Marketing is about telling stories to people so they can then tell (true) stories to themselves about why they want to do something.
The other day, I was in Seattle, and had a meeting at 8am.
The friends with whom I was staying have a 14 year old son who, in his own words, was “doing nothing” this summer.
The night before my meeting, we realized that, if I took the 14 year old in my car at 7am, I would be able to use the HOV lane to get to my meeting faster.
The question?
How do you motivate a 14 year old to get up at 6.30am during his summer vacation, go to Bellevue, and then spend 2 hours walking around by himself?
So, instead of saying “hey, will you get up at 6.30am and jump in a car with me?”, I said
“Let me tell you a story.”
I have a mantra called “Remember the Maine” and it has shaped my life for the last 17 years.
“One day, many years from now, you are going to look back at tomorrow and think, ‘wow, I had a really cool adventure. I did something different. I got to explore a part of the world on my own.’
I want to give you that adventure so that tomorrow is a day you will always remember.”
Got to my meeting in 12 minutes. HOV lane was great.