Know how to tell a story and you can wield a level of influence others can only dream about.
In this week’s newsletter, we look at storytelling as a weapon of influence.
More specifically, the 'inside' story – the internal narratives that drive rational people to do irrational things.
And, by pure coincidence, we have Iron Mike and car manufacturer Jaguar to thank for providing perfect examples.
Let's go...
Did you have Tyson Delusion Syndrome?
Come on, admit it...
Were you one of those people who genuinely thought Mike Tyson had a chance against Jake Paul?
But then, the emotional nature of Tyson's 'return' turned perfectly rational individuals into lunatics who believed a 58-year-old with a limp and who hadn't boxed competitively for 19 years would triumph.
Yes, yes, I know that Jake Paul has an incredibly punchable face and invites physical assault by his very aura.
But the magnitude of opinion that believed he'd fall to Tyson was something else.
Was it mass delusion?
Was it hype?
Nope.
It was the story people were telling themselves. And, funnily enough, it wasn't really about Tyson.
Those who made the most noise about Tyson watched him in his prime. They saw what a beast he was. The greatest, perhaps?
And that is what they locked in.
We don't want our heroes to fade. They're our heroes. They don't fade. They live on, even if in our own minds.
But it's more than that.
When people saw Mike getting back in the ring, they told themselves, "yeah, he's still got it. All that experience and skill counts for a lot more than years on the clock..."
Except that it doesn't.
The story of why so many were deluded enough to think Iron Mike was going to flatten Paul is really the story of how they see themselves.
If Mike prevails, then that's a kick in the face of youth, right?
"I've still got it..." is what every 40-, 50-year old guy wants to believe.
They don't want to believe it was youth.
They want to believe what they 'had' was something else.
Something they couldn't lose.
So when Mike steps into the ring, again, he's fighting for them.
He's fighting for the idea that age is just a number.
And that's also why the sight of Mike as a shadow of his former self was all the more painful.
Because it shattered the illusion.
The bookies absolutely won that evening.
Netflix won. Paul won. Mike's wealth manager won.
The biggest losers were everyone who hung their personal narrative on Mike knocking out young upstart Paul.
Oh, and the sport of boxing.
Here's the take-away...
Figure out the story people are telling themselves and you can get people to bypass rational decision making by tapping into their emotional state.
Talking about emotional states and stories...
Black Friday heads up
Yep, I'll be making Black Friday offers... on Black Friday.
(I'm not one to drag this out like some brands who have been banging on about Black Friday for weeks...)
So take this as an early warning – you're going to be getting some emails that say 'Black Friday' or some combination of those words.
For those bold souls who want to stride forward into 2025 holding their cult banner aloft, you’re going to want to see these.
If getting Black Friday emails upsets you, I feel for you. You must be having a horrible time at the moment.
(But if you really can't handle them, here's an idea: Unsubscribe)
3 lessons cult leaders can take from Jaguar's rebrand controversy and backlash
It’s funny - but entirely predictable - about how relatively minor issues can cause perfectly rational people to take sides.
A few weeks ago, no one was even thinking about flailing card brand, Jaguar.
But teaser ad touting its rebrand ignited an almighty scrap.
And the episode offers valuable lessons for future cult leaders and aspiring CultBrands - three, in fact.
Before we go on, watch it here:
Lesson #1 - It’s not what you say
Watched the teaser ad?
I say it’s a teaser ad because there is no product.
There is no car…
… because they don’t have a car to show.
There are no details at all.
There is nothing to judge…
… except for the look and feel.
This is really important.
Even without a product or a message, your tone says everything.
It is the feeling it creates that matters.
The choice of font, colours, visuals, and everything else combine to create a sense of what the brand says.
Without saying anything, how would someone instantly feel about you?
How would they instantly feel about your cult, community or audience?
If you’re not being intentional, you’re leaving people to make up their own minds.
Lesson #2 - Draw battle lines by tapping into the 'inside' stories
How did the ad manage to polarise without saying anything?
