The 7 Models of Storytelling for Brands

Back in 2004 Christopher Booker finished writing a book that he had been working on for 34 years. It was a quest to study all the great stories ever told, and to see what they had in common so that he could categorise them into basic plot types.

Almost 4 decades after starting his in-depth analysis of the world's greatest stories (from Richard Curtis to Shakespeare and everyone in between), Christopher reduced all the great stories down into 7 basic archetypal plots...

1. Overcoming the Monster
2. Rags to Riches
3. The Quest
4. Voyage and Return
5. Comedy
6. Tragedy
7. Rebirth

Much has been written of the 7 plots, from the point of view of creative writing, copywriting or journalism, but little has been written on what this means for brands. Given that we are all in the storytelling business (no matter who you are or you or what your job title actually says), this seems like some important ground to cover ~ especially given the fact that content (storytelling), forms the cornerstone of almost every successful brand...

Whoever tells the best stories goes home with the most marbles".

So let's have a look at the 7 archetypal plots for storytelling, and see if we can relate them to some branded examples. I suspect this may go some way towards highlighting why the most recognised brands in the world are the most loved and the most successful...

1. Overcoming the Monster

Whilst this plot line generally refers to films like Dracula, Batman and Star Wars, overcoming the monster is essentially where the hero needs to overcome adversity in order to restore balance to the world. The monster could typically be addiction, illness, debt or bad health, but it is just as likely to be progress. No ad has ever epitomised this as well as Ridley Scott's $1m Apple ad ~ 1984.

Yes, 1984 is a cliche. Yes it has been referenced in marketing circles to far too many times already. And yes, it is probably the most successful ad of all time (even though it was only ever shown once during Superbowl XVIII), but it is so powerful because it has such a strong narrative.

The journey is the reward". Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs saw IBM as the monster. Apple was on a mission to overthrow dead-technology and he felt that Big Brother was holding the world back. His focus later shifted towards Microsoft as the monster, whom he said, "have no taste... and I mean that in a big way". It goes without saying that Apple eventually did overcome the monster in 2013, by becoming the most valuable brand in the world. If your brand is taking on an adversary, or standing by the side of your customer in their quest to overcome their own monsters, there is no better place than to be positioned as the loyal sidekick, or the [product / service] that delivers the final blow to the enemy.

• Brand references: Apple, Cancer Charities, Pfizer (Viagra), HSBC (trying to re-invent banking), Virgin (the challenger brand against British Airways), Tesla, Amazon (re-inventing the way we buy books).

2. Rags to Riches

Rags to riches is not only the plot of stories like Cinderella or Aladdin, but it is the typical story of every entrepreneur or successful start up. This is where the value of social media often kicks in for musicians, vloggers, bloggers and digital superstars who have used social channels to create their own destinies. Charlie McDonnell, Justin Bieber and the Arctic Monkeys seem obvious candidates but my favourite is still Jan Koum. He is the Ukranian founder of WhatsApp and the recipient of a large chunk of the $19billion that Zuckerberg paid for them in 2014. So rough was his upbringing that he made a point of signing the Facebook deal in the same place that he used to collect his food stamps. An authentic story of rags to riches if ever there was one.

Want a more traditional story? Look no further than the Cinderella story of Johnnie Walker, as told in this incredible 6 minute ad (filmed in one take). It took 40 takes to get it right, but boy did he nail it...

• Brand References: WhatsApp, J.K. Rowling, Rovio (Angry Birds), Johnnie Walker, Chanel.

3. The Quest

Not all start-ups or entrepreneurs fall into the rags to riches category. Richard Branson and Mark Zuckerberg are both famous examples, but they were both from privileged backgrounds. The concept of a quest is a journey from A to B. One of Steve Jobs favourite quotes was, "The Journey is the Reward". This has been a theme of many box office hits such as Wizard of Oz, Lord of the Rings or Indiana Jones.

"Timing, perseverance and ten years of trying will eventually make you look like an overnight success". @BizStone Co-Founder of Twitter.

As far as brands go, the quest often refers to brands who have had many set-backs along to way. The quest is usually more of a long term story than an overnight success. Unlike "Rags to Riches", if your ideal customer is on "The Quest" you're in it for the long haul. Your product or service is meant to be a long lasting tool that can be used along the way, or ongoing companionship (such as a coach) you should look to ensure your services can withstand the test of time, and you will overcome any odds with your customer no matter how daunting they might be.

For me, TOMS - with their philosophy and their 2.7m Facebook fans, are an amazing example of a brand on a mission. I encourage you to read founder Blake Mycoskie's book, Start Something that Matters. It's an outstanding read.

• Brand References: Twitter, Facebook, Skoda, Microsoft, TOMS, Salesforce.

