Metaphors are a powerful rhetorical device that create “images in the mind” and help people to understand quickly. Agency owner Sabine Pöhacker and PR trainee Irene Maurer explain why metaphors should be used more in PR.

Sometimes metaphors are obvious, but it often takes a while to develop the appropriate and correct image that helps to present complex content in a striking way and thus promote better and faster understanding. According to neuroscience, our brains process metaphors much faster than abstract language. A study by the non-profit scientific organisation PLOS One shows that the brain absorbs metaphors just as well as real actions and lived experiences. Sabine Pöhacker: “Metaphors in the form of catchy statements and concise slogans get under the skin and are the emotional gateway to more attention; they prepare the ground, so to speak, to introduce people to complex topics.

Images have a better emotional impact
comm:unications – Consulting & Services developed a striking example for the Open Fibre Austria Association, OFAA. This involved very complex technical content in connection with the expansion of fibre optics in Austria. The statement “Fibre optics should be as natural as electricity from the socket” immediately conveys what would otherwise have to be explained on many pages of paper. The metaphor “Standards are the shoehorn for entering new markets” was developed for a standards institute. For a client in the investment sector, plummeting interest rates were mitigated by the image “Even a well-filled granary will be empty in the long run if bad weather prevents a good harvest”. As an alternative, the idea of “taking the butter out of the bread” was considered to explain the loss.

Linguistic imagery adds value to PR
A well-placed metaphor is memorable. Two companies joining forces “join forces”, employees winning a competition “take off”. The agency motto of comm:unications “We get to the heart of communication” is also a play on words that creates dynamism and movement. In short, writing and communicating visually is far more valuable than you might think. PR practitioners should therefore seize the opportunity to use idioms and active language to convey key messages in a more concise, vivid and exciting way. But clients also need to be more daring in their use of puns and metaphors.