The Greatest Art in the World
What Movies Taught Me About Brand Storytelling
For as long as I can remember, I’ve loved “the movies.” More than music. More than sports. More than any other form of entertainment. As a young boy, no birthday was complete without a trip to the theater and I’ve continued that tradition to this day.
Although I never could have articulated it at the time, my childhood fascination with films was driven as much by a need for instruction as a desire for entertainment. My family was traditional, my upbringing was middle class, and my father was like most others of the time. We played catch. We went to church. He helped me with my homework. But social skills were never part of the conversation and we certainly didn’t talk about our feelings.
Motion pictures introduced me to a new world of people dealing with a variety of new situations. People who weren’t like me. People I might want to be like. Every story provided a glimpse of the behaviors that lead to reward, the words that can influence outcomes and what it means to be a man of character. So, while my friends were emulating Bobby Orr and Harmon Killebrew, I was working on becoming a little more Paul Newman or Steve McQueen.
In that respect, the movies of my youth influenced the young man I became, my understanding of the world around me and the way I learned to relate to others at that age. That cinematic education in social interaction led to an interest in psychology, which compelled me to earn a degree in sociology that I’ve parlayed into a life-long career in marketing.
Through it all, I’ve continued to turn to the movies as a touchstone. For everything from consumer research to content strategy. Let me tell you why and what I’ve learned.
Early in my career, a mentor told me too many in our field like to make marketing sound more complicated than it is; that if marketing is all about understanding and serving your market, then your success is based largely on “just asking people what they want – and giving it to them.”
Over time, I’ve come to believe one of the simplest, fastest, cheapest ways of “asking people what they want” is by keeping an eye on what they’re watching. The films we revere and reward – with accolades and our hard-earned money – say something about who we are, what we value, how we think of ourselves and our relationship with society.
Award-winning films and blockbuster flicks both provide keen insights into what’s going on in the mind of our collective consumer, but do so in two very different ways.
Let’s start with Oscar winning films for the past decade. I’ve come to believe that, year in and year out, the films deemed “best” by the industry and serious fans are a simple indicator of social consciousness; of the issues we’re currently dealing with or could be on the horizon.
Academy Award for Best Picture
Presented the Following Year
2013 12 Years a Slave
2014 Birdman
2015 Spotlight
2016 Moonlight
2017 The Shape of Water
2018 Green Book
2019 Parasite
2020 Nomadland
2021 CODA
2022 Everything Everywhere All at Once
2023 Oppenheimer
Notice any trends? The subjects and characters of these films are significantly different but, with the exception of Oppenheimer, the stories they all tell are of the disenfranchised; of people who feel like outliers or outsiders, disconnected from the mainstream, from those they love or from themselves.
Now think about the social, political and cultural issues we’ve been wrestling with the past ten years. As a marketer, I can’t help thinking these cinematic themes are symptomatic of a society that glorifies winners but in which many of us feel like losers; where most of us wonder if or where we belong and how we can change our circumstances.
The best films (or at least those recognized as such by The Academy) hold up a mirror to reflect a facsimile of what we’re experiencing – individually or as a community. And it’s been that way for as long as they’ve been handing out Oscars. From The Best Years of Our Lives and The Days of Wine & Roses to Kramer vs. Kramer and Philadelphia.
Watching these films, we see a little of ourselves. We sit there and think, “Yeah. What she said. I feel that way, too.”
In summary, award-winning films shine a spotlight on something happening in our world, something on our minds, something reality pushes at us every day. But that’s the exact opposite of what we get from box office blockbusters.
While our Oscar winners are more reflective and introspective, our most popular films are more inspirational and aspirational.
Top-Grossing Films in the US
Based on Domestic Revenue
2013 Iron Man 3
2014 American Sniper
2015 Star Wars: The Force Awakens
2016 Captain America: Civil War
2017 Star Wars: The Last Jedi
2018 Black Panther
2019 Avengers: Endgame
2020 Bad Boys for Life
2021 Spider-Man: No Way Home
2022 Avatar: The Way of Water
2023 Barbie
You don’t have to see a single one of these films to recognize the common denominators. With the exception of American Sniper, every one of them is pure fiction. The vast majority also feature some type of superhero operating in an imaginary fantasy world.
