Secrets, Games and Cheat Codes.

The concept of secrets is a fascinating one. The idea is that a person can have access to a level of knowledge that the majority of people don't is thrilling. From a social media post to a newsletter like this one to video content, ebooks, and courses, most people are intrigued by the idea of having access to certain knowledge that others don't.?

However, if you've consumed enough content for a while you'll realize that many of these 'secrets' aren't hidden knowledge.?

They're usually things that are pretty obvious but require a decent level of attention and deep study to come to our consciousness.?

We might argue that the most profound knowledge, which few people have access to, is usually the?simplest.

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. It takes a lot of hard work to make something simple, to truly understand the underlying challenges, and come up with elegant solutions. It's not just minimalism or the absence of clutter. It involves digging through the depth of complexity. To be truly simple, you have to go deep.?

This is one of the more popular quotes by Steve Jobs.

In very simple terms, for something to be so simple, much depth must have gone into it.?

Many companies and individuals look at the brands that have been in the top 1% for many years, and desire similar results; their fame, their equity, their sales, and their customer loyalty.

So, they try to replicate the structure they admire by hiring smart advertisers and marketers and investing a lot of money into promoting their products but their efforts are usually futile because they don't see beyond the surface.?

Quickly, they realize that It's never about the aggressiveness of promotion or the size of the advertising budget.?

The 1% aren't just after pushing their products to as many eyes as possible.?

That would mean that a company's advertising budget equals its ability to be a top 1% brand. That's simply never the case.?

These guys go for something else; your brain.

Welcome To The Reverse Game (Where the 1% thrive)

The Logic is simple: Everyone is chasing the potential customer to get some money from them. People are bombarded with millions of marketing content daily.?

While everyone's trying to shove their product down the throat of the potential customer, the top 1% play the reverse game by understanding that:?

• Customers are humans and if they can understand human psychology and behavior, they'll know the motivating factors that drive them to action and inaction.?
• With a clear knowledge of what works for potential customers, they can create more effective and persuasive messaging that speaks to their core.?

It's the?reverse game:?

He who owns a share of the mind need not struggle for the share of the wallet because it becomes an after-effect.?

Here's a question that brings this to the fore.?

Think of the brands you're most loyal to and ask yourself why you're so loyal to them.

Do they push the same soulless messaging as everyone else or do they have:?

• A clear narrative that you buy into??
• A brand voice/tone that appeals to your core emotions?
• Consistent experience that satisfies you as a customer??

When you look at these brands, you realize they all follow a pattern to achieve this. It's the reverse game.?

They simply do what most brands don't.?

We all know that Coca-Cola’s marketing campaigns aren't about their product. Their actual product is harmful to one’s health even. Yet, the brand is adored by millions.?

This is because they have a narrative-driven marketing ecosystem. Their narrative??

The belief is that everyone deserves the feeling of happiness and as a result, they’re committed to providing a drink that helps people taste the feeling of happiness.?

We all know that Apple’s iconic marketing campaigns seldom mention the features of the products. Like Coke, they too have a marketing system built on a brand story.?

What is Apple’s brand story??

The belief is that people who are passionate, and who think outside the box change the world. As a result, they’re committed to creating devices that do two things:

• Question the norm.?
• Help people who question the norm achieve great things.?

But is there a method to this? Are these things only achievable with a billion-dollar marketing budget, or is there a way to replicate this??

Yes. There is a method to it.?

All we're doing is to codify it. In 2021, the Founder of Orange Academy, Kehinde Bademosi introduced something to the marketing world called The?12×34 Storytelling Framework.

How the top 1% of brands do it:?

• Identify the Customer's Universe
• Be clear on the dramatic need?
• Map out the enemies hindering them from meeting their need
• Define how they'll show up to conquer the enemies hindering the customers from their needs.?
• Have a cohesive brand story on which everything else marketing-related will be built upon.?

If you're wondering why it's called the 12×34 Framework it's because there are five storyboards in this framework:?

Storyboard 1 - The Customer's Universe.?

Storyboard 2 - The Dramatic Need?

Storyboard X - The Enemies.

Storyboard 3 - Archetypes & Personality

Storyboard 4 - The Cohesive brand story.?

If you want a more in-depth, and practical explanation of the framework, and how to apply it to your brand, we have created two world-class resources for you:

• The Business Storytelling Masterclass: This is specifically designed for business owners and business-minded digital creators. You can subscribe to the business owner's clan?here
• Finding Story X: This is specifically designed for marketers, brand managers, and strategists. You can subscribe to the storytellers/marketers clan?here.

Note: Victor has been reworking the model of this newsletter and would be making an announcement on its new direction in the next edition.