1

BREAKING THE STORY CODE

GARY GOLDHAMMERCHIEF US DIGITAL STRATEGIST

2

3

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD by Linda Zimmer 4

Breaking the Story Code: The Brand Storytelling “Hero’s Journey” 5

“Universal Truth” – Step One of the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey 10

“Emotional Hero” - Step Two of the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey 13

“Twist of Fate” - Step Three of the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey 17

“Transformation” - Step Four of the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey 21

Breaking the Story Code: Why the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey Matters 25

APPENDIX 27

4

FOREWORD

The Hero’s Journey monomyth is itself a tale. It tells us a proverb about humans turning the mirror away from oneself and pointing it outwards. It displays our commonalities. Yet, it is the tale of the individual path each of us takes in life from choice, through challenge, to legacy.

The hero is both self and another. The journey is our shared experience made visible. A story told is the prism we use for meaning, memorizing, interpreting and inspiring. It is how we encode learning, understand cause and effect, organize knowledge.

Fluidity is a natural consequence of modern living. The ability to flow, change, move, connect, to become another is the capacity to survive and grow in our modern time.

Digital technologies bestow on us these liquid delights. We seamlessly flow between real time and ancient history, real identity and performance art, physical space and illusionary place. We are less fixed in one time and in our space.

For all these delicious freedoms feeling alone in our person, our pursuits, our challenges, is our human condition in spite of all sharing along the way. The continuum of time cannot change the fact that every hero’s journey is a solitary one.

Stories make us visible and relevant to each other. The story is what roots us, even as we flow through fluid space, time, identity, and relationships. We exchange an intimacy in the telling and listening.

Liquidity can invite us to disengage, morph, slip into invisibility. Story is the solid platform on which to find meaning and community. It is the frame for the argument of our existence, values and contribution.

The story is all weight and no mass. So we may carry it with us on our journey.

— Linda Zimmer

Linda Zimmer is a digital strategist, liquid being, and president of MarCom:Interactive.

5

The Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey

Breaking the Story CodeH+K

6

“A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region of supernatural wonder; fabulous forces are there en-countered and a decisive victory is won; the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man.” - Joseph Campbell

Anyone who has watched Star Wars (and if you haven’t you should be ashamed) - knows that this classic film is an example of a “monomyth” - the belief that all narratives follow a common pattern.

Joseph Campbell famously referred to this concept as the “Hero’s Journey.” From Hercules to Luke Skywalker, from Humphrey Bogart to Harry Potter, this pattern can be found throughout literature and film. We are in fact hard wired as humans to follow the Hero’s Journey; it is the bedrock of all great storytelling.

The traditional Hero’s Journey is essentially as follows:

• Leaving the “known” world for some unknown challenge or experience

• A test or tests of character and resolve• Triumph or resolution that benefits a greater good and

changes the hero for the better

This pattern has stood the test of time. But like any organism, the pattern also evolves. It adapts.

And it is happening again.

The Brand Storytelling “Hero’s Journey”

Upon reviewing dozens of successful brand storytelling efforts I found another pattern: A Hero’s Journey for the post-modern media age.

7

Emotional Hero Emotion - not “logic” - is the raw material that paves the story’s path. Embodied by people, brands or circumstances, the Emotional Hero is a construct of feelings over logic, of humanity over “messaging.”

Universal Truth The story begins with a common frame of reference, a “universal truth” or situation that transcends culture or lan-guage. Often there is little or no dialogue, the truth being so honest and relatable that words would merely get in the way.

Following are the four main steps in this new narrative approach to storytelling. I’ll dive deeper into these steps in subsequent posts, as well as provide more brand storytelling examples.

Twist of Fate Here the journey takes on an element of surprise, an unexpected turn in the narrative. This is more than just a standard “plot twist,” but rather a truly unanticipated event that can take the entire narrative in a new direction.

Transformation The journey concludes with a form of transformation - a problem is resolved, the main character or circumstances (the Emotional Hero) are changed, a new “universal truth” is revealed. The conclusion can also be a call to action or a reminder to refocus or do things in a different way.

8

A Hero’s Journey back to Narrative

We need a new Hero’s Journey to guide us through our over-loaded media environment. We need a shift back to narrative, to story, to real emotion that we can trust. People don’t want to connect with marketing messages - they want to connect with their innate human nature.

Of course, merely following these steps is no guarantee of success. For every Star Wars there is also a Krull. Storytelling requires more than a good formula, it requires a good story.

But for brands that have something real, emotional and power-ful to say, the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey is a path worth exploring.

In the next installment we will take a closer look at how the Uni-versal Truth begins the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey.

