Tag Archives: million dollar message

Like an open invitation a Gateway Metaphor lets us in to a bigger picture
Like an open invitation a Gateway Metaphor lets us in to a bigger picture.
Photo by Arisa Chattasa on Unsplash

The backbone of any business, and its story, is its metaphor.

It’s the picturable image, the mindful impression of your what and why.

Subway espouses fresh when it comes to fast foods.

Wellington used to promote positive.

Coke’s bought its way to the idea of opening happiness.

You ‘see’ something when you hear their (very short) story.

Harry Mills of Aha Advantage has coined the term Gateway Metaphor to describe the effect you want your picturable image in such stories to have.

For example in the term Gateway Metaphor (itself a metaphor) – as well as having an abstract meaning, you can’t help but imagine some kind of gate, opened.

The abstract term understanding and ‘seeing’ happen in different parts of your brain simultaneously. Two ‘lightbulbs’ synergistically flash in your mind and we understand more deeply.

However, unearthing your own Gateway Metaphor is no walk in the park, (though doing so could help in discovering it).

Because you can’t brainstorm your way to a Gateway Metaphor.

You can’t make up your One Central Truth (OCT), the core of your Gateway Metaphor.

Your OCT is what you’re about, your raison d’etre, your purpose.

Understand this and you’re then able to tell your authentic story

This story discovery means converting your OCT into a ‘what and why message’.

It’s a heart and soul statement that’s required, rather than simply giving a passive description.

It is why a Million Dollar Message must be meaningful.That’s because your first, most important story has to do a lot of heavy lifting for your business:

  • It’s your North Star for all your storytelling – website, blog, social media, speeches
  • It provides an internal rallying call for your own people
  • It is the answer at a BBQ to “what do you do?”, and more.

The unearthing and polishing of such a Million Dollar Message takes consideration.

It more likely than not requires a Gateway Metaphor, the vroom vroom term to weaponise your words.

This is why unearthing the right metaphor is key to not just to survival, but also believability.

By stating your story, as poetically as possible, you offer a promise – one that you know you’re capable of keeping.

Mevo, a pay-by-the-hour electric car startup (though pretty well-funded) based in Wellington’s Biz Dojo, has excellent messaging – I can’t fault it.

Its message starts with its name – Mevo. This looks both novel and familiar – and is in fact the word move, with the ‘e’ and ‘o’ reversed…hence Mevo.

In eight words it describes exactly what it is, what it provides.

‘App-based, on-demand access to electric vehicles’.

Mevo’s created a million dollar message (in fact a number of them)…now to prove its business model

Emotion-based message

Finally (among admittedly many messages), Mevo has an emotion-based reminder of what’s in it for their customers.

‘Own the journey, not the machine’.

You can easily imagine one, or all, of these expressions being effortlessly and unashamedly being said at a BBQ. Just as importantly they can roll off the tongue at a business function (both of which are spot-on indicators that a message is on point).

As well as tapping into the zeitgeist of the moment as we head to a world of non-car ownership, Mevo has nailed their million dollar messages.

The private company expects to have six cars in two pods (for pick up) around Wellington by the end of March. It is looking to prove its business model with 50 vehicles dotted around the city by the end of the year.

One thing that won’t let it down as it seeks (loads of) customers is its messaging.

Its choice of words are simple, emotional and appealing – three criteria vital to telling your story as persuasively as possible.

Excuse the pun; but Mevo has messaging that moves people to action.