Every story starts with a hero, a main character the audience can follow and identify with. One of the first questions we ask ourselves at IdeaRocket when we’re writing a new script is: “Who Is The Hero?” Answering that question is the key to crafting a compelling marketing narrative.
The story you tell builds around your hero. You want a character audiences can quickly understand and get invested in. In video marketing, there are only six general categories of hero.
1. Set Up The Customer as Hero
Perhaps the safest choice is to set your customer up as the hero. They’re the ones you’re trying to persuade, and it’s a good bet that people are interested in themselves and their problems. The customer-hero marketing narrative most often follows the classic three act structure:
- The customer has a problem/pain point
- They discover the product
- Their problem resolves and they live happily ever after
This is a simple but compelling structure that is common because it works. For example, this video for CBC Credit Union features an unnamed main character who represents the audience.
2. Personify Your Brand or Product
Your brand or product is what you’re trying to sell, so letting it be the protagonist of your marketing narrative is an attractive option. By personifying your offering, you can truly create a personality for your brand. In the video below, the operator becomes the face of Repipe Specialist as she helps the customer solve his problem.
3. Turn the Pain Point into a Main Character
If Despicable Me taught us anything, it’s that everybody loves a good villain. Personifying the problem can be a fun and memorable approach. It’s especially helpful if you’re dealing with a complicated problem. Here is a video we created for LeadID, (now Jornaya) where we depicted the unscrupulous lead sellers that LeadID is designed to stamp out.
4. Bring the Competition into the Narrative
Building a narrative around your competition is a bit touchy, because you don’t want to look like you’re putting the competition down. One of the classic examples of this genre is the Mac vs. PC ads, which you can sample below. The reason they work is that PC, played by John Hodgman, is such a sympathetic and lovable character. It is the PC, not the Mac, that truly wins our hearts, even as the advantages of the Mac are made clear.
5. Feature An Authority
Sometimes a testimonial from an authority or celebrity can make your story feel more credible. If you don’t have the budget for an actual celebrity, you can invent one. Remember the World’s Most Interesting Man from the Dos Equis commercials? He was an imaginary celebrity, but he still managed to add both humor and gravitas to the brand. You can also lean on a historical figure, like we did with this video we made for Know Better Bread.
6. Build Your Video Narrative Around a Third Party
This is probably the least common option, because it is a bit indirect. But it does work if done carefully. We are social animals. We want to please, romance, captivate, and thrill those around us. Sometimes a story that talks about what the product does for others can be very effective. This video for Passat is a classic example.
Invite IdeaRocket Into Your Marketing Narrative
At IdeaRocket, we are experts in using video storytelling to deliver results for brands. If you want support crafting a script, developing characters, and animating your next video, we’re here to help. We’ve worked with healthcare, human resources and training, SaaS, and many other industries to deliver quality explainer videos and animated commercials. Contact us to get started.
