Apple, Nike, Disney 3 legendary companies. 1 common trait.
Nike, Apple and Disney are three of the most well-known and profitable companies in the world. They are all leaders in their respective industries, but they each have one thing in common trait.
Create a hero.
Great stories have a character you want to root for
And audiences love nothing more than an underdog rising to the top.
Nike does this with most of its athletes:
Create a clear and compelling structure.
You want your audience focused on the story.
Not some meandering plot filled with rabbit holes.
Here’s the structure Steve Jobs used for product launches:
“The most powerful person in the world is the storyteller.”
Create a villain.
If there’s no problem, there’s no tension in the story.
Every great story has a villain – whether fiction or in business.
Example: Apple made invasion of privacy public enemy #1 in this ad campaign.
Appeal to emotion.
Pick the emotion you want your audience to feel.
And make sure every element of your story is working towards igniting that emotion.
Layer on the drama.
When you don’t think something can get worse, make it worse.
When your character is facing adversity and their back is against the wall, you have the makings of a great story.
Example: Nike’s ad after Tiger Woods won the 2019 Masters.
Sweat the details.
You want your audience focused on the central theme of your story.
Not distracted by a bunch of small errors.
Example: Disney has a trash can every 30 feet at its themeparks.
Keep it focused.
You have one story to tell – not five.
Disney wants to remind you of your childhood.
Apple wants to make everyone a creator.
Nike wants to convince everyone they’re an athlete.
Lean into controversy.
A great story can turn controversy into an asset.
The NBA banned Jordans in the 80s.
It could have been a disaster, but Nike used this brilliant ad to 8x sales:
Finish with an irresistible call to action.
The goal of compelling storytelling is to get your audience to take the action you want.
– Turn the page
– Buy the product
– Invest in the company
Nike’s slogan is a call to action.
Put your audience first.
The audience doesn’t care about you. Or your product.
They care about themselves and their problem.
Communicate your story in a way where they are the hero of the story.
Notice how the iconic iPod ad is customer-centric:
