The Power of Storytelling In Advertising

In the world of storytelling, there’s a very simple, almost rudimentary, concept that derives from the “Hero’s Journey”: the hero versus villain complex.

Arguably the most famous Hero’s Journey is Homer’s 12,000-line poem, “The Odyssey”. Spanning 10 years following the Trojan War, Odysseus is attempting to return to Ithaca, his home, and reunite with his beloved wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachus. However, in his journey, Odysseus encounters numerous challenges and mythical creatures. His adventures lead him to the bewitching Sirens, the monstrous Cyclops, and the enchanting witch Circe, among others. Throughout his journey, Odysseus's cunning and the aid of the gods, especially Athena, help him overcome the perils and learn valuable lessons about heroism, loyalty, and the enduring human spirit.

The concept of facing some type of challenge and having divine aid bestowed upon you to help overcome it is a tried-and-true formula to captivate humans’ curiosity. Stories form a cognitive structure in our brains to encode information, which is why facts are often not enough to convince people—we need a narrative that captures our imaginations.

There is a reason why humans have been telling stories to each other for millennia—it is the easiest and most effective way to pass on information from generation to generation. Before reading and writing was widely available to the masses, spoken stories were a major form of entertainment. Then came the printing press in the 15th century, allowing us to capture these stories into words on a page and distributing them far and wide. Eventually, filmmaking entered the scene, and now we’re in the midst of a creator-economy age in which everyone is able to tell short and long stories to far more people than they could have ever imagined.

As you can see, knowing how to tell these stories is what makes or breaks them. A great story poorly told is a flop; a terrible story greatly shared is shallow. In finding this balance between depth and understanding lies the magic of simplification. What exactly needs to be included in our stories, when should it show up and at what length?

Learning how to strike this balance can turn a director into a Hollywood breakout, and unknown stories into worldwide phenomena. So, why stop there?

For far too long, brands have overlooked the hero versus villain complex. But the ones that haven’t, have experienced great success. Take the following ad, for example. Allstate managed to position its product as the archetype of a divine aid to its customers (the heroes of the story)—when your cat (the villain) wrecks havoc in your house, Allstate is there to help you overcome the challenge.

Archetypes can be a powerful tool in assigning meaning to a brand. For example, Disney is the wizard that adds magic to people’s lives, Harley-Davidson is the outlaw that helps people break out of conformity, Skittles is the jester that helps people be silly in dull moments.

All brands have the potential to embody an archetype. But determining which is the right one for your brand is where the work begins.

When looking at your brand as such in the Hero’s Journey it’s important to note that the “villain” doesn’t necessarily mean an opposite that is trying to hold you back. It could simply mean a conflict—or as marketers have come to call it, the human tension.

Every brand has something that helps its customers overcome a conflict. Oftentimes is quite obvious: Coke vs Pepsi; other times, not so obvious: Colgate vs cavities. This exercise takes deep thinking and a touch of imagination to uncover.

If your brand doesn’t help solve a customer tension, then it’s just a matter of time before it pitters out. Therefore, brand managers need to be extremely honest with what they’ve got—while it’s a sensitive topic in the traditional energy business, the environmental movement is a major conflict for consumers (how much and what source of energy to consume while being conscious of the planet). Energy brands that position themselves as an archetype for conscious energy consumption will attract a lot of attention, what can make or break them. But this simple, yet bold step, is the beginning of a compelling narrative on how you position your brand against its villain.

Let’s look at another example of how a person managed to position himself as an archetype against a villain: Coach Prime, of the Colorado Buffaloes.

Earlier this season, the NFL Hall-of-Famer and head coach of the University of Colorado Buffaloes, Deion Sanders, aka Coach Prime, was looking for a way to motivate his players for the upcoming game against its in-state archrival, the Colorado State Rams.

Leading up to the game, Coach Prime, known for wearing jewelry and shades on the sidelines and while talking to reporters, shook hands with the Rams’ head coach, Jay Novell, while wearing his sunglasses. Norvell did not like it and called out Deion Sanders by saying that “when I talk to grownups, I take my hat and my glasses off.”

Coach Prime now had the ingredients he needed to craft a compelling narrative to rally his players: now it’s personal.

By adding more stake into the game, Coach Prime motivated his players to push past the pain and to come out swinging. All of the players were given shades, and they rallied behind Coach Prime’s “it’s personal” speech.

The Buffaloes went on to beat the Rams 43-35 in a thriller.

This example shows that the power storytelling goes far beyond entertainment. It’s a rally cry, a call to action. It’s what turns spectators into advocates, passive consumers into enthusiasts.

Brands that find their archetype and position themselves as such to help their customers overcome a challenge—aka the villain—ingrain themselves in culture as more than just their functional benefits.

They give their customers a reason to believe and feel like the heroes in the story.

PPA