So, over the weekend, I went back and re-read Seth Godin’s All Marketers Are Liars (it was subsequently retitled with the words “tell stories”). Also, like I’m sure a good many of you, I watched the NFL playoff games. But something struck me as I watched the Denver game, the coverage and the steady stream of Facebook posts, Twitter updates and overall restaurant conversation over the weekend.
Tim Tebow is a damn good content marketer.
Marketing As Storytelling Is Powerful
So, big shock – I believe in this wholeheartedly. Now, Seth Godin said it much better in his book than I ever have (he says just about everything much better) when he wrote in the forward:
If you think that (more expensive) wine is better, then it is. If you think your new boss is going to be more effective, then she will be. If you love the way a car handles, then you’re going to enjoy driving it.
That sounds so obvious, but if it is, why is it so ignored? Ignored by marketers, ignored by ordinarily rational consumers and ignored by our leaders.
Once we move beyond the simple satisfaction of needs, we move into the complex satisfaction of wants. And wants are hard to measure and difficult to understand. Which makes marketing the fascinating exercise it is.
Okay, so – at this point, I’m watching the Denver Broncos get decimated by the New England Patriots – and I see the discussion about Tebow start to roll in – both pro and con. And there’s no wavering here – you’re either “thank god he got his come uppance” (pun intended) or “okay, he’s not winning, but I still think he’s still amazing”.
By some estimates, when he and his team surprisingly beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in overtime, brand Tebow generated more than 9,000 tweets per second. Now, they’re getting creamed – but even in defeat there’s something joyous about Tebow. It’s inspiring some – and annoying the shit out of others.
So, what has Tim Tebow done to create such a viral brand with so many brand subscribers so quickly? It’s simple: he’s telling a powerful story that has an emotional connection.
It’s Not The Real You – It’s The Amplified You
See here’s the thing. People aren’t engaged by the real us – or the reality of our brands. No one buys the shiny gadget that is produced a million times over by guys in white coats in China. They buy magic held in the palm of Steve Jobs hands and set to a funky beat. This is true for personal brands as well and Brian Clarke over at Copyblogger said this extraordinarily well back in August.
What's the story?
It’s the same with content marketing and storytelling. People don’t want real stories. They are vey much like Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire when she says: “I don’t want realism, I want magic! Yes, yes, magic! I try to give that to people. I misrepresent things to them. I don’t tell the truth, I tell what ought to be truth.”
Think about your favorite crime drama for a moment. You know the scene – they’ve just found some obscure picture of the perp or sub-strand of his hair. Then through the magic of one of the coolest and most beautiful computer interfaces you’ve ever seen, the computer flashes through thousands of faces, and automatically finds exactly who they’re looking for.
The real truth of that scene won’t engage. Can you imagine watching a real computer – someone typing command line searches into an ugly green screen interface – and then sitting back as it grinds through a minutes or hours long search through a mainframe computer database. No, in real life we don’t catch crooks that way. But, dammit – it oughta be that way!
No – the truth is real – and real is rarely engaging.
It Ought To Be The Truth
But (and this is important) – real doesn’t mean it’s not genuine. A genuine story is what “ought to be truth”. We’re not trying to trick our brand subscribers. We are simply being an amplified version of our unique selves – because otherwise we’re just… well…. just like everyone else.
Tim Tebow is telling a genuine story. Whether you love him or hate him – he’s passionate about the story he is telling. And, as I discussed in the “secrets from Hollywood” piece – he really knows what he does. He’s got a much bigger story that he’s telling – and football is just simply one channel to tell it. As he has said himself “‘I’m using football as a platform for bigger and better things.”
It would be easy for Tebow to keep that “real” and undifferentiated. He could avoid painting John 3:16 or Ephesians 2:8-10 on his eye black (pictured). His dramatic, and now famous, pose could have simply been him thumping his chest twice and pointing to God (as many athletes do). He could have gone the traditional post-game interview route of saying “it’s a team sport and we came together as a team” and left it that. But he didn’t.
He is an amplified version of his genuine self. And love it, hate it – or think it completely irrelevant – it’s generated a nationally recognized consumer brand and generated more discussions about the story he’s trying to tell than I’ve seen in years. The night he and the Broncos beat the Steelers “John 3:16″ was the most searched for term on Google. It didn’t hurt that he actually threw for 316 yards – and because he threw 10 completed passes – his average was 31.6 (mysterious ways alright).
Our Lesson As Content Marketers
I deal with many clients – especially in the B2B and technology space – that don’t believe that their brand is particularly interesting. Their stories commonly rely on just relaying facts and figures and speeds and feeds. In short, they are relying on “the simple satisfaction of needs.” And the “wants” of our customers are where the emotional connections can be made.
As Seth says: “wants are hard to measure and difficult to understand.” And here’s the thing – when we can connect to them, well that there is some powerfully magic stuff. If you want to see how Tim Tebow has done this in six months – here’s a great article on ESPN that I think captures it well.
