Winning the Story Wars

April 16, 2012
Sachs, cofounder of Free Range Studios, is on a mission to leverage the power of ancient myth and storytelling for the kind of marketing that inspires not just brand loyalty but devotion. After his early success with viral videos Grocery Store Wars and The Meatrix, Sachs became fascinated with how stories that have shaped culture all share a common theme: “people reaching for their highest potential and struggling to create a better world.” Successful brands, entertainment, and political messages, he argues, can all be created by understanding this formula. Sachs frames this messaging in idealistic terms, casting the successful marketer as a person on a mythical hero’s journey. Glenn Beck’s blustering, Dove’s Real Beauty campaign, and Obama’s Yes We Can mantra are all referenced as successful marketing “myths.” Sachs is full of ideas and strategies to help readers give their brands the rare, compelling story that will raise their message above the melee of advertising noise. Despite the occasionally lofty tone, the ideas are powerful and solid, and will make inspiring reading for marketing professionals looking to set their stories apart. Agent: Joy Tutela, David Black Literary Agency.