The Hero Journey in Marketing
Elevate your content strategy beyond facts and figures by tapping into the power of storytelling.
The concept of the Hero’s Journey is not just a staple of classic literature or blockbuster movies; it’s also a powerful tool in marketing. At its core, the Hero’s Journey is a story template: A character sets off on an adventure, faces a series of challenges, receives help from a mentor, and emerges from the experience transformed and enriched.
In the realm of marketing, storytelling stands as a pillar of engagement. It hooks an audience and creates a lasting impression. Here’s the catch, though: while telling a good story sounds straightforward, HOW you tell it is where the magic happens.
Many brands, with good intentions, fall into a narrative trap. They position THEMSELVES as the hero coming to the rescue. Here’s the twist—people don’t see themselves as mere spectators shopping for products; they see themselves as the main character in their own life story. They’re searching for a solution to an obstacle in their own narrative.
Enter the Hero’s Journey, a framework that flips the script. Instead of the brand saving the day. The customer is the hero. Your brand is the mentor guiding the hero through trials and tribulations.
I’m here to unpack this narrative device and show you how, by making a slight adjustment to perspective, you can spin a story that not only captures your audience but also IMPARTS them as the lead, setting your brand up as the catalyst for their success. This subtle shift lays the groundwork for a connection that resonates deep with your target audience and can set your marketing efforts apart.
The Stages of The Journey
The idea of brands employing the hero’s journey as a format for brand storytelling is not new. Mythology professor Joseph Campbell popularized it in 1949. A character embarks on an adventure, encounters a crisis, and comes home changed by the experience. Campbell identified a total of 12 steps that comprise the hero’s journey.
And your customer, not the product or service. is the hero.
Understanding Your Customer as the Hero
Knowing who your customer is, from their deepest needs to their everyday challenges, determines the strength of your marketing narrative. It starts with clearly defining the problem your customer faces. By doing this, you illuminate the path for the hero’s journey, providing a context in which they can envision their own adventure of overcoming an obstacle.
Go beyond basic demographics. Paint a detailed portrait of your customer. What motivates them? What are their fears? What’s their ultimate goal? Building a rich, character-driven profile helps craft a narrative that they can connect with on an emotional level, seeing themselves reflected in the stories you tell.
Transitioning a customer from an abstract concept to the hero of your marketing story requires careful thought. Their journey towards solving a challenge is not just a transaction; it’s an epic tale of personal growth and achievement. Your narrative should build the framework for this epic, setting up the high stakes and the grand reward.
Building this journey isn’t just about understanding your customer; it’s about feeling what they feel. Embracing empathy in your marketing strategy means your content won’t just speak to the audience—it will speak about them and for them. This deep, empathetic understanding ensures that the marketing material resonates on a more personal, humane level.
Having laid the foundation of empathy and customer understanding, the narrative is poised to introduce a mentor. As our hero braces for their challenges, they find assistance not in the form of a rescuer, but as a source of wisdom, tools, and support that you – the brand – are ready to provide.
Framing Your Brand as the Mentor
In the classic hero’s journey, the mentor plays an integral role. This character provides guidance, imparts wisdom, and equips the hero with the tools needed to overcome impending challenges. When it comes to marketing, your brand must step into the shoes of the mentor, but how exactly do you do that?
First and foremost, your role as the mentor is to UNDERSTANDING the hero’s struggle. You need to show that you’re not just a bystander but a crucial element in their journey to success. Whether it’s a product or a service you’re offering, it must be positioned as the means to help the hero conquer their challenges.
Demonstrating how your brand will empower customers involves storytelling that highlights the transformation customers can experience with your help. Think of your product as the magical sword that arms the protagonist for battle or the sage advice that helps them see the path ahead clearly. Your marketing narrative should place your product in a supporting, but essential, role.
Illustrate your brand’s reliability. Heroes choose mentors they can trust. Ensure your experience, knowledge, or unique approach shines through so that customers feel confident in choosing you as their ally. It’s not about boasting–it’s about proving your credibility and reliability as a guide.
