ABSTRACT
Fortunately, there is a tried-and-true template for creating great messaging and telling memorable stories. A framework field-tested throughout millennia of culture, from Gilgamesh to Greek tragedies, Shakespeare to The Lord of the Rings. The second world is made up of the stuff of human activity: social interactions, politics, economics, and communications. The monomyth is a basic (and widely applicable) story model in which a hero is called to go on an adventure, meets helpers, surmounts obstacles, solves a crisis or wins a contest, and usually comes home transformed. The cycle is also a powerful tool that can be applied to messaging of all colors. Archetypal heroes, life-or-death quests into unknown worlds, mysterious guides and helpers, monsters who guard treasure, they all have deep roots. In a marketing campaign, it’s always good to consider whether the company should get out of the way and let the consumer be the hero, the one who chooses the right helpers to solve problems.
