Mythologies, folklores, tall tales - They say, history is written by the winners, so I guess it's my turn to tell you a story...
Ahura Mazda, the first god, at least the first one we have record of. Ahura means light, and Mazda means wisdom. You need that explanation. You'll know soon enough why. Ahura Mazda was the god of the Zoroastrian religion, the first religion - originated from present day Iran.
Have you ever wondered how we got here. How we got to this point in history. You see, human beings are creatures of curiosity. What cannot be explain has to be "explained". It has to be nailed down. That's where religion, mythology, and legends originate from. It's not enough for one to simply be. They want to know, why… Why does this exist? Why is this happening? Who are you? Who are you to say anything? Who are you to tell me what to do? Should I give a fuck? Why should I buy from you? Got an answer?
Truth
"Truth is not where language lies" - did you read the real message in those words? Does your answer lie in truth. Truth is boring. Heck, if we had truth, we wouldn't have Hollywood. We would not be entertained by past religions and ancient cultures. If someone went back and explained to the people - showed how the Earth revolves around the Sun, there would be no religion today, it would not be needed. The curiosities of the time were the Sun, Moon, and Life. Explaining it all, well that just takes away the mystery. So does showing the truth, it takes away the magic.
Illusion
Some times the illusion is better than the reality. The legends of the ancient world - Alexander The Great, Caesar, Cleopatra, Hitler, Genghis Khan, Miyamoto Musashi - All these people have one thing in common, we all know them. Well, we don't REALLY know them. We know what's been written about them. We know their legends. What parts were fabricated or "stretched", well who knows, but their stories, they are forever embedded in time.
Who Am I?
Does it even fucking matter? Yeah it does. It really does. Sometimes the curiosity is too much. When you hate something you need it to be solid, in order to focus your energy. Same with love. "This is dialectics. It’s very simple dialectics. One through nine, no maybes, no supposes, no fractions - you can't travel in space, you can’t go out into space, you know, without, like, you know, with fractions - what are you going to land on, one quarter, three-eighths - what are you going to do when you go from here to Venus or something - that’s dialectic physics, OK? Dialectic logic is there’s only love and hate, you either love somebody or you hate them."
From a brand perspective, you have to embrace the hate or love. Channel the hate into something productive. Promote the love. The worst thing, is neutrality. You see, if there is hate, you're talked about. Every time you do something, it's the topic of conversation - spreading your name, and therefore mythology - but too much hate, that never goes over too well, eventually down the road it'll catch up. Love, that's an interesting beast. You see, there is the honeymoon stage, the living together happily ever after stage, and then eventually the divorce. It happens, the magic's gone. The mystery is gone. Unless you can keep them guessing at your next move, with spice, meh… But too much love, well, they eventually you're just circle jerking each other and not moving forward.
Love or Hate
Ying and Yang, you need the love and hate. The hate keeps you on your toes, and the love creates the positive message. While the hate, well that spreads your name very quickly and helps you cover more ground. Then when curiosity gets them and they've been told one thing - they've been taught the hate, but if the message you speak, speaks louder than the hate, they become a true believer - a devotee. One of the most powerful connections is to turn hate Into love. Think about all that hate they have for me, think about all the hate there is in the world, what instances have you seen hate become love. If a brand can do that, well, that's magic. Are you in love with me yet?
So let's get back to on trail. Solid. People need solid objects. What we love or hate has to be solid. It cannot just "BE". CCarter cannot just "BE". We have to know the past, to understand and put all the pieces together in our brain around this entity, otherwise, you'll only have campfire stories. But even when you hear truth, will you even believe it? Is there enough solid evidence in the background to make the story stick? Where is the research? Who did the discovery? Are you committed to knowing the real truth - or will you simply hang on to a legend.
Branding
Have you ever been to a boring party or get-together. There is that one guy that tells the most awful stories that bores everyone to death. The guy that seems to be everywhere when you turn, with an opinion about everything. Everyone remembers that annoying guy. Even 5 years later, you remember, why? Branding, his story was storytelling. You may not remember everything about him, but if you happened to be in a situation where you need a "tax lawyer" for example, then BAM - light bulb, you remember that annoying character was a tax lawyer, 5 years later, why? Cause there was a connection made - maybe a hate connection or a love connection. You can't remember anyone else from that party, just him.
Discovery
Have you ever looked for something, like really looked for something that you don't know or happen to forget? You go a day or even a week and can't still find it. Then a month goes by, and BAM, you discover it. You're instantly happy. That happiness you feel creates instant trust - an emotional feeling, that immediately allows a brand or person to sell themselves to you. Brands on shelves of Whole Foods are notorious for this. When a shopper discovers a brand, they create a connection that immediately trust that product. Since they never saw it advertised on TV, it's their little secret. And they tell their friends about it - what do you have? Viral marketing. Underlying it, there is usually a story about the discovery. Whole Food brands don't advertise on purpose because of this technique. I call it bread-crumbing. There is an easier way to do it online, create curiosity. Create mystery, leave a breadcrumb trail, and when they discover you, you got them. You own them. The customer will usually be happy and tell you their story about how they found you - if you let them
Conclusion
So what is this all about - what's the end goal? Realistically - we are no where near the end yet. We haven't even begun the journey. I'm taking you left, then speeding up, slowing down, and going right. It's exciting, it creates anxiety, but you love every moment of it. It makes you feel alive.
Are you beginning to understand where this is going. The picture is still fuzzy, but just like an old TV tuner, as you keep turning the knob, some of the picture is starting to come through. We're not there yet, you still haven't told your story. You don't even know what the fuck you are doing do you? The branders know what's going on, the true marketers know what's going on. Do you know what the fuck is going on? So what Am I selling? I'm not selling anything. It's you, what are you selling? I'm selling what you're selling. What's your story, do you even have a background? Again, I ask, why should I buy from you?
Are you going down the lazy route "cause we're the cheapest". Is that really what you want to be known for? You've seen it, you've got a product/service that's pretty damn good. You immediately think, hey, let's give a discount to get people in the door. Problem is, they don't see the discounted price as a discount. They see it as the regular price. Then, they come back to you and ask for a discount. But in your mind, they want a discount of the discount. So what happens? You either give them a further discount or you stand your ground on pricing. Standing your ground creates a pricing floor, but can also lead to no sales.
You know why you can't sell at a higher price? Even if you are selling a higher quality? Who the fuck are you? If you have quality, why don't you show it? tell it? Imagine walking into a Bentley dealership, and asking for a discount. They'll just look at you like you lost your mind. This is Bentley. There is a history, there is a story. There is perception - the illusion. Higher quality, meh, no one is interested in the truth. They know you want the status that comes with it. They're playing their part. Are you playing yours?
Are you writing history, or just me too-ing your way through survival? Why should we buy? Who the fuck are you? I challenge you, tell me why the fuck should we care about your product/service? Do you even brand bro?
Tune in next time for Part 1 - "What Really Happened - Confessions of A Social Hacker"
I wish this was an AMA, but it's not. If you have any branding questions, as I sell you my service - this is the perfect opportunity...
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