The Hero’s Journey

I’m neck-deep finishing some work for a large international client and their marketing department. What the CMO likes to call “the hero’s journey” I phrase as a question for the entire marketing team:

If we don’t know where they are, how can we help them get where they want to be?

Most products and services are not marketed and advertised with this question in mind, but they should be if they want to be successful. From Broadway to Hollywood and Washington D.C. the story has been told a thousand times from “small town USA” and “rags to riches” the narrative where someone realizes they have what it takes, they aren’t alone, and they have the power. Your product or service just needs to help them see that they can do it. You can be a guide to help them get from here to there–the hero’s journey.

• Samantha from Chicago wishes she had clearer skin but thinks she can’t because of her genetics.

• Sarah from Boston wishes she could follow conversations in noisy restaurants but believes her mild hearing loss is just something she has to live with.

• Anna from Seattle wishes she could sleep through the night but believes it’s impossible due to years of insomnia.

• Kevin from New York wants to lose weight but feels it’s hopeless because of his family’s history of obesity.

• Jasmine from San Francisco hopes to manage her chronic migraines but doubts there’s a solution after trying so many treatments.

• Alex from Miami dreams of running a marathon but thinks his knee issues make it unrealistic.

• Claire from Denver wants to reduce stress and feel more balanced but believes her demanding job won’t allow for it.

• Tom from Phoenix would like to manage his diabetes better, yet feels stuck due to a long-standing struggle with diet and exercise.

• Rachel from Atlanta wants to reduce eye strain and see more clearly at night but believes her vision problems are just part of getting older.

• Jessica from Los Angeles wants to feel more confident in her appearance but thinks plastic surgery isn’t for someone like her.

• Brian from Dallas wishes he could smile confidently but feels embarrassed about the appearance of his teeth and believes it’s too late to make a change.

You may think you’re marketing products and services, but what you’re truly doing is understanding the people who buy them—connecting with their hopes, fears, dreams, desires, and the deeply emotional reasons behind their choices.

Too often, advertisers and marketers approach this as purely an economic endeavor, when in reality, it’s a psychological one. It’s not just about converting X dollars of ad spend into Y% ROI. It’s about winning the hearts and minds of consumers, building a relationship, and then mining that relationship for the mutual benefit of both parties.

If your message centers solely on your expertise or the benefits you provide, you miss the core of what builds trust: addressing the fears and concerns your patients hold. By acknowledging these fears, you open a door for them to envision a new reality, one where they can see their hopes and needs met through the care and support they’ll find in your office.

Here are five questions* to ask before you sit down and write your next marketing campaign:

1. What dream world could our hero be harboring? Do they wish they had better health, happiness, or self confidence?

2. Why are they putting off their pursuit? Is it really about timing or are they afraid of what others might think or how they might feel about themselves if they choose to pursue their dream?

3. What emotional fears are in the way? Have they been burned in the past by choosing a similar course of action? Have they been told they couldn’t or shouldn’t do something in the past?

4. What deep subconscious hopes do they hold or that you would wish for them? What possibilities exist that the hero doesn’t know they could obtain?

5. What past positive and negative experiences have they had related to our industry, profession, product or service?

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* Shared with me by John Carlton, Gary Bencivenga, and Dan Kennedy, three of the best copywriters on the planet.