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Ever been to the Grand Canyon?
I have, once. And I wasn't just there - I was in it. Hiked down 1500 feet from the rim, then back up to the top.
It was an incredible, exhilarating experience.
Did you know that in the 1960s, we nearly lost a good chunk of that natural wonder to man-made floodwaters?
I didn't, until today.
I was reading an article about revolutionary ad man Howard Gossage.
And here's what I discovered.
The federal government had big plans. They needed power to pump water through the Central Arizona Project. Their solution? Build two massive hydroelectric dams right in the Grand Canyon.
One of those dams would have flooded significant portions of Grand Canyon National Park.
Now here's where it gets interesting.
Environmentalist Mr. Brower wanted to run an ad to stop the dams at Bridge Canyon and Marble Gorge. His idea was “An Open Letter to Stewart Udall,” then Secretary of the Interior.
Said Howard Gossage, “You can't just make people feel bad; you have to give them an opportunity to do something.” And he created a full-page newspaper ad with this headline:
"NOW ONLY YOU CAN SAVE GRAND CANYON FROM BEING FLOODED... FOR PROFIT."
The ad wasn't fancy. It simply laid out the facts about the House bill, pointed out the questionable science, and then did something revolutionary - it included seven coupons.
Seven little pieces of paper you could cut out and mail to people who mattered: the Secretary of the Interior, the President, your Congressman, both State Senators, the head of the Congressional Committee considering the dam project... or you could just send one to join the Sierra Club.
The response? Explosive.
Coupons flooded government offices. Phones rang off the hook. Newspapers picked up the story. People who had never been politically active in their lives were suddenly writing letters and making calls.
And the Canyon Dam Bill? Killed before it ever reached the house floor.
The Grand Canyon was saved.
Why did this work so spectacularly?
The headline told a story in which YOU, the reader, were the hero.
Not the Sierra Club. Not some distant environmental organization. YOU.
"ONLY YOU CAN SAVE..."
It placed the power - and responsibility - directly in your hands. It made you the main character in a high-stakes drama where something magnificent and irreplaceable hung in the balance.
I'm always talking about using storytelling in your marketing. Telling a story about your products, your brand, your team. A story that pulls the right people to hang around with you.
But the truth is that the most powerful story isn't about your product entirely. It's about your customer, and the role your product plays in their heroic journey.
Let's take a healthy trail mix. Here's what typical ads would look like. "Packed with 7 superfoods to boost your energy!" or "Good-for-you organic ingredients!"
Benefit focused, but boring and non-specific. Definitely doesn't tell a story.
But what if your trail mix brand instead said:
"Only you can rescue your 3PM workday from another coffee-and-sugar crash."
Suddenly, it's not about the trail mix. It's about the customer - fighting the daily battle against fatigue, trying to stay productive, wanting to make healthier choices but struggling when that afternoon slump hits.
Your customer becomes the hero, making the smart choice that will help them power through their day, finish that project, and still have energy left for their family when they get home.
Your trail mix? It's the trusty sidekick, the magical elixir that gives the hero the strength they need for their journey.
Look at your current marketing. Is your customer the hero, with your product acting as their partner-in-crime to achieve the impossible? Or are they just a passive observer watching you talk about how great your brand is?
When you make your customer the hero - when you show them that THEY have the power to solve a problem, feel better, look better, live better - with your product as the trusty sidekick... that's when magic happens.
That's when people act. That's when they buy.
So ask yourself: in the story your marketing tells, who's the hero?
Use this formula to help you figure it out:
This isn't just about a catchy headline. It's about shifting your entire marketing perspective to make your product into the customer's partner in becoming a hero.
It turns your product into the magical sword, the wise mentor, the secret map - an essential tool, yes, but not the main character.
Some more examples:
For a natural cleaning product: "You can banish brain-damaging chemicals from your kid's playroom with PureClean Spray."
For a planner/journal: "You can conquer your relationship-destroying rage using the Mindful Minutes journal."
Not sure what angle to take? Let's figure it out together.