Most of the marketing we see (especially commercial advertising) is of the inadequacy variety—messages designed to create anxiety or insecurity about what we lack (beauty, youth, sex-appeal, status). Inadequacy stories rely on our most childish impulses and emotions, jealousy, greed, selfishness, vanity. They cast the product or service being touted as the hero, something people can buy that fills a hole (a hole that the story has convinced us we need to fill).
A far more powerful, memorable, and engaging type of message is what Jonah Sachs, author of Winning the Story Wars, dubs empowerment marketing, stories that emphasize not where we’re deficient, but how we can grow and find personal satisfaction. Empowerment messages remind us who we are and what we are capable of. They’re crafted to help speed people along on their own journey to “maturation and citizenship,” to carry out a human drive to find fulfillment based on our core values.
According to Sachs, communications that break through the noise and “go viral” don’t just talk about how great the brand or product (or policy solution) is but talk about how great their audiences can be. When audiences feel uplifted they want to share that feeling with everyone they know!
So, our job as messengers is to tell stories that give our audiences confidence and tools for their own success.
Here are three tips for swapping inadequacy for empowerment in your messages.
