A recent article in Forbes on how ‘Warner Brothers Destroyed Superman’s Brand For Their New Franchise’ is a study in the golden paradigm of storytelling and the fortunes of the company.
At the climax of the last major Superman movie in 2013, ‘Man of Steel’ Superman is faced with the decision to risk further destruction of his city and its inhabitants or take a single life, and he chooses to kill his opponent, General Zod. While such a plot twist is not unusual in the world of super heroes, it is very noteworthy for long time Superman fans because Superman never kills.
As I build towards a marketing point, let me first share the origins of this iconic superhero. Superman was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster and first appeared in Action Comics cover-dated 1938. The original story of Superman relates that he was born on the planet Krypton, before being rocketed to Earth as an infant by his scientist father, moments before Krypton’s destruction. Discovered and adopted by a Kansas farmer and his wife, the child is raised as Clark Kent and is imbued with a strong moral compass. He stood for justice, not revenge; force not violence. He is the most powerful man on Earth but feels a deep responsibility to stand up for the powerless. He is never a bully and chooses to follow the laws when it would be simple to impose his own will on situations. He would rather die himself than kill another knowingly. This is how his character was developed into one of the most powerful and positive brands in American history.
Superman the character as drawn above was an immediate success. His comics sold by the millions and were followed immediately by toys, clothing, movies, radio programs and almost every kind of licensing merchandise. The men who ran DC Comics for four decades were scrupulous about protecting Superman’s character and reputation. They recognized that they were sitting on a golden goose whose value rested upon his boy scout like character. By managing this comic character shrewdly, DC Comics turned this sketchy printing and magazine business into a major asset that were eventually leveraged to purchase Warner Brothers and merged with Time, Inc.
Brands Must Stay True To Who They Are
One of the rules in branding is that a brands core values can be reinterpreted to keep the brand fresh but they should never fundamentally change. What we see happening here is a fundamental change in Superman’s brand character. Aside from the moral implications, this set’s up intriguing business implications, will the new franchise succeed to the same degree that the old one did? Have societal values changed so much over the last 78 years that giving Superman a dark edge to his character will move the plot of this franchise forward?
Unlocking the secrets of storytelling in the movie business historically has been an error filled process. I worked in Hollywood for a few years on show development and marketing. From this experience I learned there are those with deep knowledge for the development of hit shows, movies and characters. These people for instance know about the Storywheel as a device to study all the cycles of change and growth that a major character takes from birth to zenith and from zenith to death. There is an upside to every characters story and a shadow-filled downside. Every great character arc has to start somewhere on the Storywheel between the upside and the downside. The downside of this wheel portrays stories about how characters become alienated from society and themselves, and how they lose their way.
Perhaps that is where the Superman franchise is now going. But, the Golden Paradigm in storytelling is the study of one complete passage of the Storywheel. The downside of a characters arc hits a bottom. A hero following the downside of his character arc is called an anti-hero. And when an anti-hero hits bottom (faces a crisis of character) then there can be a turning point in the story, which is the beginning of the road back. This is essentially what the hero’s journey is all about. An inciting action at the low point can be the start of a new heroes journey. A terrible element is introduced, there are victims and a state of misfortune, the anti-hero is called but he or she refuses the call, they have unfinished work to do on themselves…these are Hollywood story techniques for keeping tension in the plot and giving us new chapters in old stories, which allow the franchise to stay fresh and relevant with changes in the times. There is something very instructive here for all iconic brands that are struggling to keep their narratives fresh.
But there is a big gamble that the Superman franchise is taking by changing the core values that have clearly supported the Superman brand for nearly 80 years. Perhaps the zeitgeist of the moment is for this character to forget who he really is. But, this business decision if it isn’t adeptly handled will negatively affect the success of the franchise. If the character develops a dark and brooding presence that isn’t resolved quickly in how the story unfolds, my bet would be to short the Superman stock. Vengeful characters operate on a lower energy signature than the Superman the public has come to know and love.
One other question to ponder from the Superman plot twist is how can a brand develop a platform of values and a character that can be refreshed and updated with the times, but in a compelling and engaging way?
At The Blake Project we are helping clients from around the world, in all stages of development, redefine and articulate what makes them competitive at critical moments of change through online strategy workshops. Please email us for more about our storytelling workshops.
Branding Strategy Insider is a service of The Blake Project: A strategic brand consultancy specializing in Brand Research, Brand Strategy, Brand Growth and Brand Education