Real-life examples and testimonials can be powerful here. They are clear evidence of how others have succeeded with your help, mirroring the moments in stories where the mentor’s wisdom is proven true through past deeds.
Remember, though, it’s not just about what you say, but how you say it. Tact and diplomacy are skills every good mentor possesses. Your tone should be helpful and inspirational, steering clear from condescending or sounding too self-important. You’re there to assist, not to overshadow the hero’s own capabilities and achievements.
Crafting the Story: Development and Challenges
When I build a narrative for marketing, it’s vital to create a structure that resonates with customers and keeps them locked in. The hero’s journey isn’t just about celebration and triumph; it’s about the trials and tribulations that get us there. Here’s how to shape those pivotal story moments.
Start with setting a scene your audience can see themselves in. It might involve a common problem or a desire they share. As in classic storytelling, this is where a challenge disrupts the hero’s world. Your consumer faces an issue, one they can’t ignore. This moment sets the stage for everything that follows.
Next, we add in obstacles, the crucial parts of the story where the hero is tested. Maybe it’s a challenge of time, a competitive market, or an internal struggle. For your customers, illustrate scenarios where they encounter similar stumbling blocks. These are points where your customer-hero must make significant decisions.
An emotional connection secures these experiences in the memory of your audience. Craft moments in your story that tug at the heartstrings or rouse the spirit. If you can evoke genuine feelings, you’re on the right track. Remember, emotions are universal, but the way they’re experienced is personal to each customer.
Maintain an air of authenticity as you develop these scenarios. If the narrative feels like a stretch, you’ll lose your audience. The goal is to mirror the realistic experiences of your customers, not to create wild fantasies. This means knowing your audience inside and out.
Bringing the Journey to a Close.
The end of the hero’s journey isn’t just about wrapping up a story. It’s about illustrating transformation and reinforcing the new status the hero has achieved, thanks to their own efforts and the guidance you’ve provided. Your goal is to make the customer feel like they’ve leveled up.
In your marketing story, the resolution is more than a happy ending. It’s where the customer sees tangible results from using your product or service. This cements your brand’s role as the mentor and can turn a single purchase into a long-term relationship.
Additionally, showing off the after-effects of their journey encourages others to start their own. Success stories and testimonials are powerful. They are not merely conclusions; they serve as hooks for new potential heroes.
A Good Example
Coca Cola
During the height of Islamaphobia back in 2018, Coca-Cola put together a 2-minute “heroes journey” advert.
It shows a jogger who has missed her bus ( This is a hero’s Journey after all) and she is getting thirstier and thirstier.
She sees a Muslim woman selling Coca-Cola ( During Ramadan) She pauses to purchase a Coke from a vendor on the sidewalk. She observes the woman wearing a hijab shaking her head in sadness at the inhumanity of the passers-by. The challenge is she does not know this woman, should she take a chance buying from this woman?
At first she buys one Coke and then in a flash of empathy, she buys 2.
The Muslim woman glances at the sun as it’s almost down. All she has are two dry dates – the traditional way Muslims across the world replenish their blood sugar before their traditional evening meal.
As the sun sets she offers the Muslim woman a Coke , and in that moment strangers from different cultural backgrounds join together as friends. With changed outlooks on humanity from both vantage points, the two women celebrate a spectacular sunset.
Remember, The jogger was the hero and not the product,
Conclusion
Engagement shouldn’t stop at the story’s end. Keep communication channels open, gather feedback, and learn from your customer’s experiences. Use these insights to refine your storytelling, ensuring that your future marketing efforts resonate even more deeply.
Finally, true marketing wisdom lies in recognizing that every customer’s journey may evolve differently. And it’s up to you to facilitate that growth, every step of the way. But everyone loves a good story, especially when the hero is themselves.
Steve Hey.
AI produced some content, but most are my thoughts established via personal experience.
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