Metaphor's validity in marketing research
分析了隐喻在营销中的有效性，通过三步检验法发现产品生命周期和品牌个性这两个常见隐喻缺乏有效性。
Abstract 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.