Matt Damon is playing Odysseus is Christopher Nolan’s new film. The relevance of a story that is thousands of years old attests to the Biblical depth of character, human soul and spiritual sojourn we mortals have always sought on this earth. We yearn for more because we know we are more. Odysseus represents the quest for meaning we all pursue, and the places we are waylaid along the way. The Kardashians are the Island of Calypso and the Sirens politicians, pornography, and other addictions. We, like Odysseus, must not only navigate our way through it all, but also fight for what we believe in and for what we love.
This makes Odysseus the indominable marketing model. The story was told to persuade. Griots and oracles are as old as Adam. They moved about from village to village telling stories that not only entertained, but helped parents keep their children in line. The Brothers’ Grimm were especially good at scaring the bejeebers out of children so they would adhere to a moral code of obedience, honesty, and hard work. The Odyssey story built a kind of national and ethnic pride. It was the George Washington and the cherry tree story of its time. And it was effective not because the story itself is true, but because there are human truths contained in the story. This is why it has endured. And why it is the perfect model for storytelling marketers.
For marketing to work, really work, the story a product tells has to be true. That puts the onus of the work on the product itself. A product that sucks is impossible to market for long, unless it is Electrolux, a vacuum that literally sucks more than the competition.
Marketing is about storytelling, and marketers must make the consumer the hero of their own story.
Yes, Coca cola will get the pretty girl to notice you. Try it. We don’t see the hero in this billboard because it is us. And nothing ruins a good fantasy faster than seeing someone else take our place. Sports cars should be seen from the driver’s perspective. Humor should be employed to show someone we know as a dolt, not ourselves. And brutal honesty is appealing to the practical hero looking to lead an austere life and wear it like a hair shirt.
This kind of anti-hero advertising has its own audience, the people who relate more to Samwise the faithful, practical sidekick more than Bilbo Baggins and the weight he carries. So be not shy about telling a good story and taking the time to do it. In our hurry up world, we still take the time to watch a 3-hour movie. Why? Because it captivates us. A great ad can do the same. If you take the time to read this Volkswagen ad you will connect with the ethos of the brand: to get out and experience life, with your car as the Star Trek Enterprise taking you to worlds unknown.
To capture the essence of life is to connect humans to their longing. To facilitate their journey is the job of marketers. Deliver to them the Eleven Dagger used to slay Orcs, or the Nautilus to take them 20,000 leagues under the sea, or, occlumency, the serum in Harry Potter that prevents the drinker’s thoughts from being read, a handy potion to have for married men accompanying their wives out shopping for dresses.
The truth about us humans is that we crave. The job of the marketer is not to propose solutions but rather to encourage the consumer to choose wisely. The original story of Snow White has the Witch beguiling the innocent girl with a bad choice, a moral lesson for children of the time. The poisoned apple becomes the symbol of the uninformed consumer’s folly. As marketers, our job is to tell stories that will guide consumers to results that make them heroic, avoid bad situations, enlighten their intellect, elevate their sense of accomplishment, and give them the reprieve they deserve. If we fool them, like the witch, we will eventually meet our demise.
