As these words are being written, Egypt is burning. Political upheaval, the likes of which have not been seen for over thirty years, is tearing the country apart. Protesters fill the streets. Americans are being advised to avoid the country, and if they’re in Egypt now, do everything within their power to leave. The police force is nowhere to be seen; the role the army will play is entirely uncertain. Fighter jets are flying low over the streets of Cairo, in an attempt to disperse the crowds.
Across the ocean, the public is struggling to understand exactly what is happening. The mainstream media and blogosphere alike are trying to explain the situation to people who, more likely than not, don’t think about Egyptian politics regularly, if at all. How are they doing this?
Events are moving faster than they can be explained. What we’re seeing is a scramble for narrative; the professional pundits and opinion makers know that the best way to connect with their audience and convey information appropriately is to find a way to frame the events of the day in a form that will be familiar. From Les Miserables rhetoric of revolution to street scenes said to resemble The Lord of The Ring’s hellish land of Mordor, we embrace fantastical visions to better understand reality.
Relevant historical accounts have their place, of course. It’s impossible to see tanks maneuvering among throngs of protesters without remembering Tiananmen Square. The US diplomatic corps has already iterated its desire to not see that particular story play out again. A narrative from the past can serve as a guide for future events, but it can also be a cautionary tale.
We must, if we want to achieve full understanding, move beyond our perception of events and embrace instead the Egyptian’s own perspective. We must have a solid grasp on how the parties involved see themselves in terms of a larger cultural narrative.
Man, Mythos, and Meaning
In Why We Talk , we examine the underlying psychological motivations that determine what makes customers discuss the companies they enjoy doing business with with their friends and peers.
The events in Egypt parallel, on a much more dramatic level, some of the challenges business owners have. The media is scrambling to find the appropriate story and images to communicate to the public exactly what is happening on the ground, and what all of the chaos is about. Without that narrative, the essential meaning won’t get through.
Consider then the challenge of communicating your brand essence, your organizational identity, to a public that knows little, if anything of who you are. In much the same way that journalists are reaching for well-known, relevant allusions, we must find the stories that resonate with our customers. More than that, we must find the tales that our best customers see themselves within, playing the hero role.
It’s not clear yet what the Egyptian narrative for this change is or will be. In the business world, we can look to the Marlboro man, icon symbol of rugged independence, and see the role of narrative at play. The loyalist Marlboro customer may not know one end of a horse from the other, but that doesn’t matter: they can see themselves as that cowboy, resourceful, independent, and strong.
Know the story that your audience values the most, and you’ll know how to connect in a meaningful, effective way. Egypt’s leadership has lost track of that narrative. Dominant companies can not afford to do the same.