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The ‘Superhero Fallacy’ And Other Storytelling Mistakes Marketers Make

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Cinderella. The little boy who cried wolf. A Christmas Carol. Stories are at the center of learning, human connection, and frankly a life worth enjoying. That’s why firms are trying to understand how to tap into this powerful tool. Yet few are actually doing it well. Many stories seem contrived. Or inauthentic. Or frankly boring.

To learn how master storytellers craft and communicate, I turned to Matthew Luhn, a writer, story-branding consultant, and keynote speaker. With nearly 20 years of experience at Pixar Animation Studios (story credits include Toy Story 2 and 3Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and Up) and a new book entitled The Best Story Wins: How to Leverage Hollywood Storytelling in Business and Beyond, he brings a Hollywood-style of storytelling to the business world.

This is part of a series I’m writing based on his insight. The first article provided insight on five ads that tell great stories. The second was about the power of storytelling. This article is about the mistakes that marketers make attempting to tell stories. 

Kimberly A. Whitler: There seems to be a greater interest on the part of companies, and in particular marketers, to communicate through storytelling. Have you noticed this?

Matthew Luhn: Yes. I’m actually excited that different leaders across industries are interested in storytelling. Storytelling is the most powerful tool we have as a brand, as a salesperson, and as a leader. However, while there is an increasing level of excitement, few actually have the tools to be able to craft and tell a good story.

Whitler: Can you share some examples of mistakes?

Luhn: I will share three very common mistakes.

1. The “A Statement Isn’t a Story” Mistake. I notice a lot of companies will just make a statement rather than telling the story. Literally, companies will either write or say: “We, at Company X, have a great story to tell.” And then they proceed to tell no story. Having a story isn’t the same as saying that you are telling a story.

2. The “Facts Aren’t Stories” Mistake. When I go into companies as a consultant, I will always ask what should be a simple question: “What is your firm’s story?” Surprisingly, I often get a litany of facts like “We are the #1 fill-in-the-blank company in the world.” People often conflate facts about the company with storytelling. They aren’t the same thing.

3. The “Superhero Fallacy” Mistake. This last mistake is quite pervasive. When companies and leaders tell stories, there is a tendency to make themselves the hero of the story. In Hollywood, stories are designed to make the audience the hero. In business, the same should apply. The product or service can been an enabler, but the hero of the story should be the audience. Let me give you an example. A few years back, I was consulting for a shoe company on a new line of “superhero” shoes. Each shoe was designed to look like a different superhero. One shoe was green like the Hulk, another shoe was red, blue, and yellow like Superman, and another shoe was blue and black like Batman. You get the idea. Although the shoes looked cool, the role of the hero was being placed on the product instead of the customer. Brands and businesses need to remember that the product, service, or idea being sold are simply a tool to help empower the real hero, the customer, to reach his or her goal.

Whitler: Any advice you might have to help businesses overcome these mistakes?

Luhn: My advice would be for businesses to learn the five steps to creating a powerful story: with a great hook, transformation, connection, structure, and authenticity. Mastering these five elements of storytelling will empower businesses and brands to create more authentic relationships with their peers, customers, and beyond.

Join the discussion: @KimWhitler

Watch Matthew Luhn on the TEDx stage

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