Brand metaphors: a simple and powerful framework for building unforgettable brands

“Products are made in a factory, but brands are created in the mind.”
—Walter Landor

Brand metaphors and brand archetypes are cognitive shortcuts that convey a brand’s values and attributes by evoking psychological or cultural triggers, creating the emotional experiences consumers are looking for in the most effective way possible.

Consumers are motivated by three higher needs: affiliation, aspiration, and identity. Too many campaigns fail because they focus on selling features or benefits—or, worse, mere “memorability”—instead of fulfilling these higher needs for consumers.

This free PDF download includes:

• How brand metaphors work
• Why consumers embrace brand metaphors
• Why most branding campaigns fail
• Examples of well-known companies using metaphor-driven branding
• The difference between a brand metaphor and a theme
• The three types of brand metaphors (deep, archetypal, and cultural)
• What is a brand archetype?
• What makes an effective brand metaphor
• …and more.

Brand metaphors and brand archetypes are difficult to develop, but the end product (when done right) is nothing short of transformative to the businesses that understand and embrace them. For many business owners, the brand metaphor or brand archetype represents the first time they’ve really understood what their business is about—and often it’s a surprise!

Want to learn more? Our Brand Metaphors PDF is the most comprehensive resource for brand metaphor information available anywhere. Check it out!