30 Consumption experiences as escape:

an application of the Zaltman Metaphor

Elicitation Technique
Robin A. Coulter

In the early 1980s, Holbrook and Hirschman (1982) drew attention to the study of experi-
ential consumption and, over the past two decades, numerous scholars have contributed
to furthering our understanding of aesthetic, as well as physically challenging and risky,
consumption experiences (e.g., Arnould and Price, 1993; Belk, 1988; Belk, Wallendorf
and Sherry, 1989; Celsi, Rose and Leigh, 1993; Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; McCracken, 1988;
Mick and Buhl, 1992; Shouten, 1991; Thompson, Pollio and Locander, 1994; Wallendorf
and Arnould, 1991). Recent work by Arnould and Thompson (2005) proposes a theory
of consumer culture that focuses on the experiential and sociocultural dimensions of con-
sumption, and greater interest has been directed to managing customer experiences
(Gobé, 2001; Pine and Gilmore, 1999; Lindstrom, 2005; Schmitt, 1999, 2003). Thus
understanding more about consumption experiences in the context of consumers’ every-
day lives is an important undertaking.
The intent herein is to contribute to the literature on consumers’ experiences using the
Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET). ZMET is a hybrid methodology
grounded in various domains, including verbal and nonverbal communication, visual
sociology, visual anthropology, literary criticism, semiotics, mental imagery, cognitive
neuroscience and phototherapy (Zaltman, 1997, 2003; Zaltman and Coulter, 1995). The
tenets – thought occurs as a pattern of neural activity, not as words; most human meaning
is exchanged nonverbally; much cognition is embodied; emotion and reason are equally
important and commingle in decision making; most thought, emotion and learning occur
without awareness; mental models guide the selection of, processing of and response to
stimuli; cognitions are socially shared, and non-literal language and especially metaphor
is central to cognition – suggest that ZMET is an appropriate tool for investigating cus-
tomer experiences. The method involves semi-structured, in-depth personal interviews
centered on visual images that the informant brings to the interview (Denzin, 1989;
McCracken, 1988). Because ZMET data are informant-driven rather than researcher-
driven, the ZMET interview affords researchers an opportunity to have consumers more
freely express and expand on their thoughts and feelings, attitudes and perspectives.
The context of our investigation is consumers’ Broadway theatre experiences.
Acknowledging that experiences may be different according to frequency and loyalties
(Schmitt, 2003), our study involved interviews with 21 US consumers, nine who attend a
Broadway show at least once a year (i.e., Frequents), and 12 who attended within the last
five years, but not within the last two years (i.e., Infrequents). We begin with a description
of the ZMET methodology, as well as of our analytical procedures. Subsequently we
report our substantive findings and discuss them in relation to a variety of literature
streams.

400
 Consumption experiences as escape 401

Using ZMET to understand the Broadway experience

As noted, ZMET uses informants’ pictures as the stimuli during in-depth one-on-one inter-
views to explore and probe informants’ thoughts and feelings. The use of pictures is
grounded in the facts that most information reaching the brain does so through the visual
system, that much communication is nonverbal, and that informant-selected pictures can
serve as entry points for exploring customer concepts (Weiser, 1988). Pictures typically rep-
resent, not only basic lower-order concepts, but also higher-order constructs that contain
extensive information or defining attributes. Owing to the expressive power of pictures, it is
not surprising that photographs have been a central part of counseling, sociology, psychol-
ogy and anthropology (Becker, 1980; Collier and Collier, 1986; Denzin, 1989). Consumer
behavior researchers also have employed photographs as stimuli to elicit consumers’ sub-
conscious thought processes and/or develop theories relevant to their work (e.g., Belk, Ger
and Askegaard, 2003; Belk, Wallendorf and Sherry, 1989; Wallendorf and Arnould, 1991).
Validation studies of ZMET applications indicate that four to five depth interviews that are
focused on identifying and understanding core themes can provide up to 90 per cent of the
information available from a larger set of interviews (Zaltman and Coulter, 1995).
Twenty-one informants from the greater Boston area – nine Frequents and 12
Infrequents – participated in this study of Broadway experience. Both samples included
more women, five and eight, respectively; ages ranged from 30 to 50, with an annual income
of at least $100 000. Half of the Frequents and Infrequents have attended a Broadway
show in New York City; the other half have enjoyed a Broadway show in another city.
One week prior to the interview, participants were sent a letter stating, ‘We are inter-
ested in your thoughts and feelings about Broadway theatre, and the role that Broadway
theatre plays in your life . . . Please bring 6 to 8 pictures that represent these thoughts and
feelings about Broadway theatre productions and the role they play in your life.’ The
images could be pictures from magazines, newspapers, pieces of artwork and/or pho-
tographs taken specifically for this assignment or retrieved from photo albums. Each
informant was paid $150 to participate in a two-hour, one-on-one audio-taped interview.
Table 30.1 lists six steps in the ZMET interview as related to understanding participants’
Broadway experiences. A detailed discussion of ZMET procedures, evaluative criteria and
theoretical underpinnings is available in Zaltman and Coulter (1995) and Zaltman (1997).

