Marketers cash-in on this big word

Anthropomorphize.

That’s a technique marketers are using more these days in advertising campaigns.

First a definition, since anyone can be excused for being unfamiliar with this obscure, rarely used term: To ascribe human form or attributes to (an animal, plant, material object, etc.).

In this case, ascribing human attributes to companies or products. Smart marketers have learned that people don’t relate particularly well to inanimate objects, like companies. So ad campaigns are starting to give companies human qualities.

Though still rare, one famous example is the I’m a Mac, I’m a PC campaign from Apple.

Apple not only anthropomorphized itself – as a company whose products are hip – it also anthropomorphized arch rival Microsoft – as a maker of droll, nerdy, undependable products.

Microsoft counterpunched brilliantly by running a montage of video clips showing cool, ordinary and extraordinary people doing important and fun things and making statements such as, I’m a PC and I study genes.

Dos Equis did something slightly different. It created a mysterious and seemingly supernatural character called the Most Interesting Man in the World and built a radio, TV and print campaign around him. The ads include amusing lines such as:

Every time he swims, dolphins appear
Alien abductors ask him to probe them
He once went to a psychic – to warn her
His to-do lists have won Pulitzers

Rather than being the human embodiment of the product, this mysterious and seemingly supernatural man is a fancier and endorser. The relationship between the Most Interesting Man in the World and Dos Equis is sure to persuade more people to give the popular Mexican brew a try.

Here’s another example. Flo, the colorful customer-service representative, has become a bona fide TV personality who’s synonymous with Progressive Insurance commercials.

Also successful has been the use of animals as company representatives. Technically, that’s not anthropomorphizing, but people do find animals such as the Geico gecko and the Aflac duck cute or charming. Certainly they are more interesting than presenting insurance companies as the inanimate objects they are.

The duck has become so branded with Aflac that it has been integrated into the company logo and appears on employee business cards.

The effectiveness of anthropomorphizing for marketing purposes is evident but underused.

Give it consideration, deploy it wisely and profit from its clout.

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