Ingenious marketing or Fundamental idea?

 Everybody can relate to an influential advertisement they have seen; intended to sway the consumer into buying a product. These advertisements are one of the key forms or mass media that affect our daily lives, just because of their prominence and every day usage in society. But the power these corporations have in our lives, makes me question what makes this form of media so effective.  The fact of the matter is, that what many people mistake as marketing genius, is actually just an integration of a classic concept. It is apparent in major companies such as Under Armour and Nike use aspects of the hero’s journey to persuade and convince the consumer why their product is superior to the rest of the field. This combination of marketing and an archetypal sequence has proven to be one of the more interesting adaptations of a classic idea.

Nike is predominantly known for their outlandish and sometimes “off base” commercials that certainly get them attention.  The commercials of Nike exemplify how their products enhance the life of the consumers by showing their effect on our daily lives, similar to the hero’s journey. There are many parts of their commercials that are very similar to that of the archetypal hero’s journey such as:

1. Nike uses a reference to the road of trials in a hero’s journey, by showing the reflection and growth necessary for success in athletes who use their products. They also do this by showing the training and effort that goes in to the completion of the objective as well as the obstacles they must overcome are showcased here.

2.  These companies illustrate the final event that the athletes are training for (usually some type of major event i.e the Olympics).  This can be directly compared to the Innermost Cave in which an individual must succeed to accomplish the goal.

3. The actual products of Nike are shown to have an immense affect on the athlete, by contributing to the overall determination and motivation in preparing them for obstacles to come. In this way, Nike effectively replaces the mentor archetype with their products to show the influence the product has.

4. The main obstacle and challenge that the athlete must overcome is shown to be themselves, shown in one such Nike commercial. This can be related to the fatal flaw the hero must fix in the typical hero’s journey.

5. The statement “I Will” is the slogan for Under Armour. In the hero’s journey, the fact that the characters grow through their experiences is captured by this slogan.

The fact that these companies commercials are so closely aligned with the typical archetypes makes me wonder in what ways the classical examples inspired these modern concepts. It is apparent that these media transitional corporations not only included these aspects in their advertisements, but modernized them and adapted them to suit their needs. This was done in one such example, as the actual product replaced the role of the typical mentor, and was the source of inspiration for the athlete. The effectiveness of the use of this modern adaptation makes me wonder: What other modern applications of classic ideas exist in both the corporate and cultural aspects of the world? Why were their modified in these cases? The repetitive nature of archetypes also makes me wonder why we, as individuals, have the some reaction when it comes to the traditional hero’s journey. Why is it, that humans are attracted to this simple formula time and time again when they need to succeed? A further application could be “ What do the effectiveness of these modern applications reveal about the human condition.” It seems as though this borrowed formula from history is evolving with the people adapting it.