Metaphor and analyses

A metaphor is the representation of one thing in terms of another (Lakoff and Johnson,
1980) and the importance of metaphor in understanding consumer behavior has received
increased attention in recent years (e.g. Belk, Ger and Askegaard, 2003; Burroughs and
Mick, 2004; Cotte, Ratneshwar and Mick, 2004; Coulter and Zaltman, 2000; Coulter,
Zaltman and Coulter, 2001; Joy and Sherry, 2003). The ZMET interview is grounded in the
perspective that metaphor is central to thought (Lakoff and Johnson, 1999; Ortony, 1993)
and generates numerous types of metaphors. Of specific interest to this study are image-
based metaphors (i.e., visual images participants bring to the interview, sensory images they
discuss, and digital images they create). Frequents (F) and Infrequents (I) brought in an
average of seven visual images and each created a digital (summary) image. Additionally,
the interview transcripts are the source of deep metaphors (i.e., basic, core metaphors that
structure consumers’ thinking in very fundamental ways and serve to organize a system of
concepts); thematic metaphors (or conceptual metaphors that represent consumers’ broad
402 Handbook of qualitative research methods in marketing

Table 30.1 Steps in the ZMET interview

Storytelling The informant describes how each image represents his thoughts and feelings about
the Broadway experience. Interviewer probe: ‘Please tell me how this image relates to your
thoughts and feelings about your Broadway experience.’
Missed images The informant is asked if there were important ideas he wanted to express but
for which he could not find relevant images. Interviewer probe: ‘Were there any thoughts and
feelings for which you were unable to find an image? Please describe the thought or feeling, and
tell me about an image that you would use to represent the thought or feeling.’
Metaphor probe/expand the frame The informant is asked to widen the frame of a selected
picture and describe what else might enter the picture to better understand his thoughts and
feelings. Interviewer probe: ‘If you could widen the frame of this picture in all directions, what
else would I see that would help me better understand your thoughts and feelings about
Broadway theatre productions and the role they play in your life?’
Sensory metaphors The informant is asked to express his ideas using various sensory images:
color, taste, smell, touch, sound and emotion. Example of interviewer probe: ‘What sound could I
hear that would represent your thoughts and feelings about Broadway theatre productions and
the role they play in your life?’
Vignette The informant is asked to create a story about the Broadway experience. Interviewer
probe: ‘I would like you to use your imagination to create a short story. The story should express
your thoughts and feelings about Broadway theatre productions and the role they play in your
life. Please include at least these characters: (1) you, (2) Broadway theatre productions, and (3) a
similar form of entertainment you might enjoy.’
Digital image The informant, with the skilled assistance of a computer graphics imager, creates
a summary collage using his images and supplemental images from a database, as needed.

meaning themes and reveal various aspects of deep metaphors); and metaphoric expres-
sions (or surface metaphors, the spoken metaphors consumers explicitly mention). The
average transcript word count was 11 770 for Frequents and 10 170 for Infrequents (approx-
imately twice the word length of this chapter).
The analysis of informants’ Broadway experiences was iterative. To better understand
participants’ Broadway experiences, the author first conducted narrative analysis of the
stories contained in the transcripts (Riessman, 1993), followed by a metaphoric analysis
grounded in qualitative data analytic procedures (Spiggle, 1994; Thompson, Locander
and Pollio, 1989).

