Transforming Your Story like Hasbro

On Tuesday, I wrote this fantastic email (please subscribe) about transforming goals, especially during this pandemic…which somehow got erased before I sent it.

So I’m trying again here. I’ll be honest, this isn’t as good, but it’s hard to catch that transforming lightning in a bottle more than once.

A Summer of Transformers

My kids have gotten into Transformers this summer. It started with the younger kid aimed Rescue Bots (the gateway drug), and has moved on to whatever else is available on Netflix.

Transformers was one of my favorite shows when I was about their age. Of course the new stuff is never as good as the original, but they’re enjoying it, which is what matters…especially since there’s few other things to do.

But with Transformers on the mind, I’ve been thinking about some lessons from what turned out to be a successful business model.

A Story to Sell

As everyone who has watched the fantastic The Toys that Made Us know, Transformers is a rebranding of the Japanese toy line Microman and Diaclone. Had Hasbro taken those toys and slapped some ‘Merica on them, they probably would have sold okay in the US–I mean, kids love robots, kids love trucks, and kids love fidgets. It’s perfect.

That’s not what they did, though. Instead, they took the GI Joe model, transforming this toy line into a phenomenon.

Instead of just throwing out toys, they hired Marvel to create a story. And kids, when they bought the toys, could take the backstory they read in the comics or watched on TV and become part of that story.

Finding Your Story

There’s a story to every business, it’s just a matter of whether it’s going to be the story you’ve made or a story that someone else makes about you.

Transformers is a clear example of Hasbro taking the story into their own hands. But–and this is important–they told it in a way to bring the kids into the story. It allowed the children to be the ultimate protagonist in this Cybertron adventure.

Your business (likely) isn’t selling toys. But you similarly need to find a story. It needs to be one that is interesting to your intended audience, something they can buy into. And–again, this is important–the client needs to see themselves in as the ultimate protagonist in the story your selling.

It’s not always easy to come up with that story. But think about the most successful creators. Banksy is known for his street art, telling the story that the world is his canvas and you’re a part of his art. Taylor Swift rose up with songs that let you feel like you’re part of her everyday life. Stephanie Meyers found success in Twilight with Bella as a blank character, telling an (allegedly sexy) fantasy world that allows the reader to imagine themselves in her shoes.

Everyone wants to be the hero in their own story. And that includes you with your business. But if your selling yourself as the hero, fewer people are going to be willing to come along. They don’t want you to rescue them, they want you to make their heroism better.

Don’t Kill Your Optimus Prime

One last thing in this admittedly weird transforming post…don’t kill your Optimus Prime.

Let me explain. In the Transformers movie (the original, not the one with Actual Cannibal Shia LaBeouf), Hasbro insisted that Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots, be killed off at the end. The goal was to introduce a new, better, more expensive replacement toy.

As the writers warned the company, this would prove to be a mistake. Optimus Prime was the Transformers. He was the heart and soul of the story.

There are times, especially when things are down like in a pandemic, where it’s tempting to transform some parts of what you’re doing to hopefully find success. This is a good process. You should be constantly trying to improve.

Just remember not to kill off what makes your business special.

Let’s take another quick look at Taylor Swift again. Her music has moved from light county to heavy pop to (most recently) calm indie. Yet she’s still successful. Her fans typically aren’t complaining about “when she used to be good.” Why? Because she seems to understand her Optimus Prime, that central piece of her music that people want. And it follows her no matter the style of beat.

So tell your story, find your Optimus, and keep it alive.