Essential Elements
Tension: An entrenched idea
This is not your average beef. You’re fighting against common sense. You’re going after something so much apart of us that we forgot to even question whether or not it was good for us.
The good news is, these things have a way of festering. We know something’s wrong, but we can’t put our finger on what it might be.
Take REI’s “Jerry’s Office,” which is one of the original spots that debuted the idea of #OptOutside. It was insane to think of a store closing on Black Friday in America. Sure, nobody really liked Black Friday, but the deals were so good that most people put up with the chaos simply for the savings.
Then REI comes along and says — wait a minute, we’re an outdoor company, it’s crazy to support this kind of rampant consumerism. I remember when this happened. Whenever people talked about it, they kept saying, “Are they serious?”
That’s the kind of social norm you’re looking for. One that sparks that level of disbelief.
The moment that gets cited all the time from movies is the opening scene of “Network.” This is the famous “I’m mad as hell speech,” where the TV producer goes on live TV and calls the whole TV industry a detrimental negative to society.
Why is this so important?
Belief: The radical oasis
The Magic: Rage
You don’t have to deliver it with this kind of anger