Findings
Our analyses reveal that informants perceive the Broadway experience as an escape from
their daily lives. Although this finding is not a surprise, our analyses reveal very interest-
ing dimensions of escape in terms of deep and thematic metaphors (see Table 30.2). In
this section, we use participants’ verbatims and images to discuss four aspects of the
escape: framing the escape; planning, preparing for and anticipating the escape; the
escape; and revisiting the escape.1

Framing the escape

The escape is multifaceted: although the focal point is the Broadway production, informants
frame the evening more broadly – dinner precedes the theater, and coffee and dessert or
 Consumption experiences as escape 403

Table 30.2 Summary of deep metaphors and thematic categories

Deep metaphors Thematic metaphors

Planning, preparing for and System ● Dirty work
anticipating the escape ● Getting ‘all dolled up’
● Anticipation
The escape Container ● Sanctuary
● Museum
Resource ● Cognitive stimulation
● Sensory stimulation
Force ● Escape from daily life
● Escape to flow experience
Connection ● Self
● Friends and family
● Other theatergoers
● Performers
Reflecting on the escape Balance ● Good mental health
Connection ● Self
● Others

drinks follow. ‘The dining is important, too. If I couldn’t go out to eat before a show, it
doesn’t mean I wouldn’t go to a show, but dining adds to the whole experience. I find it
important to be able to enjoy a dinner with my husband or my family beforehand’ [F7]. These
sentiments were echoed by others: ‘You don’t just go to a play, you go out for the evening’
[F4], and ‘When you go to a play . . . you plan from mid-afternoon until the play . . . Where
are you going to eat? Where are you going to park? . . . it’s the whole evening’ [I5].

Planning, preparing for and anticipating the escape

Planning the escape to a Broadway production is best characterized by the deep metaphor,
system (the set of activities and feelings that precede attendance at a Broadway production)
and three thematic metaphors: ‘dirty work’, ‘getting all dolled up’, and ‘anticipation’. ‘Dirty
work’ has similar meanings for Frequent and Infrequent theatergoers, and includes making
arrangements to attend a production: ticket purchase, hotel, travel and childcare arrange-
ments, and related logistics. The complexities, aggravation and related concerns of prepa-
ration are captured in the following expression: ‘I can dread it, again, because of the money,
because of the parking. Is it going to be a rainy night? Are we going to get dinner reserva-
tions?’ [F6]. Others talk about the effort, as well as the commitment to the particular
evening: ‘It’s something that you definitely need to plan ahead of time . . . you have to actu-
ally put effort into it, and a lot more money into it, and you pretty much have to think, “Is
this something that I really want to do? Is this something I really have time to do right now?”
So, it’s also something that like if you buy tickets so far ahead of time, you have to make
sure that you’re not going to miss out on the opportunity because something else comes up’
[I8]; and ‘I associate going to a show with having dinner. I associate it with a more planned
event . . . It’s just more time consuming to get tickets, [and] because you have to go, and you
have to plan the event which means you have to put aside a night and you have to say, “Okay,
we’re definitely doing this on this night” ’ [I9]. Another participant, using a picture of a man
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Figure 30.1 Preparing for the escape to Broadway

