181. The Power of Metaphors for Brands with Olson Zaltman’s Malcolm and Hannibal Brooks

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You are familiar with metaphors...you likely learned about them in elementary school. But do you know how important they are in your business? </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Well, it turns out that metaphors are way more important in understanding the mind of your consumer than you could have possibly imagined. There are two associates from the firm Olson Zaltman here today to share the power of metaphors and how they use them in their Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) process. The ZMET was created by Dr. Gerald Zaltman at the Harvard Business School in the 1990s and is still incredibly relevant for brands today. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the conversation, Malcolm and Hannibal Brooks will share how they have used the ZMET for brands like Harvard, Tropicana, a funeral company, and more. Plus, insights into the 16 deep metaphors they work with at Olson Zaltman and why they matter for all companies who want to appeal to their customers (i.e. everyone!). </span></p> <h3><span style="font-weight: 400;">Show Notes:</span></h3> <ul> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">[00:06] In today’s episode we are digging deep into the power of metaphors with two associates of Olson Zaltman.</span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">[02:53] Malcolm and Hannibal share about themselves, their background, and how as twins they ended up in the same field and working together. </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">[03:44] They both graduated with degrees in food science and went to a master’s program focused on marketing, management, and consumer psychology. </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">[05:57] At Olson Zaltman, they do research that is focused on understanding the unconscious through metaphor. Their process is focused on using imagery and verbal metaphors to understand emotions. </span></li> <li><span style="font-weight: 400;">[06:40] We think in images, not in words; metaphors are our way of describing the wor