The Fight Club Guide to Successful Online Marketing

Stories sell, there’s no doubt about it.

But they don’t sell because they tell people what to do.

It’s what a story allows people to tell themselves that makes it a powerful selling tool.

Sometimes people do believe what you tell them.

But people rarely ever doubt what they themeselves.

Take the novel and film Fight Club for instance.

• Some see it as a story about disaffected men who find gratification in fighting each other.
• Others see it as a glorification of nihilism.
• Still others see a cautionary metaphorical rejection of our shallow, materialistic society.
• And a few recognize it as timeless allegory for the tough path to enlightenment.

Now, laying out these differing interpretations might just lead to a fight club in the comments among fans of the story who think their view is the correct one.

And everyone would be right.

The key to a strong story from a marketing standpoint is to start as deep as you can get.

Tell a simple story that has meaning on many levels, and you’ll allow more people to draw the conclusion that’s right for them.

After they buy, listen carefully to why.

The reason why David Fincher pulled off the rare feat of making a movie as good or better than Chuck Palahniuk’s fantastic novel is simple.

He filmed the timeless allegory, rather than taking the traditional Hollywood route that would simply tell the story of guys who fight.

Everything worked itself out from there.

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