who was climbing a mountain, remarked: ‘Preparing for Broadway is a production in itself
. . . It’s tough, hard work to get there’ [F2] (see Figure 30.1).
An important aspect of preparing for the escape is ‘getting all dolled up’ for the pro-
duction; extra energies are put toward self-presentation as part of the escape from the
ordinary. Women participants, in particular, acknowledged the importance of their dress
to attend a show, reporting: ‘Everybody knows it’s a dress-up event’ [F1]; ‘You want to
dress up . . . to go above and beyond your typical outing kind of stuff. You want to feel
classy, a cut above the rest, refined’ [I6]; and ‘You want to look good for the show. You
don’t have to get dressed up, but most people do. It’s part of the culture’ [I1].
Frequents and Infrequents, alike, look forward to their evening out with great ‘antici-
pation’, expecting a unique and exciting experience. Numerous participants used the gift
metaphor and images of presents and holidays to reflect their anticipation and not
knowing quite what to expect of a show: ‘I was actually looking at a gift box. I don’t
know what’s in here . . . So you’re excited . . . that’s what I was thinking, anticipating’
[F5]; and ‘A show you’ve never seen before is like a wrapped-up gift, you don’t
know what you’re going to get’ [I12]. Another informant, referring to his image of a fish-
erman (see Figure 30.2), commented: ‘He is anticipating a huge fish. That is the antici-
pation I think of when I think of the fun at the theatre. You don’t know what to expect.
That makes it exciting’ [I7].
Anticipation, one of the fundamental emotions, fuels escape. Our findings suggest that
anticipating the escape for Frequents is related to the opportunity to replenish and revi-
talize themselves:
The woman in the boat represents the cyclical process where my life started with the introduction
of culture, and the exposure to it led to other curiosities. It led to my education, my refinement,
 Consumption experiences as escape 405

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Figure 30.2 Anticipating the fun of Broadway

and my being able to accomplish a great number of things in my life. Those accomplishments
afforded me the life experience of being able to afford to do things like taking my family to a show,
carrying on this elegant affair, and giving to the grandchildren – just continuing that whole
process. [F1] (See Figure 30.3.)

Both Frequents and Infrequents anticipate their escape as a rare treat, as an indulgence,
and a reward, particularly given the high Broadway ticket price, coupled with the costs of
pre- and post-theater activities. F4 summarizes:

It’s really so expensive, so you have to really appreciate the theatre to drop $100 just for the ticket
alone. It’s a special treat to myself, like I went recently to get Lion King tickets. I wanted the best
seats, and they were a hundred whatever dollars but, I said, ‘I deserve this.’ . . . It’s like a reward
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Figure 30.3 Reflecting on the cultural experiences of Broadway

to be able to go see it. So that’s how I think of it, as a treat to myself that I deserve. If the night
costs me $300, it was well worth, it’s just I can’t do it that often. I go and have a fancy dinner and
have a couple of drinks, and I really go all out, because you deserve it so.

Figures 30.4 and 30.5 are also illustrative: ‘Broadway is a rich extravagance that I can only
have a little bit of at a time. I wouldn’t want cake everyday, and I wouldn’t want to see a
Broadway show every day’ [I3]; ‘In the middle is a dollar bill with someone’s eye kind of
tearing it, and that’s because the cost of the plays are prohibitive for you to go a lot and
for us to take our kids to a lot of them’ [I11].

The escape
Four deep metaphors capture the essence of escape via the Broadway production: con-
tainer, force, resource and connection. Although each is discussed individually, the nature
of the escape and these metaphors are inextricably interrelated.
 Consumption experiences as escape 407

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Figure 30.4 The rich extravagance of Broadway

Source: Olson Zaltman Associates.

Figure 30.5 The prohibitive costs of Broadway

Informants escape from the everyday life container to the theater – the container or
vessel holding the production. Our findings suggest that the theater acts as a sanctuary
and a museum. With regard to the former, informants escape from the daily grind to a
safe place where they can lose themselves, or protect themselves (and possibly others)
from work, the phone, kids, parents, burdens and other travesties. F9’s comment is indica-
tive: ‘When I think of Broadway, I think of the physical location of Broadway, but more
than that I think of the experience of being at a Broadway play . . . It’s a place of escape’,
as represented by the woman walking on a secluded beach (see Figure 30.6).
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Figure 30.6 Broadway is an escape

Figures 30.7 and 30.8 and their expressions are also representative:
There is a safe sanctuary that I experience at the theater. Everyone’s cell phone is off. There are
no beepers. There are no interruptions. The guys in the bag are all the distractions that are trying
to get to me from the outside world, but inside my sanctuary they are wrapped up in this plastic
bag, and they can’t get to me. [I5]

I imagine the rat really running. Kind of looking back at the cat out there, the stress is out there,
but hopefully this little guy is safe behind the couch and he may not be thinking about that cat
anymore. He may feel safe and just not focus on the craziness that is out there . . . I was think-
ing the same thing when you are in a theater, and you are not focusing on what is outside the
doors. You feel safe . . . I mean safe fun. That is escaping the rat race. [I7]