4. Journey and Reward

Think Wild Things, Wizard of Oz, Cast Away, Alice in Wonderland, Gone with the Wind - all great stories where the journey resulted in some form of salvation. Journey and reward stories usually refer to characters who are suddenly thrust into strange and alien worlds and must make their way back to normal life once more.

Social media rockstar Tommy Walker says that from a marketing perspective, if your ideal customer travels a lot, your products or services can assist them on their travels (think iPad, sleep pillows, convenient luggage, or comfortable travel clothing). Another way you can think of this is assisting your customer once they've arrived at their destination (think Language learning software, cultural etiquette training, photo guides, maps, and tours).

Personally, my favourite branded story of a "Journey and Reward", despite it's cheesiness, is the Budweiser Clydesdales ad which was voted the most popular ad of Superbowl 2013. A close second was the stand-out ad of Superbowl 2014 ~ the Budweiser Puppy. Everybody can relate to an emotional journey that has a payoff at the end. Nostalgia works. A recent example of this would be the new (epic) "Gentleman's Wager" Johnnie Walker ad with Jude Law, which received over 5m views in just a couple of days.

• Brand References: Expedia, Hotels.com, Corona, Budweiser, Johnnie Walker.

5. Comedy

First of all let's be clear about comedy, this isn't comedy in the simplistic sense. If it was I'd obviously reference Isaiah from Old Spice or the BRILLIANT Dollar Shave Club, but as far as classic storytelling goes, the archetypal plot of comedy refers more to Shakespearian formats. Think about Much Ado About Nothing or Midsummer Nights Dream ~ the protagonists are destined to be in love, but something is keeping them from being together, which is resolved by the end of the story.

In my opinion, the award for best piece of comedic branded storytelling goes to the Rainforest Alliance. If you've not seen their ad already, no description I could ever craft would do their outstanding ad justice... Just watch THIS.

• Brand References: Honda, John West, Rainforest Alliance, Budweiser Frogs, Nescafe, Bodyform.

6. Tragedy

The "official" definition of a tragic story is where "the protagonist is a villain who falls from grace and whose death is a happy ending". In book or film form it would be easy to look to Macbeth, Bonnie and Clyde, Anna Karenina or Julius Caesar but as far as brand marketing goes, tragic stories are tricky. This is usually the territory of [insert favourite cause or charity here], but it seems very much like generation Y is almost immune to tragic storytelling. So if you're a brand and you have a sorry story to tell.... how do you stop your audience in their tracks.

Charities have been doing this for years but this is part of the problem. We now mute the volume or fast forward via Sky+. I think this is the most difficult type of storytelling to produce successfully but this ad from Mayhew Animal Home I saw recently restored my faith in tragic storytelling. Watch it for yourself and think about all those annoying charity ads that you turned off ~ and now imagine what they could have been like if their stories were more compelling...

• Brand References: St. Johns Ambulance, Think - Don't Drink & Drive, Dogs Trust.

7. Rebirth

Last but not least is the narrative of rebirth; a story about renewal. It's the one topic that we can all relate too. We tried. We failed. We made a mistake. We tried again. We (eventually) succeeded and as a result ended up in a better place. We are now grateful and we look back on those times with a mixed sense of pain and joy. It's difficult to distill such complex emotions down into a 30 second TVC but films have been written around the idea of rebirth for years; Sleeping Beauty, It's a Wonderful Life, Christmas Carol, even Despicable Me.

But what does this mean for brands? How do you take one of the most emotionally charged forms of storytelling and convert it into a branded message that might actually help you sell stuff? Knowing that "people share emotions not facts" on social media (according to Oxford Brooks University) and that "we have always made decisions with our hearts and justified them with our heads" according to Kevin Roberts in Lovemarks, what does a message of rebirth actually look like?

It's not a sexy or glamorous ad, and it probably won't win any awards, but I am a huge fan of the work Barclays have been doing recently with BBH for their Digital Eagles ads <-- WATCH. Rebirth works. Everyone loves a second chance. For brands in the real world, just like in "A Christmas Carol", your customers may not even know a problem exists until you show them just how bad what they're doing could be.

But just like Scrooge needed a push to see exactly how it was he affected the world around him, customers sometimes need a push to realize "Something has to change, there is a better way". Ultimately once the "Rebirth" story has been initiated, everything else becomes that much easier, because they're more open to long lasting change. Brands who understand this method of storytelling are more likely to have a (long-term) lifetime relationship with their customers than a (short-term) transactional one. A recent survey found that only 42% of executives knew how to measure the lifetime value of their customers. For brands seeking a relationship and not just a quick sale, the storytelling format of "rebirth" offers huge opportunities.

• Brand References: Barclays, , Gatorade.

Let me know what you think and feel free to drop your favourite ads in the comments....

References: Thanks to Wikipedia, Tommy Walker, AdWeek.