Sym­bol­ism Is More Pow­er­ful Than You Think

by John Delavera

Au­thors have long re­lied on the power of sym­bol­ism to guide read­ers down cer­tain paths. They use this in­cred­i­bly strong, but sub­tle force to nudge read­ers into felling com­pas­sion for cer­tain char­ac­ters, elic­it­ing dis­dain for oth­ers and even for help­ing with the sus­pen­sion of disbelief.

Just what is it about sym­bol­ism that dri­ves peo­ple to feel, re­spond and act in cer­tain ways?

Sym­bols have been used by peo­ple since the be­gin­ning of time to quickly and ef­fec­tively re­lay mes­sages, play on emo­tions and even elicit ac­tive re­sponses. Some sym­bols have long held mes­sages that al­most never change. Oth­ers are in a con­stant state of flux, but can prove ef­fec­tive for cer­tain pur­poses nonetheless.

Just as au­thors use sym­bols to drive their sto­ries for­ward, mar­keters can also use them to mo­ti­vate sales, build trust and even turn av­er­age prod­ucts into top sell­ers. When the right sym­bols are used on prod­ucts, on pack­ag­ing or in ad­ver­tis­ing cam­paigns, they can say more than words.

Mas­ter­ing the art of us­ing sym­bol­ism in mar­ket­ing is not an overnight process. There are se­crets to gar­ner­ing the type of re­sponse de­sired. When the right sym­bols are dis­played in the proper man­ner, they can drive ef­forts for­ward and move con­sumers to act. The end re­sult can make the work in­volved in un­cov­er­ing the se­crets very worthwhile.