Today ’ s media is increasingly multiscreen , participatory , contextual , augmented … to name just a few new and higher-fidelity touch points . Some touchpoints will prove to be pure hype , while others will force us to expand our brand storytelling repertoire and techniques . And adjusting storytelling to new habits , new market demands , and new media is not optional .
So , what ’ s a marketer to do ? Media evolve , but story patterns are ancient . Marketers must become familiar with and leverage the classic archetypes .
The hero ’ s journey is possibly the world ’ s oldest story or plot archetype . It ’ s a narrative pattern that ’ s found around the world and serves as a basis for classic and modern stories alike . It ’ s Luke Skywalker and the Palaeolithic drawings from the Caves of Lascaux . It ’ s Homer and The Matrix . It offers the audience a relatable back-story , a familiar pattern that tugs at our emotions and taps into our most basic desires as social animals .