As Joseph Campbell says in Hero With A Thousand Faces: “The goal of life is to make your heartbeat match the beat of the universe, to match your nature with nature.”
It doesn’t matter who we are – and what we’re selling – using the stories we tell and the way we market to connect emotionally with our constituencies is what will make us successful. And in telling stories.. Well, it just might be our Tebow time…
Great insight! Promoting an “amplified version of our genuine selves” in order to make an emotional connection. That sounds so much better than sell the sizzle not the steak.
The reality is people can spot a “fake” whether in a person or in a message, which is worse than being dull.
So, who knew a Blue Bronco could be a Purple Cow?
Thanks Robert
“It doesn’t matter who we are – and what we’re selling – using the stories we tell and the way we market to connect emotionally with our constituencies is what will make us successful.” I work with B2B marketers and this says it better than I ever have (so I will be using it…with attribution, of course.) You did a great job with the Tebow and Apple examples. Thanks, Robert!
Tim Tebow gives the people something positive to rally behind. In a world of constant negative messages, Down deep, most people want to be good and Tebow gives them an affirmation that being good is okay.
Hi, Robert! First of all, I’m psyched that I found your blog. I stumbled on this article and then found about 10 more “must-reads” on the main blog page. So, thanks for all of the new reading material!
Second of all, this article is stellar. I’ll admit, sports aren’t my forte and I didn’t know much about Tim Tebow prior to reading this, but consider me educated on the subject now. (Relate a hot topic to content marketing and you’ve got my attention!) You’ve brought up several key points here, but your last section hit me the hardest: Our Lesson As Content Marketers. I think the “simple satisfaction of needs” and the “wants of our customers” are easy to mix up when your work involves content. At times, our initial reaction is to come up with a quick and dirty solution like spouting off statistics or generic information, but that’s not necessarily what clients are looking for. It’s all about the emotional connection…which is ridiculously elusive. How do we facilitate an emotional reaction about a seemingly straightforward product or service that many would find mind-numbingly dull? I struggle with this problem almost every day! However, I love the connection you’ve made between telling stories and becoming “amplified versions of our unique selves.” It’s about passion and the desire to share our stories with the rest of the world — only then will we actually stand out.
Lots of food for thought! Thanks. As Ah-nold said: “I’ll be back.”
Well… Jill… All I can say is Wow… Thank you for that great comment….. I’ll just leave it at that and am so glad that you’ve found a few things here interesting. Welcome to the circus!!
As a marketer and HUGE Broncos fan, Tim Tebow makes us proud! He is authentic and honest, and a great role model for millions of kids who look up to sports figures. An editorial in the Wall Street Journal about Tim Tebow and whether or not the Broncos are more blessed than other teams, was right on that Tim doesn’t ask God for anything special. “Tebowing” is his posture for thanking God. Hey, there are other “religious” players who are great role models as well. Read about Drew Brees and his wife — an awesome family doing some great things for kids. Oh, yeah, he’s a Christian, too. It’s so nice to see sports headlines about some positive players.
Lori….
Thanks so much…. Yeah, I’m a lifelong Cowboys fan (did I just lose half my subscribers)… Anyway, yeah, love him or hate him you can’t argue that he’s not authentic. I think Denver will do well next year. Thank you for coming by!!
Wonderful piece. Stories sell us all; it’s how we relate as humans.
The growth today in the U.S. is multicultural. It’s part of America’s greatness and it’s America’s story. Countries have stories too.
Joseph Campbell is a favorite of mine, too. You had something for everyone is this piece. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Peg…. Wisely said.
You really nailed it. Great facts don’t capture an audience, great stories do.
Thank you Rob…. I really appreciate that…
Yeah I completely agree with your point on this.
I was late for the Tebow mania until recently, but after reading his story in Time magazine, listening to the suits on ESPN, and seeing the Twitter/Facebook timeline, his story is authentic. I personally respect the guy because he is so humble — something rare in the professional sports department.
I have to ask this because it was a topic of conversation I heard with friends, at football parties, the bar, etc.
Do you think that his story is what captivated mass media to constantly talk and rave about him?
Or was it mass media that turned his story and made it viral?
@ Paul…. Probably a little of both right? If we learn anything from the current Republican race it’s that the media needs/wants (see there it is again) a narrative. So – you can argue that without a strong P.O.V. it will create one for you. I think what Tebow has done so effectively is to take a strong point of view and leverage the WANT of the media for a strong narrative. Now, time will tell if he can (or even should) continue beyond the NFL season – because as we all know the mass media loves to tear down stories as much as build them up. It may actually be good for Tebow to close this chapter – and start another next season… We’ll all stay tuned I guess….
Hallelujah! Great piece. As a Steelers fan I dislike TebowMania so much that I was actually rooting for the Pats. That aside, what you have written here is fabulous. It’s so true. The man is passionate and that comes across in everything he says and does. Great job Robert!
@Michael – thank you… I knew that one was going to pinch a little for you
But thanks for the kind words.