9

UNIVERSAL TRUTHHERO’S JOURNEY

H+K

10

“Universal Truth” – Step One of the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey

The “Universal Truth” establishes a common frame of reference for the story. Like the classic myths, this “truth” also transcends culture and language. We recognize it instantly – we relate to it deeply.

A dying parent who needs medical attention. A holiday gathering. A social issue. The Universal Truth can be anything that grounds the story along familiar lines.

This first step on the journey also speaks to the predominance of and predilection toward visual communication today, spurred by mobile devices and services like Instagram, Tumblr and Snapchat. Often there is little or no dialogue, the truth being so honest and relatable that words would merely get in the way.

For example, Kohl’s created a compelling holiday story with “Christmas Surprise,” establishing right away the Universal Truth of the holiday spirit and giving to others. Not a word was spoken or needed.

11

Similarly, Chipotle tackled the controversial issue of factory farming with an engaging long-form video and game. Using a familiar song and simple, emotionally powerful imagery, Chipotle quickly communicates a Universal Truth about food.

The Universal Truth sets the framework and often the tone for the story. It’s a foundation and entry point for the next and what some might say is the most important step in the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey – the “Emotional Hero” itself.

12

EMOTIONAL HEROHERO’S JOURNEY

H+K

13

“Emotional Hero” - Step Two of the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey

Each step of the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey is essential, but perhaps none more so than step two, the Emotional Hero.

You might argue that emotion isn’t just a step; it’s a core ingredient in the overall narrative. Emotion – a laugh or a cry, a scare or a smile – is what makes a story greater than “content.”

This is true for all stories. But there is something more in the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey, something I call the Emotional Hero.

Step Two: Emotional Hero

The most important thing to know about this step is that the “hero” doesn’t necessarily need to be a person. It also can be a brand or a circumstance, as in Google’s “Homeward Bound.”

14

The “hero” here isn’t the lost boy who used Google to find his way home but rather Google itself. A search tool becomes a lifeline, the emotion less about a family reunion and more about the journey.

Even when the Emotional Hero is a real person, the hero serves as our representative, our “way in” that helps us relate more deeply to the Universal Truth (step one of our storytelling journey.)

Apple gave us a brooding teenager in “Misunderstood,” who at first looks more like a villain than a hero. In the end, however, we learn that the teen could have been any of us, any time we stared into our devices instead of the person by our side.

15

A Proctor & Gamble story developed for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, “Pick Them Back Up,” is more straightforward. The hero in this case is the mom – specifically all the moms who encouraged their kids to realize their dreams despite years of falls, cuts, bruises and broken bones. The Emotional Hero transcends the Olympic story to represent all moms who make countless sacrifices for their kids.

The Emotional Hero is a story’s soul, an archetype that allows us to connect with the subject matter as well as see ourselves in the narrative. Yet for emotion to have impact, something more is required. A shift in direction, a change in perception – or a simply remarkable “twist of fate.”

16

TWIST OF FATEHERO’S JOURNEY

H+K

17

“Twist of Fate” - Step Three of the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey

Humans love a good pattern. We seek them for the safeness of familiarity – patterns are “comfort food” for our minds.

So when a pattern is interrupted, we take notice.

Just as our brains are wired for narrative, so too are they designed to react to sudden change or events outside our perceived norms, increasing our engagement in the overall story.

This narrative sleight of hand is what I call a “Twist of Fate.” Of the four steps along the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey, the Twist of Fate is what gives a story its power and often its lasting memory.

Step Three – Twist of Fate

The Twist of Fate is similar to a plot twist. But while many plot twists are fairly predictable – when boy meets girl you can expect he’ll soon lose the girl – the Twist of Fate is more powerful and surprising. You only have a fraction of the time as a brand storyteller to get your point across as you have in a movie, so the turns you make need to be sharper and edgier, or take the audience in an entirely new direction.

18

As in the cancer example above, St. John Ambulance employed the Twist of Fate with gut-wrenching effectiveness. “Helpless” pulls you in with a story of cancer survival set to music – and then the soundtrack abruptly cuts as the cancer survivor chokes to death and we are told via an on-screen graphic, “First aid could help prevent up to 140,000 deaths per year. The same number of people that die from cancer.”

Axe took a similar approach in “Make Love, Not War,” a film to launch its “Axe Peace” body spray campaign during the 2014 Super Bowl. The spot is bleak and fatalistic – until ”pushing the button” results in a fireworks celebration instead of nuclear war, or the soldier whom you thought was going to shoot a civilian suddenly drops his gun and wraps her in an embrace.