Additionally, informants envision the theatre as a ‘museum’, a place to learn, to experi-

ence, to become more cultured, to meet people, to expand one’s horizons. Pointing to her
picture of a museum, one informant enthusiastically reported, ‘When you go to a museum
you feel cultured. When I go to a play, I feel I am getting some culture, learning something
new, something interesting’ [I7]. Similarly, F4 commented, ‘It’s like going to a museum . . .
it’s just appreciating different things.’ Broadway enables our informants to expand their
perspectives, as suggested by I11: ‘I want to make sure that I experience as much as I
can . . . you might enjoy music and all of a sudden, there’s a whole new chapter of music
you’ve never considered listening to before . . . I know [attending Broadway productions]
has made me a smarter and better person.’
Broadway is a well-orchestrated, captivating force that facilitates escape. Several infor-
mants employed cooking-related visual metaphors (e.g., cake and recipe) to connote the
intricate integration of the many facets of a Broadway production. Referring to these
images, informants respectively stated, ‘The cake is the bringing together of different ideas
or thoughts and presenting them in a new exciting way that people haven’t thought of
 Consumption experiences as escape 409

Source: Olson Zaltman Associates.

Figure 30.7 Broadway is a sanctuary, no one can reach you

Source: Shutterstock.com.

Figure 30.8 At Broadway you escape the rat race

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Figure 30.9 Broadway captivates the audience

before’ [I10], and ‘the theatre is constructed of a recipe, with different ingredients, char-
acters, songs, storylines and experiences going into it . . . when it’s put together, it really
comes together nicely and it can be really delicious or a total disaster’ [F6]. The captivat-
ing nature of the production is evident in the following quotes: ‘[Broadway] captivates the
audience and brings them right onto the stage . . . it keeps you involved’ [I2]; ‘I can only
imagine what it takes to be up there and to captivate a live audience’ [I6]; ‘[Broadway]
assaults the senses’ [I10] and image of the mesmerized owl (see Figure 30.9).
The force of the performance facilitates escapism from the ‘day-to-day grind’ [I8] of
work and home, from political and economic aspects of life, from societal problems. From
this perspective, escape is very much linked to the theater as a ‘sanctuary’. Dominant visual
images include pictures of vacation spots and luxury cruise liners, coupled with quotations
such as ‘When I walk in there and they turn the lights down . . . I forget about work. I forget
about home life . . . I forget about money problems . . . it’s an escape route’ [I1]; ‘Going to
theatre is like a mini-vacation. I chose a ship as opposed to like a beach scenario because
when I’m in a theater, it’s almost like I’m escaping. I’m in this little theater and the whole
world’s outside me, but I don’t even notice it’ [F6]; and ‘You are escaping to someplace
beautiful and enjoyable without a care in the world . . . enjoying it and shutting out the
outside world . . . where you want no outside distractions’ [F1]. I6 used an image of a
woman in a yoga pose to illustrate: ‘escape, and being able to go to a Broadway play rep-
resents escape from mundane day-to-day stuff and typical entertaining activities, like the
movies. It’s just an escape to something that’s not a usual thing for me to do’.
The force of Broadway also facilitates escapism to a flow state. Many Frequents described
their Broadway experience as flow: their visual images included people floating, soaring,
diving and mountain climbing, and their metaphoric expressions referred to ‘out of body
 Consumption experiences as escape 411

Source: Olson Zaltman Associates.

Figure 30.10 Broadway is an out-of-time and out-of-place experience

experiences’ and reported on having lost all sense of time. One informant referring to the
image of a diver points out, ‘The diver represents a sense of surrender. You surrender your
sense of disbelief to the artistic experience of being at the theatre . . . an experience of
heightened senses’ [F8]. Two other powerful images and metaphoric expressions follow:

The man floating means you get swept up in the emotion of what’s going on onstage. You may
get swept up in the costumes and the makeup and the sets, or . . . you get really sucked up in just
the story itself, just get lost in what’s going on, and forget about everyday mundane things, and
you’re just enjoying the fact that you’re at this play. [F4]

Part of the feeling of a show is experiencing the feel of soaring or flying into the unknown, the
anticipation of it, what you’re going to see when you’re up there, and benefiting from it emo-
tionally, educationally, philosophically . . . you’ve given yourself permission to forget everything
else . . . I won’t let myself be interrupted. [F1] (See Figure 30.10.)

