Know thy enemy.

An exploration of the Hero archetype and the power of belief.

The Hero's journey is one we all understand. From Luke Skywalker battling Darth Vader to Neo fighting the machines to Frodo traveling to Mt. Doom, these classic literary and cultural icons inspire us with their relentless spirit and pursuit of a noble cause. But one of the things that we tend to forget about these characters is that the greatest foe that many of them ever faced was, in fact, themselves.

Belief. As John Mayer says, "What puts a folded flag inside his mother's hand? Belief can." In his song of the same title, Mayer suggests that belief, even when pursuing a righteous cause, can be like a chemical weapon waging war in your mind. So, why is belief so compelling and yet also so confounding?

The archetypal model

Recently, I have been digging back into the brand archetypes - studying the twelve archetypal models, seeing what makes each distinct, understanding what complements what, and so on.

Every time I do this exercise, I am amazed at how discovering (or rediscovering) the right brand archetype can channel belief in ways that go beyond marketing or strategic planning. It speaks to the soul of a company.

And that is a strange thing to say because a company doesn't have a soul. But what it does have is a collection of souls. It has people who, when all moving together in the same direction for a common cause, can do miraculous things.

The Hero archetype

One of my favorite brand archetypes is the hero. I had the pleasure of working for a hero brand for many years, although they had to rediscover it. You see, the hero often wears a disguise. They are at their best when what they do makes everyone around them better. They know that they have unique abilities. But those abilities are only valuable when placed in service of others. Servant archetypes are quite often heroes in disguise. 

One of the greatest examples of the hero archetype is Nike, offering some of the most culturally provocative marketing campaigns ever seen. Take, for example, this simple billboard.

A unique size, clean typography, simple layout. Super-powerful message.

I once had a supervisor tell me that they would never support doing outdoor advertising without empirical proof of its effectiveness. Fair enough. 

And here comes Nike, marketing not a pair of shoes but an idea. "Yesterday you said tomorrow." Bang.

How do you measure the impact of this? How do you measure belief?

The Hero's Journey

You see, like Luke , Neo, or Frodo, the hero's journey is often fought first within the heart. It is the ability to overcome that nagging voice in your head that says you aren't talented enough, not smart enough, not attractive enough. It's the voice that gives you permission to wait until tomorrow.

For many heroes, they only realize their potential because of the staunch belief of the Sage, another archetype that so often creates the necessary downward pressure required for the Hero to take flight. There is no Luke without Yoda, no Neo without Morpheus, and no Frodo without Gandalf.

Heroes must first know thyself, and confront the internal enemy that doubt can be with the belief instilled by the Sage.

So many of the greatest journeys were nearly thwarted, not by some iconic all-powerful villain, but by the small voice inside saying you are not loved, wanted, or valued. Yesterday you said tomorrow.

Who in your life is battling this right now? I bet you know their number.