7 Basic Plots for Value Proposition Design

I made this Sketchnote to illustrate the different types of stories for value proposition design.

There's a need that causes a change in a person's life, and attending to that need transforms the person too. Our best fit customer, like all humans is living a story in their heads. If we can identify the plot, we can map much more powerful customer journeys.

More importantly, if we know what our customer is going through, we can identify where and how our brand, as a mentor (facilitator, coach, assistant, magician and gifter of boons) can feature in their lives. The intervention must not only help the customer get what they want, it should also trigger personal transformation.

I like how this 7 Basic Plots framework plays out alongside the more frequently used brand archetype wheel. You identify the nature of the customer's journey - the kind of metaphorical monsters that need to be fought, and then use the wheel to define the kind of mentor your brand will be to assist them on that journey.

I think these storytelling approaches will work exceptionally well for challenger brands. I have a strawman ready for this in case anyone wants to try it out for themselves.