The Broadway experience is a resource to our informants, offering both sensory and
cognitive stimulation, especially well-illustrated by the following image and metaphoric
expression: ‘You become enmeshed . . . a piece of the energy. Someone else is putting it
out there for you but you become a piece of it, and just get very involved mentally and
physically’ [I10] (see Figure 30.11).
Informants’ images representing sensory stimulation include, for example, pictures of
fireworks and jumping off cliffs, and their metaphoric expressions reveal the multisensory
nature of this escape: ‘The Broadway experience involves all your senses. You get to see it.
You get to taste it. You’re talking to people. You’re hearing music. You’re listening to the
sounds around you. You’re in a very extravagant, glamorous setting usually, like in a
theater. Most of those venues are very glamorous. It really livens up your senses’ [I8];
and ‘It’s stimulating to the senses’ [F8]. I4 titled her digital image, ‘A sensory experience’,
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Figure 30.11 Broadway is unbounded energy

excitedly reporting, ‘Broadway plays are very stimulating, the lights, the singing, the
dancing, the costumes . . . the firework display represents the sights and sounds of
Broadway . . . unfolding before your eyes.’
With regard to the thematic metaphor, ‘museum’, informants discuss the cognitive
and cultural resources related to attending the theater, noting that ‘It broadens your
horizons . . . Broadway is more cultured. I feel like I am doing something positive, an
experience where you’re learning or expanding your mind’ [I9]. One informant used an
image of a light bulb to convey that Broadway represents ‘ideas and how plays, particu-
larly ones that have books or history attached to them, affect your opinion or change
your mind’ [I11]. Several informants also report that attending the theater increases their
cognitive creativity, for example, ‘You can take this creativity with you from a Broadway
show and apply it to every aspect of your life’ [I10]; ‘When I think if I want to reener-
gize myself, escape, enjoy myself and forget about whatever else. If I thought about five
things I would do, Broadway would be one of them. It stimulates you in different ways,
at different levels’ [F9].
Connection is a prominent deep metaphor in our data, with several connection-related
thematic metaphors: connection to self, connection between theatergoers and friends/
family/other theatergoers who are attending the production, and connection between the-
atergoers and performers (present, as well as past). As we noted, the escape to Broadway
provides a quiet and focused time, and informants (particularly Frequents) reported taking
this time to reflect on their connection to self, proffering pictures of mirrors: ‘Looking in
the mirror represents looking into a play, seeing similarities that may happen in your life
and others’ lives, something that you can relate to’ [F3]; ‘The mirror is relating it to your-
self. It’s that, “Oh my gosh, I have experienced that in my life, and so I can relate to it” ’
[F1]; ‘I’ve seen a play and it’s made me think of life, my life and relate to my life, but it gives
it a different perspective too’ [F6]; and ‘It’s sort of a mirror on our own experience’ [F8].
 Consumption experiences as escape 413

Escaping to a Broadway production represents a connection to family and friends, an

opportunity to have that ‘special evening out’ with special people. This connection is
illustrated primarily with pictures from family albums and discussion about the import-
ance of having quality time, and building a tradition with family members. The salience
of having time to appreciate one another was emphasized by numerous participants:
‘[This is my] family doing something together . . . Broadway was something we did as
a family when I was a child and we continue . . . we’re sharing something . . . not a
routine . . . a ritual’ [F1]; ‘I would go with my family. Family is important to me and
enjoying time with my family is important . . . the core of everything’ [F7]; ‘What I
think of theatre [is] gathering my buddies together and having a good time’ [I7]; and
‘We’re going to go as a family, because although I’ve been before, it’s something that I
want to share with you guys’ [I6]. All theatergoers, even though they may not be
acquainted, co-create a communal experience, collectively experiencing a unique
moment in time.
Our theatergoers also sense a strong connection to the Broadway performers, recount-
ing that it is the audience and the performers who co-create a forceful experience.
Informants enthusiastically reflect, ‘They see you. You see them. You are laughing, and
they are enjoying themselves. You are part of [the energy] together. You feel you are in the
loop’ [I7]. The relationship between the deep metaphors, connection and force, is vividly
apparent in I2’s image (see Figure 30.12) and metaphoric expression:

It becomes electrifying through the crowd. It is a give and take. It is a relationship between the
audience and the performers . . . The adrenaline starts to flow, and I think it makes their per-
formance better because they are going to feed off the crowd.

