Marketing pioneer John Wanamaker famously said, “Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don't know which half.”

We can assume that much of that advertising waste is due to mistargeted campaigns, unfocused messages, and a lack of connection with audiences. In this fragmented media environment, messages can easily become scattered and inconsistent. 

How can you create a consistent brand that stands out? 

This goes beyond the mission statements or strategy documents you read once and forget. This goes deeper than a website overhaul or a slick, new logo. And, yet, it incorporates every one of these elements as part of the brand picture. 

It starts with a story.

Remember that book you couldn't put down? Or that movie you didn’t want to end? Great storytelling is an undeniable art. And the basic principles of storytelling are also the same principles behind the brands you love.

Stories are how we build relationships, make memories, learn from one another, and understand each other. A powerful brand is built upon a meaningful and memorable brand story. That’s how brands come to life—by sparking emotions and inspiring action through great storytelling.

How can you create a memorable story for your brand?

With two essential elements: The hero and the villain.

The relationship between the hero and the villain causes interesting and memorable drama. We start to identify with the hero and the villain characters and become emotionally invested in their relationship. This is precisely what good brands do.

They articulate their own hero/villain relationship.

Your prospect is your hero. Just as Obi Wan guided Luke Skywalker, you and your brand will guide your prospect to a new and better place. You will promise that their lives will be improved via greater health, wealth, freedom, or love. You are providing something of importance value to your hero.

You get your hero out of a rut.

Just as Rocky went toe-to-toe with a metaphorical villain in Apollo, just as Harley Davidson takes on the villain of “convention,” you too must search for the answer to one question. What is your villain? If you cannot answer this question with confidence, then you aren’t clear of your value and purpose-for-existence.

To know your villain is to understand the darkness your prospect can experience. To know your villain means that you can start to provide the light for your hero. To know your villain helps you create a brand that provides a real promise.

If you are true in our pursuit of eradicating your villain, you will keep your brand-cause on-track.

This is precisely how great brands create a magnetic, memorable story and maintain a consistent voice.  

To build your brand, ask one simple question: What is your villain? 

Then go out there and help your hero eradicate it.