Psychological / symbolic satisfaction:  foundational narratives provide deep psychological satisfaction (Freudian theory).  Strong brands are founded on these deep psychological dimensions:  Dove is about self esteem, Ariel is about purity, Playstation is about the joy of being young, etc…

Narrative structure:  every single narrative is based on a tension between a protagonist and hostile forces.  The protagonist tries to reach a goal, using tools and protectors to overcome barriers.  Brands do play a narrative role in people’s lives, be it of mentor, protector, ally, or tool.

Narrative Archetypes:  working with archetypes helps formulate foundational narratives (Barthes, Todorov, Booker).  Dove, for example, is about overcoming the monster of the beauty industry, whilst Innocent is clearly a “rags to riches” story where virtue leads to success.

Narrative substitution:  much of the art of story telling is about replacing elements in an archetypical narrative frame.  We work with contemporary practices of rewriting to generate new narrative forms (Mouwad and Oedipus, Pina Baush and Bartok, but also mainstream rewriting such as The Twilight Zone, Harry Potter, etc…)

 

A&P.

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