Advertisements. We see them everywhere: on television, billboards, newspapers, YouTube videos. We see so many in a day that sometimes they might blur together. Considering how many people and companies are vying to sell their products, it can be hard to stand out. Doing what’s popular or stable—or both—seems like a safe, tried-and-true strategy. But it’s not what’s most likely to catch your attention. For all the similar ads and marketing strategies you may have seen, you’ve also likely seen something really different. Something that might have seemed really strange or off-the-wall at the time, but you could never get it out of your head. It tends to be the unusual and different that most stick in our minds, and these strategies can make selling your product easier. I've been hearing a lot about "stickiness" lately – and I don't mean just with reference to "sticky" gas pedals on Toyotas. Stickiness is a quality to which advertisers aspire, too. They want their messages to stick. No, I’m not talking about the messages written on sticky notes, but rather the ones that stick in your mind, the ones that hold their own against the competition for your "eyeballs," as they say in the ad game. Have you ever come across an ad and gone “AHA”? If yes, then I think the advertisement has done its job and has proved to be brilliant. This kind of stickiness is a metaphor for connection. It is visual communication done right!
But what really is visual communication?
Visual Communication is an exchange of messages between the eminent and the recipient with help of visual signs, messages, illustrations, images, texts. A person responds to different stimuli, reacts on different contents and brings conclusions that are always equivalent to the quality of his emotions.
It has evolved rapidly in the last few decades. Some 40,000 years ago, cavemen used dirt mixed with saliva to draw pictures of animals on walls and rocks. Fast forward to the mid-1900s, the Don Drapers of the marketing world were using imagery and visual metaphors to alter people's perception of the world and move them to specific actions--thereby, actually altering reality. Jump to the present, and we find ourselves in the midst of the democratization of visual communication.
Some messages can be clear and simple, but now, when we want to make stronger impression and send messages in most creative way we do it by using metaphors. Metaphors may seem more appropriate for copywriters, but these days they are powerful solutions for visual problems and advertising.
What is a metaphor?
It is a figure of speech that identifies two dissimilar things based on something that they have in common. For example, an eagle and a car are two completely different things, but one thing that they can have in common is speed. Metaphors merge two seemingly incompatible images or concepts in an effort to create symbolism. They bridge the gap between the new and the familiar. These types of images incorporate familiar elements, concepts or objects and then use them to build on the viewer's previous knowledge. Advertising is full of silly metaphors. They are frequently used in advertising as a way to enhance the perceived value of a product or to make it seem more personal. They can also help to create a particular brand image. An advertising metaphor often combines a verbal phrase with a visual image to dramatize the effect.
As consumers, we like to think we choose products based on what we can see, hear, feel, taste and touch about them. Is this a good hamburger? Let’s taste it. Is this a good car? Let’s drive it. But the reality of the situation is that there are a lot of other benefits that products can offer and that can’t be described or felt by our five senses. There are the subconscious elements, the deeper meanings and emotions that some products awake, which influence our decisions to buy or not to buy. For instance, even though a car can be seen and felt and driven, there are other aspects that determine how we relate to it, such as feelings of power or freedom or security. These aspects are not part of the actual structure of the car, but they are a thing that draws us to the vehicle, so they ought to be part of how the automaker markets and sells it. And that’s where metaphor comes into play. Metaphors usually target the attributes of the product. This can be attained successfully by using unconventional imagery, visual comparisons through puns, minimalism, visual effects or just simple typography.
The lines between the audience and the producer have been blurred, and now one can create ripples across the Web with visual content. Or communicate a truly memorable message that will stick in your audience's mind for years to come. But to do so in a way that resonates, one need more than just the right software, they need the ability to think visually. Recognizable design and a good idea. That’s all one needs.
If first ideas are too clichéd, don’t lose hope. Hold out for the second, third or the 20th comparison. Metaphors will start pouring out and originality will show off. “But yet, the best ideas, as always, are hard to land on.” Now there’s a quote for your sticky note.
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