July 7, 2006
the narrative gaps
In case you were wondering, I took down the Hughtrain banner off the sidebar because it’s all about marketing theory.
I find marketing theory increasingly dull. I’m sure a lot of other people do, too.
Anyway, my favorite marketing insight isn’t even in the Hughtrain. My favorite marketing insight is this:
If people like buying your product, it’s because its story helps fill in the narrative gaps in their own lives.
Human beings need to tell stories. Historically, it’s the quickest way we have for transmitting useful information to other members of our species. Stories are not just nice things to have, they are essential survival tools.
And yes, the stories we tell ourselves are just as important than the stories we tell other people.
Ergo, marketing is not about selling. Marketing is figuring out where your product stands in relation to personal narrative.
So where does your product fit into other people’s narrative? How does telling your story become a survival tool for other people? If you don’t know, you have a marketing problem.
Narrative gaps. It’s all about the narrative gaps.
Hugh, I’m curious to know what narrative gap you think Stormhoek typically fills. Why do people like buying Stormhoek?
You hit it on the mark again. While the hughtrain makes a lot of sense, it essentially boils down to the quote above. Life is just that simple isn’t it?
I’m not sure if you agree Hugh, but it strikes me that the same brand can fill those gaping narrative gaps in different ways for different people.
I’m fairly sure the dancing girls’ union will take issue with that request.
using the phrase “narrative gap” doesn’t seem to fill mine
‚-)
And then there are products which make people discover narrative gaps which they previously didn’t even realize existed. Ipod for example.
I love how even though you find marketing theory so dull, you can’t help but tack on some more marketing theory in the same post! It’s a good thing too because that’s what I come here for =D
I agree the Hughtrain is okay but it’s no How To Be Creative or Sex and Cash theory. You may be all sick of your theories and onto the next thing, but I still enjoy reading them.
You might not like it, but the Hughtrain is one of your greatest hits — perhaps it’s hard to top yourself, but it’s still relevant. Rock stars still have to play their greatest hits decades later so people will come to their shows. =)
I just finished reading Seth Godin’s books and reading your archives. It’s all good but I still like your take better than Godin’s because of the cartoons and that great hopeful cynicism that I can’t get enough of. I still can’t believe you’re not plugging a book. Even though I can download all the cartoons for free I still want to buy the book. Thanks for the English Cut, too. That’s good stuff.
I’m shooting for “blogging success story” myself, in my own way. Thanks for inspiring me to try it.
First of all, anytime any blogger starts talking about marketing theory, my mouse perks up. Then again I need to get a life.
Second, this quote “Ergo, marketing is not about selling. Marketing is figuring out where your product stands in relation to personal narrative.”, sounds like a new way of saying ‘positioning and branding works’.
I know I’m about to sound like a smartass, and I’ll apologize in advance because that’s not my intention, but I don’t see any marketing insight here. I see a new way of describing old ideas.
Especially when you add this quote: “So where does your product fit into other people’s narrative? How does telling your story become a survival tool for other people? If you don’t know, you have a marketing problem.”.
That REALLY sounds like ‘if you don’t know the position that your product owns in the prospect’s mind, then you have a marketing problem’.
Again, Al Ries was saying that 25 years ago. How does your idea of the ‘narrative gaps’ differ from Ries’ concept of positioning?
this is getting a bit too abstract for me… Care to illustrate with a few examples, Hugh?
I agree with Danielle, the cartoons would be way more fun to read than that god awful Cluetrain book.
Not sure if I agree with you, Mack. Stories behave differently than objects.
But hey, if the metaphor works for you, then go for it.
Thanks for all the ther feedback, Everybody.
One more thing: I know there some worth in thinking about marketing, coming up with whatever conclusions I can, then writing it all down on a blog. Good for traffic etc.
But more and more, I’d rather spend that energy selling more wine…
It’s all about the narrative gaps.
How true. Not only in marketing.
I really enjoy reading your site, your comics are great
Theory is great and all, but it really is all about dancing girls. And selling a lot of wine has a way of attacting them. That and a jet.
So yeah, selling more wine 4tw.
“Not sure if I agree with you, Mack. Stories behave differently than objects.”
Sure. And stories invoke emotions. And we position products in our minds, because they tap into some emotion(s) that we carry and can relate to.
Now if your purpose was to ‘create a better metaphor’, then yeah, I could definitely see where ‘narrative gap’ would work better for some than ‘positioning’.
Still sounds to me that we are saying the same thing, in two different ways. But hey, that’s not always a bad thing.
Again Mack, not sure if I agree. I don’t think we’re saying the same thing at all
The same story can make a unique or different story to different people — language and tone rarely put the finger on things in the way the creator of those words intended — but maybe close.
My ten cents is that language alone cannot sum up the story; it can only add to it. The only thing that ‘is the story’ is an individuals inner experience. Think how memory plays when you smell something familiar or that recalls a special time. The experience is far richer than anything “marketing” can deliver.
“Positioning” and “Narrative Gaps” don’t seem the same to me at all… wouldn’t positioning be the way in which we perceive/see/think about A Thing (company, product, etc.)? Could you not have clear, accurate positioning (this thing really *is* fast, etc.) without filling a narrative gap? (who says “fast” has any meaning for me?)
And I agree with John Dodds… the same *thing* could fill different narrative gaps, and thus might be positioned differently (with or without any explicit attempt to “position” the thing) for different people.
Yeah, what John and Hugh said ; )
“Again Mack, not sure if I agree. I don’t think we’re saying the same thing at all
”
Then what exactly are you saying?
“Why” is more interesting to me than “What”, Mack.
re: blogging success story.
I posted a post 2 days ago called “I am not a fashion designer”. Yesterday I got a call for a freelance design job via that post. Hot damn, it works!
btw, theory schmeory if you’ve got to go sell wine. It’s supposed to be about having a good time and making lots of money so if you don’t feel it don’t force it.
rock, as you say, on.
““Why” is more interesting to me than “What”, Mack.”
Gotcha. I think you’ve answered my question.
Why do I feel like I need to take a bong hit to appreciate all of this? Marketing needs real. None of this feels real to me.
Sorry.
Yes David, the irony of having this discussion in the comments of a blog post that began, “I find marketing theory increasingly dull” was not lost on me, either.
It’s Mack’s fault!
PS: Small world: I came across you for the first time last night, listening to the ATS podcast! Rock on.
I toldja, boring marketing talk fascinates me
BTW you need to stop spending so much time trying to make money for your clients and signing prints Hugh, David’s one of the fastest rising bloggers out there, his blog Logic + Emotion is amazing.
I agree with you, after all stories were quite efficient in marketing the religion (no matter which one it is).
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