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Metaphor's validity in marketing research
Author(s) -
Capelli Sonia,
Jolibert Alain
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
psychology and marketing
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.035
H-Index - 116
eISSN - 1520-6793
pISSN - 0742-6046
DOI - 10.1002/mar.20313
Subject(s) - metaphor , psychology , creativity , product (mathematics) , external validity , personality , social psychology , linguistics , philosophy , geometry , mathematics
Using metaphor is widespread in management and marketing because it provides creativity. However, metaphor's validity is seldom investigated. This article offers an analysis of the validity of metaphor using three steps: (1) analysis of the metaphor's source concept, (2) analysis of the metaphor's aptness, and (3) analysis of the process of metaphor generation. These three steps have been applied to investigate the validity of two very well‐known metaphors in marketing: product life cycle and brand personality. Results show these two metaphors lack validity when analyzed using the three steps. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.