Interestingly, some Frequents take this connection one step farther, acknowledging their
connection to Broadway actors and actresses in general: ‘There’s a spirit of all the previ-
ous actors; you feel a certain energy. All these theaters being next to each other and you’re
going into one theater, and these people are going into another theater and we’re all having
this communal experience’ [F8].
The meaning of connection to the performers is also informed by informants’ stated
disconnect with performers. Our theatergoers compliment and admire the unique and
extraordinary skills and talents of the performers: ‘So, I just become amazed with it. Just
in awe. It is something that you don’t see [every day] and you appreciate their talent’
[I7]. Interestingly other informants reported being somewhat envious of these talents:
‘It’s different and exciting and [I am] slightly jealous. When they get up there, they have
beautiful voices and this ability to embrace a character, and I couldn’t do that’ [I10]; and ‘I
have some jealousy . . . I work in corporate America, and I like what I do, but what I do is
not all that different. I admire these unique talents who do something very different for a
living’ [I9].

Revisiting the escape

Two deep metaphors, balance and connection, capture informants’ reflections about their
escapes to Broadway. The sanctuary and museum, as well as the force of escapism, provide
a countervailing balance to our informants’ everyday experiences. I8’s digital (summary)
image incorporates many images to portray managing mental health through escape:
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Figure 30.12 Broadway electrifies the crowd

You do need a little bit of balance in your life, like you can’t work all the time, and again, because
it is a special treat to [go to a] Broadway show. You’re balancing your hectic life with a sense of
taking your life down a couple of notches and giving yourself an opportunity to get away . . .
I’ve done everything I need to do to make this time my time now. You’ve fulfilled all your oblig-
ations to have that time for yourself. (See Figure 30.13.)

Frequents and Infrequents concur about the importance of taking time to escape and to
create balance in life. F4 reflects, ‘[Attending Broadway is] a sort of mentally refreshing –
I mean, if you have a stressful job and you have kids, and you say, “I’m going to do this
for myself and I’m not going to feel the least bit guilty” . . . so when I do actually do it, I
enjoy every second of it and I don’t regret it.’ I7 echoes the sentiment: ‘You work really
hard; you have to play hard, too. It is the balance [of] work with play. (Why is it import-
ant to balance those two things?) Just because the scale will tip and then you will tip . . . I
definitely know when I am working too hard and I need to treat myself. I guess that is a
way of telling how the balancing goes.’ Suspended animation as related to balance is
evident in F9’s response: ‘Just escape into that two-hour performance and really feel it . . .
it creates balance in one’s life . . . It helps relieve the monotony of doing the same thing
always, every day, over and over again without any escape from work or school or what-
ever it is that we might spend the majority of our life doing.’
 Consumption experiences as escape 415

Source: Olson Zaltman Associates.

Figure 30.13 Broadway brings balance to everyday life

In reliving their escape, informants refer to their memories, as well as their interest in
sharing their experiences. The vibrancy of the Broadway experience, the sensory and cog-
nitive stimulation, make for vivid, easily recalled memories. I3 reveals that Broadway
‘sticks out . . . [memories] feel more permanent . . . I tend to remember exactly where I
was and who I was with. I remember the specific music to it. It gives you a memory to
put your finger on’; I8 reports that Broadway ‘gives you something to think back on, an
enjoyable experience you can relive in your mind, you can share with your friends’.
Pictures of people talking, enjoying a party, or a family outing were reflective of infor-
mants’ interest in sharing their memories. F4 used ‘screen beans’ to depict a range of
emotions and topics that Broadway has to offer noting, ‘These little people could also
represent the different things you talk about afterwards, which is a big part of it . . . You
want to share in it, talk about it, discuss it afterwards.’ F2’s description is typical: ‘After
you’ve gone to see a show, you might have a discussion . . . the idea that [people are]
talking and having a mature conversation . . . You can have that conversation about a
shared, communal experience.’ (See Figure 30.14.)
416 Handbook of qualitative research methods in marketing

Source: Shutterstock.com.