By understanding the stories individuals on either side tells themselves.
So, let’s draw the battle lines:
On one side, those who F-KING HATE the ad and rebrand.
This consists of a broad church of car enthusiasts, former Jag owners, as well as the wider anti-woke community.
The car enthusiasts cannot believe the cat is missing and is another example of clueless manufacturers riding roughshod over heritage (Story No.1)
The former Jag owners - many of whom abandoned the brand in recent years due to poor quality - look back nostalgically and see this as the further collapse of society's values (Story No.2).
Jaguar dealerships have always been set up to appeal to a specific demographic.
Jaguars were the epitome of British-ness.
British prime ministers used to travel in Jags.
This guy - a former Deputy Prime Minister - was even known as 'Two Jags'.
And, of course, Austin Powers drove a Jaguar.
"How dare they mess with our heritage!"
The broader criticism online - many of whom care little about Jaguar - is that this is just another example of woke influence destroying all that is good and holy (Story No.3) because the woke agenda is in the ascendancy (Story No.4)
Lining up on the other side is the opposing baying mob.
Again, many in this group don’t seem to be that interested in cars or the Jaguar brand.
But that doesn't matter.
They are just as happy to use the issue to ride to the defence of Jaguar.
For no other reason than simply because it pisses off the first three groups, who they generally characterise as intolerant.
For them, it feels like a victory to be antagonising this group, mainly because they feel it is in the ascendancy (Story No.5)
(Note that both sides feel the other side is in the ascendancy... and that's why they need to take a stand.
Even if that 'stand' is no more than bickering in the comments section of LinkedIn or Facebook...)
But that’s exactly what a culture war is all about.
Drawing the lines and forcing people to take sides.
How can you tap into the stories your followers are telling themselves?
Lesson #3 - Being bold always works
So, let's recap.
The ad has no car.
No product.
Says nothing about what is coming.
Yet, has caught attention.
(BTW, I don’t subscribe to the Level 1 thinking that claims anything that gets attention is ‘genius’ or ‘it’s got us talking, so it must have worked'.
Idiots, the lot of them.
Don’t fall for such a superficial analysis. I know you won’t - that’s not you…)
This is not a validation of the ad.
It has lots of criticism, but let's ignore the ad's merits and faults for now.
The point is that EVEN IF EVERYTHING ELSE IS RUBBISH, simply by being bold, you will get the attention of your ideal follower...
... and if done well, repel those who are not right.
There are many ways to frame this.
- The Yellow Briefcase
- The Red Shoe Effect
- The Contrast Principle
By being bold - in any way, even if it doesn't make sense - you can get attention and stand out.
Imagine what you could do if you DID have a solid polarising message and something valuable to communicate as well.
In what way can you show up boldly in your next post or broadcast?
A bit of context and opinion:
This is all part of a major re-positioning for the car brand, away from its traditional base and to a more international audience while also going all-in as an electric car brand.
Personally, I don’t mind the rebrand at all, in reference to the logo, colours and tone.
The teaser ad itself is a bit weird. If anything, it just doesn’t make sense.
Are they pitching to be a version of Tesla? Yet their only difference is heritage… which they are downplaying.
What strikes me as odd is the suggestion to “Copy nothing”, yet everything in the ad is derivative.
If you wanted to find a way to wind up and polarise both sides, this is exactly what you'd create.
It is almost as though it is trolling - but it’s difficult to believe a company like Jaguar would have the balls to do that on such a grand scale.
L'internet has been having a field day with alternative ads.
And AI has been their willing enabler.
Here's one ad:
In summary:
Lesson #1 - It’s not what you say
Lesson #2 - Draw battle lines by tapping into the 'inside' stories
Lesson #3 - Being bold always works
Laters!
Jody
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Jody Raynsford
Cult Strategist, Leader of Cult Leaders and Chief Indoctrinator
www.howtostartacult.co.uk
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