This story first appeared on PR Daily in July, 2015.
What makes the tales of Superman, Batman, Spider-Man—and now Ant-man—successful is that they incite passion among followers. Their stories transform these followers into loyalists and ambassadors.
Too often marketing and communications pros tap the wrong sources of information from our clients to use in connecting with audiences. Instead, we should look to the pages of comic books for inspiration.
Here are six popular story tropes, along with lessons you can learn from famous crusaders:
1. The Hulk learned to not get emotional. Bruce Banner, alter ego of The Hulk, goes from being the smartest guy in the room to being the biggest, strongest and greenest.
Among many other things, his stories teach us that we should often rely on the scientific approach, rather than the emotional, to address the problem. This is particularly apt when talking money.
2. People love how Spider-Man came to be. A “relatable origins story” always sells.
When you’re launching a brand, get to the heart of the matter by focusing on the people who are responsible for its existence.
What makes them special? Is it their decades of experience, or their unique vision for a better world? What obstacles did they overcome to get to this place? Spider-Man fans love the “web head” because many were conflicted, but smart, high-school kids just like him.
3. Daredevil used blindness to develop other super senses . There’s strength in understanding a business’s weakness.
Identify what value weakness brings to an audience, and understand how recognizing a vulnerability, either in the business or in the marketplace, can lead to innovation.
No brand started out great—nor was Matt Murdock (aka Daredevil) born a blind lawyer and hero of Hell’s Kitchen.
4. Even Superman can’t be everywhere. Know you can’t solve all of the world’s problems, nor should you try.
Keep the story focused on the business mission, which shouldn’t be all things to all people. The most successful brands satisfy a need in a specific community. In the best cases, businesses create a need that didn’t exist in the first place.
[RELATED: Here are 10 ways you can write better stories.]
Such innovation isn’t limited to saving distressed female reporters as they fall from skyscrapers.
5. The mask will work for Batman, but not you. We also can take away a lesson in what not to do from these stories.
Disguises in the business world don’t work, because people trust only who and what they know.
Transparency and honesty is the law; there can be no cape or cowl.
6. Without the Joker, there is no Batman. You and the problem your company is solving are not so dissimilar from Batman and The Crown Prince of Crime.
The problem is separating you and your customers from a desired outcome. Just like in Gotham, a mix of instability and uncertainty can complicate the market. Use this to help create a demand and amplify the client’s importance in the real world.
Use these lessons to suit up and power your storytelling efforts.
Matt Kirdahy is the senior vice president of Water & Wall Group.
(Image via)
from PR Daily News Feed http://ift.tt/1fQsIzV
No comments:
Post a Comment