The best replacement for personification is metaphor.

The best alternatives to personification are rated as following:
★★★★★  metaphor
★★★★  anthropomorphism
★★  simile
★  hyperbole
★  apostrophe
★  pathetic fallacy
  allegory
  alliteration
  anthropomorphization

Your alternative for personification is not listed? Suggest!
Speaking about personification, one probably shouldn't forget about poems.

Other search terms related to personification and their ratings are:
★★★★★ poems
★★ example
You have in mind a companion for personification and it is not yet here? Propose!



Google Trends

Scale is based on the average worldwide traffic of personification in all years. Click on graph for more.
personification
metaphor
anthropomorphism