On January 22, 1984, an American legend was made.
That was the night Hulk Hogan won his first WWF Championship, defeating the Iron Sheik, stripping him of his heavyweight title and launching “Hulkamania,” which was the start of his rise to becoming one of the most well-known and loved celebrities of pop culture.
The storyline for the match could not have been more ideal: The Iran hostage crisis was still fresh in the minds of all Americans, where 66 Americans, including diplomats and other civilian personnel, were taken hostage at the US Embassy in Tehran in 1979, with 52 being held until 1981. This fueled a significant sense of hatred and animosity between the US and Iran.
The Iron Sheik was more than a smug, sadistic “bad guy” of wrestling – he was the actual bodyguard of the Shah of Iran, serving in the Imperial Iranian Army, turning this match into a symbolic “good vs. evil” battle between Iran and the US of A.
Hogan stormed into the venue full of piss and vinegar, wearing a tank top that said, “American Made,” to patriotic music and a roaring crowd. He stepped into the ring and ceremoniously ripped off his shirt and immediately attacked the Iron Sheik, who had not even taken his robe off. Multiple times throughout the fight, we thought the Sheik was going to beat Hogan, but Hogan managed to shake him off and ultimately win, even escaping the Sheik’s famous “Camel Clutch” signature move for winning a match.
Once he beat him, Hulkamania took off, his fame growing in leaps and bounds with then celebrities fighting over front-row seats at his matches, making wrestling mainstream and making Hogan an American celebrity, not just a wrestling star.
What was THE key turning point to his success?
A fantastic story of good winning over evil.
Those who aren’t paying attention might think this type of fame is all “fake” and not worth noting. They would argue, “That’s not the business I’m in,” dismissing Hogan’s strategies and claiming they don’t have any relevance to their own goals of growing a professional service business. I would argue that’s extremely shortsighted.
If you’re a fan of Don Miller’s StoryBrand (which we are as a certified agency), you know that stories are how we make sense of the world around us, with people in our lives playing characters in our stories, both good and evil. Hogan built a storyline around his strategically designed character, nailing the persona of an American superhero that resonated with his audience.
In business, you need a hero as well – but that’s not you. Your customer should be the hero of your story, with you as the guide, helping them to overcome the challenges and difficulties in their world, your mission to fight the villains in their story, righting the epic injustices happening to them.
Hogan, and all of wrestling, understood the necessity of story in selling tickets and gaining popularity. In fact, that’s exactly how they made wrestling go mainstream – they built characters and story plots that people wanted to follow. The wrestling was simply the “media” for delivering the story, just like many enterprises.
Take Starbucks as an example. They’re success was never about the coffee. The original idea of Starbucks was about giving people a welcoming “third place” between home and work, where they could gather with friends or simply be “alone” without feeling alone. McDonald’s most successful advertising campaign, “You deserve a break today,” was not about the food. It was a story about serving a beleaguered mom working full-time, trying to be a good parent but struggling under the weight of many responsibilities.
At TMT, our Producers Club in particular is not just about “better marketing.” It’s about being in a community of people who “get you” because they’re going through the same challenges you are, with the same ambitions. Producers Club (and all of our programs) is about getting support and understanding in a world that doesn’t appreciate or even respect the value MSPs deliver to their (mostly) ungrateful customers. And it’s about recharging your batteries in a world that constantly drains your honest ambition to grow, provide value and take care of people.
This is the reality of most products we buy – we are buying the story and the characters, not the tangible benefits. Some questions to ponder:
How are you making your customer the hero of your story?
How are you making yourself a trusted, beloved guide to your customers? A superhero?
Who are the characters in your company’s story?
Who and what are the villains you’re fighting?
What is the epic injustice you are fighting to correct?
And how are you telling and living out your story, again and again, to your audience?
Because Hogan was a Master of Marketing and a successful entrepreneur, I had our speaker bureau reach out to his manager to have him at this past July’s Producers Club meeting.
Unfortunately, his health was in decline and he ultimately passed away last week, on July 24. I regret I didn’t get the opportunity to secure that interview. I’m sure it would have been extremely insightful and an interview I would have never forgotten.
RIP, big man. You are a legend in many ways.
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