What is it that gets us sucked into a good movie or tv show?

According to Aaron Sorkin, the writer of movies like ‘A Few Good Men’ and ‘The Social Network’ - and the hit TV show, The West Wing - it’s a phrase he calls ‘Intentions and Obstacles’.

In a movie, Intentions are the character's objects of desire.

And Obstacles are the conflicts and problems the character encounters along the journey.

Mark Zuckerberg’s Objects of Desire

When Aaron Sorkin saw the book proposal for ‘The Social Network’, he saw the makings of a great story with lots of intentions and obstacles.

Intentions (Object of Desire):

Mark wanted the girl. He wanted to be accepted. He wanted a social life. He wanted to be cool.

But he couldn’t get into the cool groups, so he created a virtual one (Facemash) to meet his desire so he could be king of his own world.

Obstacles (Problems and Consequences):

The obstacles to building the world's biggest site include 2 lawsuits, falling out with his best friends, his battle with investors and Napster with billions of dollars on the line.

I think you’d agree that the story of building Facebook would be pretty boring without that conflict and resulting tension.

Hook Your Customers In with Intentions & Obstacles

So how can this simple framework help your marketing?

You need to know your target audience (the character) object of desire. You need to know their hopes and dreams which can only be satisfied when they buy your products or services. That’s their intention.

The obstacles are all the problems and consequences they are currently suffering from or could face if they don’t buy your products and services.

Want to engage and attract more customers into your world? Tell a better story using Intentions and Obstacles.

A Micro Lesson in Storytelling: How to Attract More Customers by Creating Conflict & Tension In Your Marketing

What is it that gets us sucked into a good movie or tv show? According to Aaron Sorkin, t

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