everyone loves a good hero’s journey:
writers, poets, composers, filmmakers, actual heroes…
and marketers.
think of Robin Hood for a moment,
as classic of a hero’s journey as they come:
I. nobleman gets captured in a fight;
II. he returns home after some time, expecting to find things as he’s left them;
III. instead he discovers an usurper had taken his place;
IV. the sheriff is also taking advantage of the people;
V. he then decides to become a vigilante and fight against those forces.
your garden variety “good versus evil” storyline we all know and love.
why do they work so well?
it’s hopeful, it shows that change is possible (even for little ol’ you,)
and that you can overcome great obstacles, defeat your enemies and get the girl, on your way to achieving your goals.
who wouldn’t want some of that?
now think of Robin Hood, the marketer…
“this is what’s happening to you and you might not even know it! join me and I’ll help you against the bad guys!”
meaning…
“mainstream skin care is mass produced, packed with harmful ingredients and they even test on animals! buy from me and your skin will thank you for it. I hike 20k and handpick the ingredients myself, play classical music to relax the leaves and manually grind them with the mortar and pestle.”
you’ve seen a million of these examples online, especially in small businesses,
a lot of influencers seem to be latching on to this arch as well.
it works.
it works well.
it provides a narrative we naturally understand and can get behind.
there are hundreds of tropes you can draw inspiration from, which one’s yours?
Sidenote: Story selling is a new buzzword to mainstream marketing, but the concept (to my knowledge) was first popularized by Colin Theriot, one of my mentors, who I’ve learned this from in 2017. Check out his work if you want to learn more.
I’ll see you tomorrow.
today is day 230 of the year, there are 137 days remaining of 2022.