Figure 30.14 Sharing the escape to Broadway

Discussion
This chapter illustrates the use of the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique to under-
stand consumers’ Broadway experiences. Huffman, Ratneshwar and Mick (2000, p. 20)
might cast attending a Broadway production as a consumption intention – as a doing
goal – one that involves ‘allocation and depletion of resources – primarily money, time,
and energy – available to the consumer’. Our substantive findings illustrate that the
Broadway experience is concurrently an aesthetic (Joy and Sherry, 2003), extraordinary
(Arnould and Price, 1993) and flow (Csikzentmihalyi, 1990) experience. Broadway per-
formances provide consumers with multisensory, cognitive stimulation, an embodiment
such that they are able to escape their everyday lives. Informants willingly expend time and
effort to create the escape for which they express intense anticipation. Escape is an indul-
gence, a treat, as well as a source of reinvigoration, nutrition for the body and soul. Our
informants’ descriptions give meaning to Thompson’s perspective on postmodernist con-
sumer goals (2000, p. 129): ‘consumers take flight from the entanglement . . . They seek
temporary respite in liminoid spaces offering magic, communion, spiritual enrichment,
and the sublime aura of the authentic’. We find inklings of several differences between
Frequents and Infrequents in their Broadway experiences that other methods might fruit-
fully explore. Importantly escape as consumption is worthy of additional investigation.
The temporality of experiential consumption, from the planning stage to the reflective
stage, is evident in our findings. Collectively our findings and those across a variety of con-
sumption experiences (Arnould and Price, 1993; Celsi et al., 1993; Joy and Sherry, 2003)
affirm that experiential consumption is much more broadly experienced than simply ‘the
encounter’. The experience (in the form of preparatory activities and anticipation) creeps
into consumers’ daily lives well before the actual encounter (or performance). Moreover
the commanding nature of the Broadway performance provides vivid and dominating
memories, long-lasting and easily recalled, that serve to be self-seducing, memories that
lurk well after the experience and are also a source of fodder for discussion among family
 Consumption experiences as escape 417

and friends. Future research might examine the broader implications and effects of these
experiences, and the balancing of self relative to consumers’ everyday lives.
The consumer, co-creator of the Broadway experience, is pre-eminent at all stages,
engaging with customer service representatives, baby sitters and reservationists to plan
their experiences, with the performers to create their experience, and with their family and
friends to plan, create, and remember their experience. They engage in consumption as a
means of self-definition (Belk, 1988; Levy, 1981; Schouten, 1991; Thompson, Locander
and Pollio, 1989) and escape to create and maintain balance, making time for one’s self
and important others. Consumers take control, investing the psychic energy to create the
optimal experience, offering a gift to self (Mick and DeMoss, 1990).
Being able to access customers’ thoughts and feelings, conscious and unconscious, is
crucial to elucidating marketing and consumer behavior phenomena. Informants’
metaphorical expressions and images of mirrors, floating men, fireworks, vacation spots,
decadent cakes and the like offer invaluable insights into the meaning of the Broadway
experience, specifically, and escape experiences, more generally. The Zaltman Metaphor
Elicitation Technique offers a means to hear the voice of the customer, see through the
eyes of the customer, and keep the customer and their experience as a focal point in our
research.

Note
1. Thank you to Olson Zaltman Associates and the American League of Theaters and Producers for use of
the transcripts in this chapter, and much appreciation to John Bell of Olson Zaltman Associates for the cre-
ation of the images: ‘Reflecting on the cultural experiences of Broadway’, ‘The prohibitive costs of
Broadway’, ‘Broadway is a sanctuary, no one can reach you’, ‘Broadway is an out-of-time and out-of-place
experience’ and ‘Broadway brings balance to everyday life.’ The other images in this chapter are represen-
tative visual metaphors of the images that participants brought to their interview; source: Shutterstock.com.

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