Conquest Gets Metaphorical with Brands, while...

UK research agency Conquest has launched an online tool to measure unconscious emotional reactions to brands by tapping into the metaphors consumers use to describe and express their feelings.

The new Metaphorix system uses avatars and interactive online animations to plug directly into consumers' gut reactions to brands. The firm says these 'visual metaphors' are based on those images linked with emotional states - such as love, affection and intimacy - which are most relevant to brand engagement. Behind the scenes, response is calibrated quantitatively.

In this way, Conquest says it can measure the 'warmth' and intimacy felt towards a brand, as well as how happy, excited and empathetic consumers are towards it, and how 'cool and talked about' they consider it to be.

Metaphorix builds on Conquest co-founder David Penn's recent work on cognitive linguistics and applies neuroscience to consumer behaviour. He explains the thinking behind the new system: 'Consumers are constantly bombarded with information, there simply isn't time to think, so emotions power much of our engagement with brands, and we use unconscious shortcuts to help us make decisions.'

Penn - who jointly leads the ESOMAR workshop on Measuring Emotions and is a frequent speaker at WARC conferences on advertising research - adds that the system measures are more sensitive to brand engagement shifts created by advertising than conventional measures such as purchase intent or attitudinal persuasion.

Based in Hammersmith, Conquest employs 40 staff and has a turnover of £6m. The firm, which conducts both quant and qual research, is online at www.conquestuk.com .