3.3 Metaphors of war

Linguists inform marketers that in any conversation, the intentions of speakers are communicated through stylistic features of language that have less to do with what is being said, and more to do with how it is being said. To understand a speaker’s message, people need to know how the words spoken are meant to be taken, that is, seriously, in jest or in some other way. Figurative imagery and metaphor are just two stylistic features of a language’s poetic function that help facilitate understanding and connection between people in conversation. When, for example, a speaker utters the figurative phrase, once upon a time, or starts a conversation with the familiar, did you hear the one about, the listener typically prepares for a story to begin or for a joke be told, without knowing the particular content. It can be considered as conventions, which provide the implicit rules of meaning and the basis on which participants can act together. These rules, nonetheless, can be intentionally and unintentionally directed to achieve certain ends.

The degree to which people communicate using stylistic features of speech is germane to our understanding of how agencies use metaphoric language to calibrate and maximize interaction with their clients. Metaphors are intended to compel the feelings of an audience to move in certain directions. They are also purposefully ambiguous so that people become involved in making sense of them. So, for example, when expressed in battle hymns such as ‘Onward Christian Soldiers,’ metaphors rally participants to express militance in fighting against iniquity and are often put forth into action with accompanying ritual. metaphors used in group discussions and team building exercises do not help clarify brand objectives or market positions, but, instead, rally feelings of affinity among all present [7, p.218].

Exchanged in business meetings, metaphors are ideal devices for fostering emotional bonds when there may be little affinity to begin with. Nevertheless, the figurative language with which the agency and client describe their domain is one that is not value free. It is hinged on a narrative metaphor that is meant to evoke strong sentiments among all present. Oddly enough, the type of metaphor spoken most freely in the workshop and the one most likely to muster feelings of affinity between agency and client is one about warfare.

Using the war metaphor, the director of account planning rallies participants by describing long-range marketing objectives in terms of targeting the consumer and increasing market penetration. The director claims that taking a harder look at the consumer data will strike the brand message home. The director of account planning rallies participants offers a plan to increase market penetration by aggressively growing the category in the summer and stealing share defence in the winter. Then stress the need to take a stronger position against the competition in an effort to shore up company's position and leverage the brand’s equity [8, p,144]. The goal, is to achieve campaign objectives by carving out a unique brand territory against the competition. After director's speech, the participants respond with great enthusiasm. The language of warfare does not terminate with the planning director’s talk. During mapping exercises company's competition is wholly described as the enemy. This view is further articulated in phrases such as getting wind of the competition’s marketing plan through field intelligence, taking the high ground, and leaving the enemy in the dust.

A team leader suggests using guerrilla marketing to minimize the efforts of rivals. Guerrilla marketing involves implementing a marketing plan to counter the competition’s efforts, such as saturating a local radio station with ads timed precisely during the airtime-run of a competitor, thereby diminishing or confusing the impact of the rival’s message. Another suggestion is to launch a media blitz event.

The idea of blitzing is to provide a focused level of media spending, rather than spending over a broad time frame or in multiple markets. During idea generation exercises, the director of marketing instructs others to capture ideas for those members MIA - missing in action. One member suggests that the agency should conduct a SWOT analysis of the brand [9, p.73]. Similar to SWAT which identifies a special operations police unit, SWOT is an acronym used in marketing to describe an exercise in which a brand’s Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats are evaluated. The term itself describes a war-like attitude and a way of thinking about the brand and consumer that is aggressive, belligerent and competitive.