The (Zombie) Hero's Journey
You’ve seen it in superhero movies. You may remember it from high school English class. Google it and you’ll find about 18 different ways to understand it.
It’s…(drumroll please)…the Hero’s Journey!
“But Meaghan (I hear you wondering through the screen and the mysterious nature of the time-space continuum). Why do I care about this?!
Aside from impressing that hottie in your college freshman English class…you should care because the Hero’s Journey is a FANTASTIC tool for marketers.
Want to tell a compelling client success story? HERO’S JOURNEY for the win! This is a fantastic framework to use because it helps you incorporate all the elements of a great story. Seriously, it’s been working for thousands of years.
Because we don’t want to hurt your BRAINZZZ (they don’t taste great bruised), we’ve got a nice, simplified version that we like to call the Zombie Hero’s Journey.
The first thing that happens is that the hero has a call to adventure.
They are called to do something outside their comfort zone.
And they're like, “No, no, no, I've seen this before. I'm not comfortable doing that I don't have those skills.”
So, the (future) hero refuses the call. There are a variety of reasons that you might refuse the call, but essentially the hero’s like, “ehhhh, I don't think that's for me.”
Then…a mentor appears! (In this case, the mentor is probably you, your product/service/company.) At this point in the story, you start to see the possibility. With some guidance, there’s now a reason to give the new thing a try.
And so, the quest begins. Along the way, the hero will try things and fail. (They’re not great at being a hero yet, after all.)
Then, they find new allies. This is sometimes also referred to as the “Call of the Goddess.” At this point the hero is finding new friends, allies, maybe a community that will help lift them up and emotionally power them toward the finish line.
But then…uh-oh, here it comes…the temptation to stray. If they’re on a health journey, maybe the delicious fresh churros at Disneyland were just too appealing and there was a bit of a setback.
And after all of this drama, the hero will confront their doubts & fears. They’ll be able to say (in the inimitable words of SNL’s Stuart Smalley) “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.” Or something like that.
Once the hero has the tools, the team, and the belief, they understand their purpose & skill. They know they are capable and that they have changed.
Finally, they achieve their goal!
But we’re not done yet, folks. Because while the goal is achieved, the zombie’s journey has not yet ended.
The hero must become the master of two worlds: the one where they started and then one they’ve grown into. They integrate the new beliefs, skills, and accomplishments into their previous life.
Once they’ve done that, they now have the freedom to live.
This is a very linear storytelling method:
Jane was…
She heard about…
She finally said, “Yes”
Lots happens: challenges & successes…
She builds up a team…
She starts to believe in the possibliity of the goal…
Achieves the goal…
Goes back to the beginning as her new self and now lives this new way.
Now that you’ve seen it, you’ll spot this framework EVERYWHERE.
For marketing stories, you may not need every element in the journey (after all, they build whole blockbuster movies and seasons of shows with this framework) but it may help you find the emotional components those stories were previously missing.
Want to learn how to use this framework to tell Compelling & Compliant Weight Loss Stories for Facebook? We’ve got a course for that!