Similar to the hero ’ s journey , the quest is about progression . A protagonist stumbles across several obstacles or challenges that must be overcome to progress along the journey ( and story ).
THE QUEST
Brands that have differentiated themselves using the notion of a quest include : AXE ’ s Make Love Not War ( the eternal quest to get the girl ), Intel ’ s Look Inside and IBM ’ s Smarter Planet .
OVERCOMING THE MONSTER
From the truly ancient Gilgamesh , to David and Goliath , to more modern tales like Avatar and Terminator , overcoming the monster is another common pattern . It ’ s the underdog story in which a hero is confronted by an evil larger than him- or herself .
A brand using this archetype makes the customer the hero ( and has the customer join its revolution , such as Apple did with its 1984 video ), or the brand becomes the tool or weapon to overcome the monster .
Nike ’ s Just Do It narrative ( an example of overcoming the monster ) is as relevant today as it was when the brand first launched it in 1988 .