The Genesis of Myths
Since the dawn of human existence, myths have woven intricate tales that bridge the gap between the known and the unknown, the tangible and the ethereal. These stories, rich in symbolism, mystery, and universal truths, offer insights into the very essence of our species. As we journey through the annals of history, it becomes evident that myths are not mere fables; they are the echoes of our collective imagination and the most profound manifestation of human expression. Black Lab Films were founded in a belief that story-telling is central to forging a brand- audience, and in turn a brand-community. It doesn’t matter how far we venture into the future, armed with future tech, story still matters. It underpins strategy, communication, cultural identity, and our personal relationships.
The origin of myths is rooted in the primal need to make sense of a world that often defied understanding. In ancient civilizations, myths served as narratives that explained natural phenomena, human origins, and the intricacies of existence itself. They were the early attempts to comprehend the enigmatic forces that shaped the universe and to imbue everyday life with a sense of purpose and meaning.
We still search for that meaning today, but now it’s through our favourite Brands, which are so much more than three dimensional purchases, products we hold in our hands, or services that we use, as if mere mechanics, they are emotional lifestyle beliefs, values and experiences – they are the purpose and meaning of myths capitalized!
The Myth-Making Mind and the Camp-Fire Story
Black Lab Films recognises how integral the creation of myths is to human culture, intrinsically tied to the human psyche's innate proclivity for storytelling. Our ancestors, devoid of scientific knowledge, turned to stories as a means of communication and preservation of knowledge. The human mind, wired to seek patterns and connections, found solace in myths that linked celestial bodies, seasonal changes, and the ebb and flow of life.
Fast forward a few thousand years and your Brand strategy isn’t any different, you too need to discern those same patterns and connections, speaking the language of your community, so they can speak your language – the language of your brand.
Storytelling, the foundation of myths, is arguably the most human of expressions. It predates the written word, harking back to a time when oral traditions were the primary mode of transmitting knowledge. It is through stories that cultures were preserved, wisdom was shared, and communities were bound together. Storytelling is a cultural inheritance passed down through generations, perpetuating values, beliefs, and identities.
Now, our highly advances civilisations are linking ideals, creating a happy cultural brew of beliefs and values, which speak to, and draw in a ‘brand community’, as if gathering around a camp-fire to listen in to their own ‘brand story’, their own ‘brand myth’.
Black Lab Films believes every brand needs to know their own camp-fire story. Because even with all the progress we’ve made and continue to make, story-telling provides us both comfort in the now, an axis around which we confidently focus the trajectory of our lives. Our analogy of camp-fire story is based on the power of ‘exponential sharing’, the power of story-telling in a community. If you can inspire each member of your brand-community to light their own camp fire and to share the story they have just heard, then your brand story will tell it’s own story, like an ember being carried from camp to camp.
The Universality of Myths
What sets myths apart is their universality. While cultures and civilizations may differ, myths transcend geographical and temporal boundaries. This universality speaks to the core human experiences that myths tap into – love, loss, heroism, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. The archetypal figures that populate myths, from the hero's journey to the wise old sage, resonate with us because they reflect our shared human condition.
Again we can see those powerful echoes between myths and brands, distinguished through powerful archetypes, psychological and emotional hero figures, to which we relate and aspire too. By focusing on this insight, drawing a powerful parallel between myth and brand, Black Lab Films can super-charge our clients communications. Every brand needs a hero, a belief or value, around which they craft their stories. It’s important to know your brand archetype, and then originate a unique hero around it.
Myths as Cultural Mirrors – Your Brand Community Is Your Brand
Myths not only reflect the universal human experience but also serve as mirrors to the societies that birthed them. They reflect cultural values, societal norms, and collective aspirations. In this capacity, myths assume the role of a cultural compass, guiding individuals and communities through life's complexities.
And just as myths were essential in ancient times, forging communities under one banner, one belief, one bond, they still have that same enduring power. Brand communities share the same myths, worship at the same alters, believe in the same Gods. Even when we look at the big sports brands, from Nike to Adidas to Under Armour, their brand communities don’t just prefer these brands, they’re the ardent zealots of these brands, precisely because they have been swept up in the myth. Nike was a goddess with wings, depicted souring above mere mortals, what better myth to extol your own possibilities!
Every brand has the power to build their own myths, their own zealots and thus a community. Your brand has to subtly promise the world, enthusing your audience with the mythic proportions of the brands story, and your audiences role within it’s narrative.
The Evolution of Myths in Modern Times
In the digital age, myths have found new avenues of expression. While the mediums have changed, the essence remains unaltered. Social media platforms, films, books, and other media outlets continue to propagate the timeless themes and archetypes that define myths. Modern myths, too, seek to offer explanations for the complexities of our world, whether through science fiction narratives or urban legends.
Black Lab Films embrace the challenge of being myth makers in the digital age, integrating this myth making camp-fire approach to every facet of a campaign, from strategy, to creative, to the art of story-telling and the practice of image-making – after all, isn’t our singular objective to make believers of non-believers, to convert mind-sets, to change our audiences values, and to create a brand community that become our clients story-tellers, so that the brand story becomes it’s own spark, it’s own camp-fire story.
What’s Your Brand Story?
The origin of myths is a testament to the innate human yearning for understanding, connection, and meaning. As the most human of expressions, storytelling through myths binds us across time and space, transcending cultural boundaries to unite us in our shared human experience.
If you don’t know your brand story yet, if you don’t have a myth, then you don’t have a pure brand. You don’t have a mythic truth, from which the story can be spun, on which a community can hang their hopes, and build their values and beliefs around.
Your brand story is the next step in your brand, even if you have your values and beliefs fully formed, story is the agent of sharing those beliefs and values.
Through story we venture into the realm of the imagination, where the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur, unveiling the timeless truths that lie at the heart of human existence and which can create your brand community, who knows even a global community! So maybe one day we’ll all be sat around the same camp-fire! And maybe Black Lab Films will be telling your story.
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