Many of the enduring stories in our culture follow the three-act structure. This narrative structure can be found in books like The Old Man & The Seaand movies like Star Wars.

In the three-act structure, Act One establishes the world of the story and presents a call to adventure for the hero. Think of Hemingway’s unlucky old man Santiago, or bored farm boy Luke Skywalker.

Act Two brings change to the hero’s circumstance that threatens all they know. Acting on this change means uncertainty and fear, but holds the possibility of triumph. Doing nothing means being overwhelmed by events. In Old Man, Santiago must decide whether to take his fishing boat farther out to sea, or return home a failure. In Star Wars, Skywalker is faced with his destiny as a Jedi Knight taking on the evil Galactic Empire.

The second half of Act Two culminates in tragedy. For Santiago, it is a marlin dragging his tiny boat miles out to sea. For Luke it is the death of his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi at the hands of Darth Vader.

This tragedy is known as the Dark Night of the Soul. And this is where your customers are right now.

Storming the Castle

The COVID-19 virus brought uncertainty, economic distress and even death itself. The panic and fear surrounding this global pandemic forced unprecedented change on companies small and large. Deep discounting and cost-cutting are the norm as companies try to hold on just a little longer.

That’s where the climax of this story begins.

Act Three in our storytelling structure is sometimes called “Storming the Castle.” This is the moment the hero decides to face the villain head-on, and engage in a pitched battle for all the marbles. For Santiago it is the decision to fight the marlin no matter where the battle takes him. For Luke Skywalker it is the attack on the Death Star.

Our current anxiety and pent-up energy is going to result in a Storm the Castle moment, probably sooner than you think. As restrictions and curfews begin to ease, demand is going to explode.

Customers will be looking for security in their products and services. They will seek pandemic-proofing. Your customers don’t want features and solutions; they want to overcome and conquer. In short, they want to be a hero.

The right messaging at this moment is crucial. Are you going to pretend things are as they were back in Act One, or are you answering your customer’s call to Storm the Castle?

A New Hope

Companies that understand the Post-Pandemic world will speak to these anxieties by demonstrating that the stakes have never been higher.

In Star Wars, Luke’s attempt to Storm the Castle (or in this case, the Death Star) come up short. Turns out, destroying a planet-sized battle station isn’t as easy as bulls-eyeing Womp rats.

At the critical moment, Luke’s hears the words of his mentor, Obi-Wan: “Use the Force.” Understanding the stakes and armed with the solution, Luke destroys the Death Star and defeats the Empire.

Understanding where your customer is in the three-act structure is critical to helping them become the hero of their story. Facing the Dark Night of the Soul, their next move will determine their future. Will they be a casualty of the pandemic of 2020? Or will they pivot and, armed with a new hope, rise to the challenge?