The Herald

"Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. Of course you know all about Hogwarts." / "Sorry, no." / "No? Blimey Harry. Didn't you ever wonder how your mum and dad learned it all?" / "Learned what?" / "Yer a wizard, Harry."

"Hello, Neo." / "How do you know that name?" / "I know a lot about you. I've been wanting to meet you for some time." / "Who are you?" / "My name is Trinity."

There is a moment in every great story where the hero is met by a character Joseph Campbell calls "The Herald."

The Herald's job is to introduce the hero to a new world.

A new way of thinking. A new way of being.

It's an invitation. A vision of a life that looks different than the one they're living today.

Hagrid is a herald.

So is Trinity.

So is Gandolf and the white rabbit and R2D2 and countless other characters from stories that go all the way back to ancient mythology from all over the globe.

I love this archetype.

Because those of us with the title "marketers" are heralds too.

It's our job to invite people to a new way of thinking. To a new world that looks different than the one they're living right now.

Sometimes we do it ourselves via personal branding, social media, or something similar where we are the voice the audience hears.

Other times we do it through an ad or a brand or some other trusted voice.

What is influencer marketing if not an attempt to introduce an audience to a new way of living?

To a product we hope will solve a problem for all those prospective customers we hope will buy our product or service?

We marketers call this the "top of the funnel."

It's the moment we finally have the target audience's attention — the moment they aware that we might have something they want.

We're calling them forward into the unknown, into an adventure.

"As a preliminary manifestation of the powers that are breaking into play... the crisis of [the herald's] appearance is the "call to adventure."

- Joseph Campbell. The Hero With a Thousand Faces. Chapter 1. "The Call to Adventure"