3 Lessons Brands Can Learn From Master Storyteller Steven Spielberg
From Jaws to The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg has proven to be one of the greatest storytellers in history, reeling audiences in again and again. But what could this visionary filmmaker possibly have to teach us about branding?
If I were to get into all of the branding lessons we could learn from this living legend, I’d almost certainly need a bigger blog post. Let’s just stick to three of the biggest lessons brands can learn from this titan of creative storytelling.
Lesson #1: Work with what you’ve got. Restrictions can yield interesting results.
Jaws, a Spielberg masterpiece that’s credited with giving birth to the concept of the summer blockbuster, could have been a much, much different movie.
If you’ve seen it, you’ve probably noticed that the film’s shark doesn’t fully appear on screen until the third act. It’s one of the reasons audiences found the film so terrifying. Rather than showing the monster early as so many other films had up until that time, Spielberg leaned on the viewer’s imagination (and film composer John Williams’ musical genius) to build suspense.
Looking back, the decision not to show the shark too soon seems like an obvious one. It’s a technique that’s since been replicated a thousand times over. But the truth is Spielberg really had no choice at all. It was a decision he made out of necessity.
Bruce, the mechanical shark used in the film, was constantly malfunctioning and causing delays throughout production that could have had the movie scrapped completely. The then 27-year-old Spielberg, who had just gotten his big break and was directing his first feature film, desperately needed to make it work. His solution ended up being the now legendary combination of barrels, a fin, and just two musical notes used to absolute perfection.
Companies don’t often revisit their branding unless they’re trying to solve a problem. Whether it’s a new brand that needs an identity to grow with or a more established company that’s evolving its brand to break through to a new audience, every branding project comes with its own unique set of challenges and circumstances.
The market circumstances and budget surrounding your branding project might not be ideal, but you have to dive in and swim forward to make a splash. Look at the challenges you, your business, and your audience are facing. If you look close enough, you might find some unique opportunities lurking just beneath the surface.
Take Tommy Hilfiger, for example. Most brands need decades and millions of dollars to become icons. Legendary ad man George Lois turned Hilfiger’s clothes into an overnight sensation with a single billboard that, much like Spielberg’s shark, let the viewer’s imagination fill in the blanks.
Lesson #2: Move people with a deeper emotional story.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial came out in 1982. On its surface, it was the story of a friendly alien who crash lands on Earth, is pursued by government agents, and befriends a young boy and his family who help him escape and reunite with his family.
A few years later, in 1988, another film called Mac and Me was released by a different studio. It was the story of a friendly alien who crash lands on Earth, is pursued by government agents, and befriends a young boy and his family who help him escape and reunite with his family.
Almost the exact same plot.
While E.T. is still widely regarded as a cinematic masterpiece so many years later, Mac and Me has been critically panned and almost entirely forgotten. And it would have been if it hadn’t become the butt of so many recurring jokes.
So…what made the difference?
The difference was E.T. wasn’t actually about an alien at all. According to Spielberg, it’s a movie about the trauma he experienced as a child of divorce.
Divorce, and the emotions that come with it, are themes that appear quite often throughout his films. *Close Encounters of the Third Kind…Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade…War of the Worlds…Catch Me If You Can…*and especially E.T. all touched on the deep, formative emotions that he himself had experienced. And considering how common divorce has become, it’s no surprise the film moved so many people on an emotional level.
One of the reasons Spielberg’s films are so iconic is because they’re so much deeper than they appear. His movies hold a mirror up to the audience and remind them of common life experiences that they’ve experienced themselves.
I’m not suggesting that your brand should leverage divorce and childhood trauma to attract and connect with new fans. Not at all. Just go deeper when you’re looking for insights that can bring your brand and its audience together.
If your brand is a car, don’t sell it as a car. That’s something so many other car companies can replicate. Go deeper. Ask yourself what your brand truly delivers. Is it adventure with loved ones? Is it the wind in your hair? Those things are far more interesting, and emotionally compelling, than a V8 engine.
I always think of Google Chrome’s “Dear Sophie” ad when it comes to tugging at the heartstrings. The spot was essentially a product tutorial for their online tools. But rather than simply showing that Google could do this or do that, it featured the tools as an indispensable asset in the story of a loving father documenting the childhood of his daughter.
The “Dear Sophie” spot still makes me tear up every time I watch it.
Lesson #3: If you’re in a slump, bring in some outside help.
The comedy 1941, was the first flop of Steven Spielberg’s career. It went significantly over budget and the critics absolutely hated it. The studios were starting to think he was a flash in the pan. Spielberg needed help.
That’s when his friend George Lucas cracked the whip. Spielberg said he wanted to direct a Bond movie. Lucas told him he had something even better. It was the story of a 1930s archeologist trying to keep mythological relics out of the hands of the Nazis in the years leading up to the Second World War. They both knew it could be a hit.
A few studios said they’d make the film, but they didn’t want Spielberg. He’d earned a reputation for going over schedule and over budget. Lucas insisted. He made Spielberg promise to execute on time and on budget, and that if the film was a success, he’d agree to direct two more.
Raiders of the Lost Ark and the Indiana Jones franchise, some of the most beloved adventure films of all time, were what came out of it.
Starting and running a business is never easy. It comes with a boat load of challenges. So does branding a business. There’s no shame in asking for help and bringing in some outside perspective. Sometimes all you need is a little push to get things back on track.
Spielberg was fresh out of ideas. Lucas helped him rediscover his spark. Finding the right collaborator can push your brand over the finish line and bring your vision to life.