I still remember the day I first learned about Joseph Campbell's "The Hero's Journey."
It was during my early days as a teacher, running a copywriting and messaging class for a corporate client.
I was searching for frameworks that could help me tell better stories. And there it was, a callback to my fiction writing days.
Campbell's monomyth, the idea that all great myths and stories follow a common pattern where the hero ventures from the ordinary world, faces trials, and returns transformed, became the blueprint for how I understood the transformative power of storytelling in marketing.
What struck me most was Campbell's focus that every hero needs something to overcome.
Not just monsters or villains, but beliefs, systems, and internal barriers that keep them from their true potential.
This concept fundamentally changed how I approached brand storytelling. The most memorable brands take a stand against something that's holding their audience back.
When I founded Alt Marketing School, I wanted to create a space where marketers could challenge the status quo. Where we could collectively rewrite the tired narratives that have dominated our industry for too long.
And that's what this newsletter is about: finding your brand's antagonist (the belief or system worth challenging) and using it to galvanise your audience into action.
Because as Campbell taught us, it's the struggle against the antagonist that makes the hero's journey worth taking.
and yes, I created a handy worksheet for you as well.