Who's the Hero in Your Marketing Story?

In his book Building a Story Brand, Donald Miller outlines the similarities between the classic hero story arc and a successful marketing plan:

At the beginning of a story, the hero is usually flawed, filled with doubt, and ill-equipped for the task set before them. The guide aids them on their journey, rife with conflict. The conflict begins to change the character, though. Forced into action, the hero develops skills and accrues the experience needed to defeat their foe. Though the hero is still filled with doubt, they summon the courage to engage, and in the climactic scene defeat the villain, proving once and for all they have changed, that they are now competent to face challenges and are better versions of themselves. The story has transformed them...

Notice how this outline applies to the likes of The Wizard of Oz, Harry Potter, and Star Wars. It’s summarized in seven steps: ‘A character…has a problem…and meets a guide…who gives them a plan…and calls them to action…that helps them avoid failure…and ends in a success.’ Place the customer—or audience—as the hero of the story and complete the remaining steps with the challenge you are offering to solve. This supports a shift away from describing who you are and what you do, toward empathizing with your customer or audience and showing the transformation that awaits them with you as their guide.

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