In other words, the movies we all rush to see are often as far away from “reality” as we can get. But while critics write them off as simple escapism, I’d hypothesize they may represent what we all value most.
All these films contain elements of courage and self-sacrifice, empowerment and transformation, conflict resolution and self-actualization. Perhaps most significantly, even in epics as other-worldly as this year’s Dune: Part 2, Good ultimately triumphs over Evil.
And to those who might discount most of the above as shallow, mindless entertainment, I’ll also point out that in every one – from Black Panther to Barbie – there is a pivotal moment of self-discovery when our lead realizes who they really are, what they were made for and who they could ultimately become. Is there a more universally appealing personal reward than that?
If you’re looking for an indication of the principles we truly value, you don’t have to look any further than the latest blockbuster. Tell me your favorite movie of all time and I’ll tell you the things you care about.
Of course, despite the differences between blockbusters and award-winners, they all have one thing in common: Regardless of where we began, there is always a point of redemption or resolution that gives us hope things will eventually work out; perhaps not the way we had planned or would like, but at least the way they’re supposed to.
So, what’s my point?
Where am I going with all this? And what does it have to do with marketing?
Cecil B. DeMille once said, “The greatest art in the world is the art of storytelling.” If you’re a CMO, you already know that what’s true for filmmaking is equally true for marketing.
Storytelling has been around for as long as there have been campfires, and it’s part of every society and culture. At its simplest, it’s a way of preserving memories, passing on knowledge and imparting wisdom. But at its best, it can also be a way of creating connections, evoking emotion and inspiring change.
So, it’s no wonder that storytelling has become a critical component in brand and creative strategy. According to Modern Impact CEO, Michael Priem,
“Storytelling is paramount to a brand and every brand has a story to tell. Some may have more courage in sharing it versus just a reason to believe or value proposition or special offer. But I believe today’s consumer wants to engage philosophically and psychologically with what they’re consuming as much as they just want to physically consume.”
The Power of Brand Storytelling with Michael Priem
Every brand is different. They all have different values, different attributes and different personalities. But based on my experience – and what I’ve learned from watching movies the past few years – your basic brand story can be crafted by focusing on three key messages.
We get you.
You belong here.
Everything will work out.
That’s it. It might not be everything you want to tell your prospect or customer, but it’s the sum total of what they need to know in order to earn their business and loyalty. I’ll also hypothesize that any other benefits you feel compelled to share with your target will fit neatly under one of these three categories.
I know what you’re thinking. “If that’s everything and we’re all saying the same three things, then how am I going to differentiate my brand?” Great question. The answer lies in which of these three themes you emphasize.
At some point in your story, you’re going to have to touch on all three of these themes if you’re going to reach a happy ending. In fact, your conclusion is always going to be some version of “things working out.” But making that initial connection and earning a chance to tell your story only happens if you’re willing to choose and commit to one theme most likely to resonate with your intended audience.
If you’re Mecedes-Benz, it’s probably the first. If you’re Dove, it’s definitely the second. If you’re Allstate, you might get away with focusing almost entirely on the last. But in all cases, you’ll still need to touch on those other two claims if you’re going to close the loop and complete your brand promise.
Of course, this is just a little tactical methodology. As with filmmaking, the magic happens based on the way you tell your story, the vision you’re able to create and the dialogue you craft to convey a sense of character.
In other words, if you’re serious about brand and creative strategy, you need more than just anecdotal “insights” and copywriting tricks. For starters, you need an agency partner that specializes in these disciplines and creates blockbuster work every day.
Since my “research” is based on the world of entertainment, and the nature of that content changes every week, the three key messages most likely to resonate with your audience are also likely to evolve over time.
In fact, I’m already noticing a shift in our collective consciousness that’s less receptive to the idea “you belong” than it is to recognition that “you’re different.” We’re moving toward a fully bespoke marketplace where everyone is special, everyone is a star, and everything is pseudo-customized to satisfy individual tastes.
So, if you’re looking for a simple way to stay abreast of consumer attitudes, I’ll be glad to meet you at the movies.
