Social Network and the Art of Marketing
I saw “Social Network” yesterday… fantastic movie.
The acting was superb, and regardless of the relative truth of the story line, it was a thoroughly engaging film.
Knowing that I can’t possibly spoil the ending for anyone (you know how it turns out), I thought I’d summarize the movie from a pure marketing perspective.
What makes the movie so compelling?
It’s one of those movies that sticks with you throughout the night. I dreamt about it, woke up thinking about it, and once again it was a subject of conversation with my wife at breakfast.
Like a short video or Twitter post that goes viral, the movie presents us with conflicting, yet powerful emotions. We don’t know whether to laugh, cry, or scream at the screen. It’s both uncomfortable and familiar, and that’s what makes it so compelling.
It’s “real life” drama that shows humans being humans. A part of you wants to root for the poor, socially inept geek. But, when he demonstrates the darker sides of his genius, you want to whack him upside the head… while still rooting for him.
That the story itself is true (or, at least a reasonable facsimile of the truth from what we’re led to believe), is irrelevant. You don’t honestly think that the “Reality” shows on TV are “true,” do you?
What’s relevant – and interesting from a marketing perspective – is how the story does such a great job of triggering a hodgepodge of conflicting emotions.
Conflict is essential to a good story, just as it is useful in marketing. A protagonist who is conflicted is both more real to us and more compelling. We can see ourselves in that person – the good and the bad. While I certainly can’t compare my level of intelligence to the founders of Facebook, I can relate to the angst and confusion they faced.
That’s why the movie sticks with you. You need to resolve the angst, the frustration, the anger. You need to come to terms with the conflicted feelings of love and hate, fear and hope, and spiteful jealousy versus empathy.
The characters in the movie feel all these conflicting emotions, and by getting you to feel those same emotions, they succeed in keeping the movie alive in your mind for quite some time.
If you can create these same kinds of conflicted feelings with your marketing, you’ll have a winner. Two recent advertising campaigns come to mind:
- The Old Spice guy; and,
- The “Most interesting man in the world” from Dos Equis.
Both ad campaigns create conflicted feelings. If you’re a man, you envy both men in the ads, and the same time will feel a bit of anger or resentment of the implication that you’re neither interesting nor studly.
I can’t speak for the conflict a woman might feel, but I can guarantee you that the conflicted emotions are there. The commercials would not have had the impact they had without the creation of some conflicted emotions.
So, here’s my advice to you: Go enjoy the movie. Have fun. Then, think about how it made you feel, and in particular think about the conflicted emotions you feel toward the protagonists in the movie. Then, see if you can create some of this kind of conflict in your marketing.
