Z M E T

The Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique is a way to discover what consumers are really thinking about something. As consumers, we often don't know the full reason for the decisions we make - we just make them subconciously. The following video is a great down and dirty description of the ZMET technique and how it was formed.





I love how Jerry Zaltman discovered his technique by seeing that people in Nepal subconciously took photos without any feet in them, since bare feet are a sign of poverty in Nepal. I found this interesting because we often do this sort of thing in our daily life without realizing it. We all have 'insecurities' that we do not want to convey - so we do everything we can to not show them.

The fact that we subconciously hide insecurities, is evidence enough for me that we often subconciously make buying decisions. Our assumptions, preconceived ideas, biases, and many other things affect our buying decisions and very little of it is actually based on the product or service itself.  If marketers and producers can get inside the head of their consumers, such as the ZMET allows, they can better understand exactly what is desireable. The Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique is a very useful qualitative research technique that allows marketers to gain an insight into how consumers’ subconscious minds work. It will allow them to better satisfy the needs of consumers and reach an exact market.