19

For GE, the Twist of Fate wasn’t manufactured for dramatic effect. “Fire with Fire,” a short film in its Focus Forward series, tells the story of a young leukemia patient who was given an experimental HIV injection in a last-ditch attempt to save her life.

Her miraculous, unexpected recovery was a welcome Twist of Fate, but so was the other “twist” – that the cure for this girl just might represent a cure for all cancer patients.

The Twist of Fate comes near the end of the story but it’s not the final chapter. There is one more step along the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey – one that not only transforms the characters in the narrative, but when done well, also transforms us.

20

TRANSFORMATIONHERO’S JOURNEY

H+K

21

“Transformation” - Step Four of the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey

“The only thing that is constant is change.” - Heraclitus, Greek philosopher

Our ability to change defines us.

Star Wars worked because Luke Skywalker became something greater than even he believed was possible, because Han Solo went from heartless smuggler to selfless soldier. Humphrey Bogart had to transform into a freedom fighter for Casablanca to rise above being just another sad war-torn love story.

The Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey begins with a Universal Truth – but it’s the final step, Transformation, that brings us back home.

Step Four – Transformation

This transformation can take multiple forms: A problem is resolved, the main character or circumstances (the Emotional Hero) are changed, or a new Universal Truth is revealed. Transformation can also be a call to action or a reminder to refocus or do things in a different way.

In WestJet’s holiday hit “Christmas Miracle,” passengers experienced a Twist of Fate by receiving personalized gifts at baggage claim, but the transformation played out in their reactions, their disbelief melting into acceptance and what could best be described as joy. You can imagine that those passengers left the airport a little less cynical and a little more hopeful about humanity.

22

As the “hero” transforms, so does the audience. Unilever’s Project Sunlight begins with a simple yet powerful question: “Why bring a child into the world?” A global cross-section of expectant parents shares its concerns and fears, sometimes adopting an almost defeatist tone.

23

But then they see pictures of what the future might hold, that their children have a better chance of living longer, living better than we ever did. The transformation is complete when one of the soon-to-be dads says, “How the story pans out depends on how we behave in the story.”

The parents transformed their fear of bringing a child into the world to anticipation and a call to action for others to get involved and create a better future for all children. As an audience, we are transformed and encouraged to transform others.

This is the best kind of storytelling, the kind that makes a difference. It’s a story with staying power and lasting impact. It’s a story that reminds us that we have the power to change.

Transformation makes us, and our stories, more human.

24

Breaking the Story Code:Why the Brand Storytelling Hero’s

Journey Matters

HERO’S JOURNEYH+K

25

Breaking the Story Code: Why the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey Matters

“The world is shaped by two things – stories told and the memories they leave behind.”– Vera Nazarian, author

STORIES ARE PATTERNS.

Understanding these patterns, these codes hidden in plain sight, is the key to telling stories in a world of infinite media. Stories today live across paid, earned, owned and shared channels – once divergent narratives now layer together for maximum impact.

Yet this still isn’t enough. There’s one more critical piece we need to break the story code. It’s the reason – the only reason – why the Brand Storytelling Hero’s Journey should matter.

We want to be remembered.

This is the common goal that the public and brands both share.

26

It’s what moves people to action, even if they don’t consciously realize it or want to admit it.

At some point in our lives, we just want to be remembered – to know that in the end, however small or insignificant, we mattered.

Yes, brands, products and companies want to make money, but they want to be remembered, too. At a certain point just selling stuff doesn’t cut it.

If a brand isn’t remembered it can’t live on. It can’t make a difference. Someone or something else will take its place.

This is why genuine storytelling will always trump artificial content. It’s why we should shun the “content marketers” who are, by and large, insolent bottom feeders who could care less about creating a memorable human connection.

It’s why we need to stop talking about “big data” and “real-time” and all the other countless bits of bull that marketers create to make things sound more important or original than they really are.

Tell a real story. Talk like a real person. Don’t settle for treating people like statistics.

Be memorable before it’s too late.

27

APPENDIX

Links to Videos

TrueMove “Giving” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7s22HX18wDY&feature=you-tu.be

Kohl’s “Christmas Surprise” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=driTzMkPxyA

Chipotle “Scarecrow” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lUtnas5ScSE

Google “Homeward Bound” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXEvZ8B04bE

Apple “MIsunderstood” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhwhnEe7CjE

P&G’s “Pick Them Back Up” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57e4t-fhXDs

St. John’s Ambulance “Helpless” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sC7zfgCXQFs

Axe “Peace” - http://axepeace.com/

GE “Fire with Fire” - http://vimeo.com/54668275

WestJet “Christmas Miracle” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIEIvi2MuEk&fea-ture=youtu.be

Unilever “Project Sunlight” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NL-207QGzN0