THE SCIENCE BEHIND STORIES
Our brains are wired for storytelling. But why? Because we don't have sharp fangs, thick hides, or poisonous venom (even that one friend who's really toxic), stories kept us alive.
In fact, in numerous trials, humans have responded most strongly to a very specific pattern:
A character that is interesting has a goal, backed by a clear, emotional motive.
The character is blocked by obstacles, risk, and the consequences of potential failure.
The character struggles to meet the goal, gaining aid from allies and resources they encounter.
The obstacles are overcome, the goal is reached, and the Hero is changed.
You might recognize this as the structure of just about every novel, movie, TV show, comic book, video game, etc. in existence, but... isn't it weird how specific this pattern is? And interesting that it crosses all cultural boundaries as well? Why aren't stories interesting without stakes? Why must there be change in order for a story to feel satisfying?
It's because our innate understanding of narrative is hardwired to our survival—it's instinct. Before the written or digital word, there was only word of mouth. We needed to impart important survival and societal knowledge to each other and ensure it was passed through generations. The only way to do that was to ensure each person remembered it, no matter who they were, and the only way to do THAT was to make them feel as if they had lived through it themselves. In writing, that's called "transference"—subconsciously putting yourself in the Hero's shoes and feeling what they feel as they go along their journey with all the deadly danger, the clever means of overcoming it, the lesson learned, etc.
UNIVERSAL BRAIN HACK
The deeper insight is that, while we can certainly imagine a human culture whose stories don’t involve these storytelling beats—that culture doesn't actually exist.
This pattern is essential to how humans function and view themselves—in psychology, it's even referred to as "narratives," and psychologists understand that whenever there's conflict, desires, joy, etc. it's intertwined with the person's story they're tell themselves about what happened or is happening.
We even alter our memory of events to make them fit this pattern of "main character energy." We've proven that memory is not data-driven—it's a creative act, where we subconsciously restructure events to fit the pattern so that we'll actually remember them.
This storytelling pattern forms the "back end" of all of our core higher brain functions.
CUSTOMERS AS COLLABORATIVE STORYTELLERS
In the decades humans have refined marketing, almost all marketers understand the importance of great storytelling. However, even though all humans recognize great stories, it doesn't make everyone good at telling them. There are only a handful of truly great storytellers, and in their pursuit of great storytelling, most marketers make 2 critical errors:
1. Every story a brand tells will be reinterpreted by customers. This isn't a bad thing, but it means brands are collaborative storytellers who aren't as ultimately in control as they think they are about their brand.
The more a brand can tell a compelling story, the easier it is to remember by customers without modification. But if the story is too distanced from reality, too aspirational, too emotionally removed from its audience, etc., it will be heavily, automatically edited when committed to memory. Add to that that once the brand's story is shared, ideally, customers don't just absorb it and file it away—they become active co-authors, adding their own chapters and details and sharing these stories the same way our ancestors passed stories down. This is the best possible scenario—this is the goal.
2. Marketers are under the false belief that brands should be the heroes. This occasionally works for the same reason films and TV work—transference—the customers identify with the hero and feel their ups and downs through the experience.
But it's much easier to form this kind of connection with a main character than the abstract entity that is a brand. This is also why spokespersons are inherently effective.
BRANDS AS CHARACTERS
The fallacy is that every brand wants to be Luke Skywalker, when they really should be Obi-Wan or Han Solo or Yoda or Princess Leia. Rather than trying to push the boulder up the hill of transference, why not more easily become the Hero's best friend or wise mentor or love interest? Or even the villain (like UNSHUT)?
When you purchase a brand, you're not just buying a product; you're inviting a new character into your personal story. Think about the last time you splurged on a high-end item, like a luxury handbag. Yes, the craftsmanship and design were important, but more than that, you bought into a lifestyle—evidence to show the world that would lend authenticity to the story you wanted to tell about yourself. The brand became a supporting character in your personal narrative, symbolizing success, elegance, or rebellion—whichever values you hold dear.
THE FALLACY OF HERO BRANDS
When brands begin to feel too self-important, they often try to cast themselves as the heroes, and rather than connecting with their audience through transferrence, more often than not, they push customers into the role of supporting character.
Obviously it doesn't work because customers all know that THEY are the main characters, which sparks cognitive dissonance, and they begin distancing themselves from the brand—like that one friend you stopped hanging out with because they always made you feel like a sidekick...
CUSTOMERS DON'T WANT COMPETITION TO BE THE HERO—THEY WANT SUPPORTING CHARACTERS FOR THEIR JOURNEY TO GIVE AUTHENTICITY TO THEIR STORY AND MAKE IT MORE MEMORABLE.
The best role for a brand is to provide the tools, inspiration, and support that helps customers overcome their challenges, achieve their goals, and undergo change. This is what brands like Apple, Equinox, etc. have honed to a razor's edge. This type of customer-brand relationship is built on the strong foundation of empowerment—all heroes need their allies in order to do their best.
EXPERIENTIAL MARKETING: PUTTING CUSTOMERS THROUGH A HERO'S JOURNEY
Good experiential marketing takes a more literal approach, by treating each customer as the hero of the experience. However, most experiential activations still don't put them through a Hero's journey with a full narrative, supporting them along the way. What's crazy is that the statistics around more narrative immersive marketing experiences speak for themselves with an average 5:1 ROI. But most marketers don't do it because it's really difficult—way harder than drafting innefective banner ads—and it requires a lot of skills marketers don't use every day like game design, theatre design, narrative storytelling, etc. In my experience during 15 years of high-level marketing, I've only seen about a dozen immersive marketing experiences that check this box (that weren't designed by me).
That's why we created UNSHUT—to build customer-centric experiences where brands can shine as strong supporting characters, and overally usher in a more exciting wave of engaging immersive entertainment.
CONCLUSION: DON'T STEAL THE SPOTLIGHT
The future of marketing lies in mastering the art of storytelling, understanding your company's place in that story, crafting experiences that resonate on a deep instinctual level with customers, and encouraging their co-creation of your narrative and theirs.
Embrace your inner storyteller and if you'd like to create a memorable narrative that gives your customers a once-in-a-lifetime connection to your brand, give us a call.
What story will you tell next?
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