In her “closing argument” for last night’s debate, Hillary Clinton may finally have gotten her story pitch right.
By “story pitch” I mean the focused marketing narrative Donald Miller describes in his StoryBrand seminars. (Or at least what he’s described in interviews). Miller has founded a whole consulting business on an argument that is deceptively simple:
- We are story-hungry creatures.
- Stories have heroes, and we see ourselves as the heroes of our own stories
- Therefore, a company should positions itself as the hero’s guide.
I say it’s deceptive because actually applying this to your own brand can be tough—tough enough that people will spend top-dollar to hire someone like Miller to help figure it out.
The Power of Story in Politics
Back in primary season, Miller argued that Donald Trump’s success owed much to his mastery of the story concept. First, Trump keyed in on voters’ desire to feel empowered. Then, he successfully cast career politicians as the bad guys. Finally, he positioned himself as the one who could turn things around.
Miller also thought Clinton, like many of the other candidates, had a poor story strategy.
Obviously, events since the spring have demonstrated that story isn’t everything.
At the same time, story is pretty powerful. Scandals that would have destroyed a weaker candidate have not entirely undercut Trump’s main message: I will make America great again.
Hillary Yoda Has Become
Miller likes to appeal to Star Wars as a paradigmatic story. The hero, Luke, wants to become a Jedi like his father, and Obi-wan and then Yoda become his guide.
In the same way, Miller says, a brand ought to position itself as the Yoda to the customer’s Luke. For politicians, this means arguing that you, the candidate, are the Yoda.
All night it took, but Hillary at last Yoda became.
Not perfectly, mind you, but better than she ever has to my knowledge. She began by addressing all Americans across the political spectrum. Then she briefly stepped aside, so to speak, to say “We need your talents, your skills, your commitment, your energy, your ambition.”
In that moment she put the American citizen back in the driver’s seat and said, You are important to this story we call America.
That broad appeal speaks to our sense of national purpose. Her promise to help raise incomes and educate children ties into our common desire to thrive in our individual lives.
To me, it was the first time in any of the debates where she stopped acting the calculating politician and revealed some of her own passion for this country and for what we can achieve through government.
It remains to be seen if that hits with the undecideds.
Image: AP via Sydney Morning Herald
