. In this case, everything about the person is mapped onto the product. Personification is powerful (because we know how to read people and form strong impressions), but there’s also the game of carefully avoiding any unintended meanings from spilling over into what they are trying to say about the computers. For instance, I’m sure there were countless takes during the shoot where the Mac guy sneezed, or forgot his lines, or was staring at the wrong spot offscreen – but what does that all mean when you’re comparing him to a user-friendly computer? I’m sure the producers had to be extremely careful with managing all those odd, unintentional meanings from blurring their message. After all, what does it mean when the Mac guy is yelling at his manager on the phone?

We don’t want to give too much away, but pay attention to everything that this guy does. This metaphor is about creating an entire personality for a natural phenomenon we’re all very familiar with.

Brilliant. I like everything about this guy. (Especially the hat.) This metaphor hits on a lot of different levels, and not only is it showing the untapped power of Mr. W., but it also doubles as a fairly kind message about dealing with people who have a lot to give, but haven’t quite found their way. (Who knows…maybe one day metaphors and metaphorical thinking will be revealed as an incredibly valuable, untapped resource.)

Sometimes when someone says: “just returning the favor” they mean it metaphorically. Here’s another instance of a metaphor from SmokeFreeHome.org.

If metaphors can be powerfully employed by advertisers (to help viewers see the world, and see priorities in a certain way) than they can be used just as effectively by the “anti-campaigns,” to help viewers understand their habits decisions in a new way.

Here’s a nice light metaphor for the kids out there. You might remember the “your brain on drugs” ad campaign by the Partnership for a DrugFree America. The your-brain-on-drugs-as-f-d-egg started in the 80′s and the commercials continued to air through the 90′s and early 2000′s. It’s a powerful message about the effects of drugs on your brain, your family, your job, your self-respect, etc. The message is clear enough, no doubt, but within this kitchen, one has to wonder if the girl doing the smashing really gives a sh*&t about the metaphor any more, or if the smashing after every line is emphatic enough to override the specifics of the metaphor.

If you try to chart the actual metaphors, one by one, it gets difficult and the metaphors become stretched and hard to map. After all, what does the effect of heroin on your body have to do with egg yokes running down the back of a skillet? I’m not familiar with heroin’s effects on the body, but I have to wonder, are the runniness and slow drip important? Or if it’s just about that egg being in a bad way. Or is at all just about the mess, and the clamor, and irreversibility of breaking things? At points, the metaphors become hard to articulate, but those are the metaphors that we tend to like here at PM.

If only we had the funding to respond with a “your brain on metaphors” campaign.

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