Immediacy Matters: Uncapping the Power of Figurative Language in Branding

Immediacy Matters.

Using stories, figurative language, and evocative imagery are some of the most persuasive choices a marketer can employ.

Whether in the form of an advertisement, a televised commercial, a sales pitch, or even an internal campaign to boost morale, you should strive to get your message across as effectively and efficiently as possible.

What do you mean by "story?"

First, why use figurative language, metaphor, or symbolism at all when we have so much data at our fingertips? If you know anything about Common Giant, it’s that we believe in the power of brand storytelling, and these are the base components that make a story sing. For the purposes of this blog post, I’ll define “story” as a descriptive explanation in narrative form. In this way story can be distilled into a single image or a short phrase as well as the longer forms we’re all more familiar with. Stories offer a useful alternative or supporting tool to the rote-form data-based research that many people rely on in pitches by humanizing numbers, placing numbers in context, and illustrating the effect said numbers create in the lived experiences of people. Consider the phrases below:

“Companies without ERG programs have a 20% higher attrition rate on average.”

“ERG programs halt the recruitment revolving door.”

[NOTE: This is an example we made up for illustrative purposes. These stats do no reflect current trends or data.]

Both essentially say the same thing: you’ll retain more employees with a well-funded Employee Resource Group. The second however more succinctly says so in a language that is positively charged and instantly understandable. Silly as it sounds, the half-second it takes to think through the implications of the first sentence (that companies with ERG programs have a 20% lower attrition rate and that is a good thing) has a real psychological (and thus persuasive) effect on the audience. While your CFO and HR department might find the first message immediately appealing, the rest of your audience will find the second statement resonant.

Why?

Power Lies in the Image's Immediacy

Because the image of the second does not need to be explained to the brain the way the data point does. The visual nature of the revolving door makes the message instantly clear: ERG’s stop employees from leaving so frequently.

This is the power of strong visual and figurative language: it’s immediacy.

Proper use of figurative language is an immensely effective tool and predates written and spoken language. (You’ve heard of those cave drawings.) Due to its visual or sensory nature, figurative language is deeply rooted in the human psyche and our lived experience, thus more tactile, substantive, and persuasive.

A 20% lower attrition rate sounds great and all but what I’m more worried about is my designer walking out on me again. – Your Art Director, probably

However, there is a golden rule to effectively using these tools. When this rule is broken, figurative language (visual or otherwise) loses all immediacy and potency.

“A mythological image that has to be explained to the brain is not working,” noted Joseph Campbell, the famed scholar and psychologist.

Harness the Power of Figurative Language and You'll Be More Persuasive

In addition to immediacy, effective figurative language eliminates the margins for misinterpretation. If the metaphor or image used is both familiar and exciting or unexpected, then the margins for misinterpretation and skepticism are eliminated. While salient data points are necessary for showing your work, they can be met with confirmation bias, disbelief, and an unwillingness to change. Meet this emotional and psychological resistance with something that illustrates how that data feels to the audience and you'll have them engaged and on the same wavelength.

The magic of storytelling can be difficult to capture without experience and expertise. If you're ready to spread your brand message, then let's discuss ways Common Giant can help.

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