Metaphorically speaking

Editor's note: Charlotte Rettinger and Ann Brewer are partners in Delta3 Research, Great Neck, N.Y.

It is 8 o'clock on a dark and rainy night in Niceville. Eight respondents are waiting to be called in to the focus group discussion. Where are the others? Should you wait until you have 10?

You decide to wait five minutes. One other person comes. The group members are ushered into the conference room. One woman checks her teeth in the one-way mirror. A man spills his coffee on the table. Everyone settles in and you ask them to introduce themselves. The men and women represent a broad cross section of the target audience. You tell them the purpose of the group is to obtain their reactions to six names developed by the client's ad agency. The discussion is lively and full of opinions but no one likes any of the options. So, you lay it on the table. What would they like to have the product named? Dead silence.

Just when you thought consumer creativity was a pipe dream, there is a way to make it a reality. It's a simple research procedure that breaks the lock on creative-phobia to obtain creative assistance from consumers. And, better yet, the technique can be used with traditional depth interviews or focus groups. The procedure relies on metaphors, similes and symbolic language to decrease inhibitions, freeing respondents to access their emotions and take a chance by being creative.

Why care about consumer creativity? Consumer creativity can enrich the marketing process at any stage, but it is particularly effective in the early stages during strategic development. When consumers are creative they express themselves at an emotional level. Products and services that tap into that level are more successful because they touch consumers "where they live." For example, consumer creativity is not necessary when conducting a blind taste test of several different cheese brands and varieties. However, consumer creativity is very important when determining the positioning of a new line of low fat cheeses because the most successful positionings leverage their consonance with consumer emotions.

Creativity and the interview environment

Most people enjoy being creative, but only when they are stimulated rather than challenged. Confrontation is a quick and easy way to dry up someone's creative juices. When the Niceville group participants said they disliked the product names and were asked to provide some of their own, naturally they went blank.
The optimum way to stimulate consumer creativity is through a combination of environment and technique. Before describing the use of metaphors, similes and symbolic language, there are a few points to cover about the optimum interviewing environment.

When recruiting, screen for people who are receptive to expressing opinions in front of others. There are no other requirements with regard to group size, subject matter to be discussed or the demographic profile of the participants.

  • State the rules of the road as you would for a brainstorming session. Offer as many ideas as you can and defer judgement. Be respectful of other peoples' ideas. Avoid being negative about any idea. Take ideas to the next level. Offer alternatives.
  • Use a non-confrontational moderating style before and during the metaphor exercise.
  • Do not introduce rating scales or other linear exercises before the creative portion. Keep the discussion oriented to right-brain thinking.

If the group is tense, do relaxation exercises as a preliminary warm-up. If tension persists, be funny!

The metaphor operating process

To begin describing metaphor operating process (MOPS), the first step is to define a metaphor and a simile. According to The Random House Dictionary of the English Language:

  • A metaphor is "the application of a word or phrase to an object or concept which it does not literally denote in order to suggest comparison with another object or concept, as in 'A mighty fortress is our God.'"
  • A simile is "a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared, as in 'She is like a rose.' "

Throughout this article metaphors are referenced. However, when speaking of metaphors, we are including metaphors and similes as well as any other colorful language that enhances meaning.

There are three steps to unlocking consumer creativity through the use of metaphors: first, ask respondents to interpret a metaphor; second, ask for associations with their metaphor explanation and how they feel about those associations; third, ask respondents to connect those feelings to the issue at hand. Up to five metaphors can be used in a single group or individual interview before respondent fatigue makes the exercise unproductive.

An abbreviated, hypothetical scenario of the MOPS process using the metaphor "lead a charmed life" is described below.

Moderator: "Let's talk about the phrase, 'Lead a charmed life.' What does it mean to you?"

Respondent A: "It means a very lucky person, someone who comes out ahead no matter what. Someone who hasn't taken any hard knocks in life."

Moderator: "Thinking about a lucky person who hasn't experienced hard knocks, what does that remind you of?"

Respondent A: "It reminds me of my sister, who always was the most popular, got the best grades and had the cutest boyfriends when we were growing up."

Respondent B: "It makes me think of a novel or a story that is not very realistic."

Respondent C: "That's Peter Pan - the eternal child."

Moderator: "We've talked about someone who was popular as a youngster, someone who never grew up and something unrealistic. What feelings are elicited by these statements?"

Respondent A: "Jealous and green with envy, but also a little guilty that I feel that way."

Respondent B: "Lost in a fantasy, like when I read a romance novel."

Respondent C: "Safe."

Respondent D: "I feel left out."

Moderator: "How do these feelings apply or not apply to [the situation being researched]?"

The above example depicts a typical MOPS exchange in a focus group, except that fewer respondents' remarks are shown. Notice how easily respondents are able to speak about feelings. And once these feelings are part of the shared consciousness of the group, respondents find they can easily, enjoyably and creatively apply them to the subject at hand. After respondents work with one or two metaphors, they associate to the subject without much probing.

When using MOPS, bear in mind that the selection of metaphors will direct the conversation of the group. Some metaphors appear to have intrinsic meanings which consistently surface in every group (e.g., comfortable as an old shoe) while others generate diverse meanings from group to group (e.g., shake, rattle and roll).

After several uses of a metaphor, its meaning is learned, and it can then be used with some assurance of what will arise. In deciding what metaphors to use, it is best to use a combination of broadly and narrowly interpreted metaphors. This allows the marketer to test existing hypotheses with the narrowly interpreted metaphors and develop new hypotheses with the more broadly interpreted metaphors.

In a project of three focus groups, as many as 15 different metaphors can be used, five in each group with no overlap. The use of many metaphors in a single project circumvents a potential new market research problem - metaphor bias. Try to select metaphors that relate to the attributes and benefits of the subject being studied, but be prepared to be pleasantly surprised!

Application of MOPS data

Consumer creativity has been applied to several different marketing challenges and opportunities. For example, a recent study was conducted for a major national retailer that was trying to determine which of three experimental store formats to select for expansion. Through MOPS, we were able to assess shopping experiences in the various store formats and determine the differing emotional rewards that were elicited due to store design. The retailer was able to examine the emotional outcomes and select the design for chain expansion that best supported the company's long term strategic objectives. The three store formats elicited the following emotional responses:

STORE FORMAT A

Emotional response: Security, stability, self-satisfaction, and the feeling of being efficient.
Shopping response: Great for convenience shopping but not high in emotional vesting, thereby laying the chain open to competitors.

STORE FORMAT B

Emotional response: Excitement, the expression of artistic feelings by the choices made, feeling "rich" by the variety, and the satisfaction of filling many needs at one location.

Shopping response: Stimulated to shop there frequently in order to not miss anything, convenience of one-stop shopping with added incentive of gaining ideas and being surprised by new and different merchandise.

STORE FORMAT C

Emotional response: Warmth, being relaxed, and feeling cared for.

Shopping response: Wanting to linger when time permitted, bought more because spent more time there, somewhat claustrophobic due to homey atmosphere.

The information revealed through the MOPS technique led our client to select format B for chain expansion since it not only gained a deeper emotional response from customers - thereby better differentiating the store from competitors - but it also stimulated more revenue due to the increased number of shopping trips. Although format C also elicited an emotional response, it did not fulfill the convenience needs considered essential for today's shoppers.

Consumer creativity through MOPS can help you as it has helped other companies to: gain an understanding of how consumers experience a purchase occasion versus how they want to experience it; position a new product to satisfy the emotional component of use in addition to product-related factors; develop the emotional tone for an advertising campaign; describe and build a model of positive interaction between end-users and service provider.