They Believe Because He Believes
The crowd is on their feet, their anticipation nearing its peak. They buzz and murmur, waiting for the cue they know is coming.
When the first notes from a familiar guitar riff ring from the public address system in the tiny arena, the crowd explodes with a thunderous cheer.
In the upper deck of Philadelphia’s Hammerstein Ballroom, which this crowd has dubbed ECW Arena, a lone man appears. Other than a shock of spiky bleached hair and a forehead covered in scars, he could be one of them. A baggy t-shirt and sweatpants do nothing to hide his physique. This is a man who appears to have spent more weekends watching sports than participating. A can of beer in one hand draws a sharp contrast to the kendo stick in the other. This is no superhero. It’s the drunk down the street yelling at the kids to stay off his lawn.
That doesn’t stop the rabid fans from surrounding him like a conquering hero.
The churning guitar of Metallica’s Enter Sandman propels the crowd’s energy as the chug of the instruments builds toward a crescendo. A cymbal crash kicks the song into overdrive, sending the already crazed fans to another level. The balcony shakes as if it will come crashing down onto the fans below.
The blonde man pops the top on the beer and slams the can against his forehead with fury, sending suds in every direction and opening a cut on his head that mixes with the beer to form a crimson mask.
The Sandman has arrived. And he has come to save every one of them.
Enter Sandman
In the 90s, Eastern Championship Wrestling was a small promotion trying to stay afloat as a bloody, adult-oriented version of the kid-friendly WWE. Owner and booker Paul Heyman – known to fans as Paul E. Dangerously – was a consummate hype man for this renegade promotion. He saw a niche for an alternative that would speak to disaffected Gen X young men, and boy did he give it to them. ECW matches featured “hardcore wrestling,” that was less about skill or cunning, and more about blood and carnage. Matches regularly included barbed wire, steel chairs and other weapons. Sexy, scantily-clad valets escorted their men to the ring. ECW was giving the crowd what they wanted – sex and violence from the comfort of the living room couch.
ECW matches told a story. But it wasn’t the typical good vs. evil morality play. They reflected what was going on in society. Gang warfare. The malaise and disaffection of the so-called “grunge” generation. And a healthy dose of punk and metal music to add to the frenzy of destruction.
Maybe nobody summed up this ethos more than James Fullington, aka Sandman.
Making his way through the crowd, the fans slap his back and tousle his hair, reveling in the moment. His descent from the upper deck of the arena takes the full run time of the song, and he milks every second for maximum effect. And the assembled crowd is in the palm of his hand.
At ringside, a commentator gives play-by-play to the people watching ECW on late-night TV on some off-brand cable network.
As the crowd emotes, the commentator throws out a line that encapsulates so much about pro wrestling, and about branding:
“They believe… because he believes.”
(Video gets slightly NSFW at the 2:30 mark)
They Believe
No matter what you’re selling, no matter what business you’re in, your customers need to believe.
And they won’t believe, unless you believe.
Of course you must believe in your product. But having a championship brand is more than belief in a product, a service, or in yourself. Your customer must believe in the story your product tells – not about itself, but about themselves. Because ultimately, we are not telling the story of our product; we are telling the story of their problem, and how they solved it with our solution.
Having a great story requires intentionality. It requires understanding what draws customers to you. It requires having a serious conversation among stakeholders that identifies the values you share, the culture you want to build, and how you want to communicate that to the world.
Many organizations struggle with this part. They’re good at the actual business - the make awesome cookies, or floral arrangements, or do a phenomenal job at installing kitchen cabinets. But so do many other companies. Why should the customer choose you over your competition? Identifying the ways in which people relate to a compelling story is the secret sauce that allows main event brands to stand out from the crowd and become the choice among many.
Are You Planning A Speaking Event?
What can the legends of the squared circle teach about making your organization a champion? Learn about The Four Corners - the four principles that will take your company to the main event. It’s an engaging, interactive presentation designed to get leaders thinking - and ACTING - on their drive to take their brands to the top. If you’re planning a speaking event in 2025 or beyond, find out how to make The Four Corners part of your event.
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Learn the secrets of a championship brand story. Through guided conversations with key stakeholders, you will discover the Four Corners developed specifically for your organization. With this roadmap to a unique Brand Vision and a set of guiding principles, your entire team will operate under a unified vision and voice, and your organization will be on the path to becoming a Main Event Brand.