One of the world’s most endearing superheroes has just been rebooted yet again to appeal to a generation rapidly embracing technology. The sight of Spiderman actually answering his cell phone, in the midst of fighting crime, is an example of just how the brand has transformed with the times. Or perhaps he is purely the victim of an oppressive tariff plan that demands all incoming calls must be answered.

But on a more serious note, there are many subtler ways in which this popular brand has continuously reinvented itself. Actually, several of these nuances, which sculpt the Spiderman saga, present interesting parallel learning for several other domains of human interest. And in an ultra-competitive marketing world, where managers are continuously seeking inspiration to get their brands to scale greater heights, who better to borrow inspiration from, than the world’s most famous wall crawler.

Changing the unpleasant Children are usually terrified of spiders, even many adults for that matter. Arachnophobia — a word exists in the language to accommodate this rather common dread. And yet the act of spinning an interesting tale, around so undesirable an object, ensures that the audience is able to look beyond their own qualms, and see something entirely different. Proving once again, it is not merely about the person or product in question by itself. It is always about the layers and dimensions that one is able to add while communicating, which makes the critical difference.

This presents some fascinating lessons for the branding world. Marketers frequently grapple with the challenge of making something seem less intimidating, or less cumbersome, or less boring. Spinach was perhaps viewed as a dull vegetable on the plate by children; but in the hands of Popeye it became an elixir for superhuman strength. The team at Volkswagen was able to nurture an elaborate saga around the rather odd shape of the Beetle, which subsequently drove the brand to cult status.

The insurance industry in India began to make significant inroads when the conversation shifted from ‘what happens after dying’, to ‘how can one live better’. Just like the case of Spiderman, these examples do show that the challenge of having to overcome something unpleasant does also offer the opportunity to be able to weave a web of intrigue.

Leveraging an accident The life of Peter Parker changes one fateful day because he gets bitten by a radioactive spider. This incident takes a normal person and gives him a shot at greatness by making him a super-hero. Would Peter Parker’s story have displayed any bite (pun intended), had he not crossed paths with that extraordinary creature? It seems highly unlikely. The whole legend of Spiderman is predicated on that one random accident.

Accidents do also play a somewhat underappreciated role in the creation of great brands. Viagra was stumbled upon in the quest for a drug which reduced blood pressure. The whole concept of one-day cricket arose because four days were rained out in an Ashes test match. Both teams then decided to put up an impromptu show for the gathered audience. The lesson to learn here is just because something has not been planned for does not mean it has no value. Organisations and brand teams that have the flexibility to closely examine the by-products of their endeavours are most likely to enjoy great success. And that is simply no accident.

A younger perspective Spiderman made an appearance much later than the other two cult superheroes who defined the genre— Superman and Batman. Interestingly, the creator chose to pitch the character as a teenager, compared with the more mature personas of the other two. This opened up a world of opportunities. At an audience level, there was the chance of resonance with the primary reader of comic books.

At the story level, making Spiderman a teenager gave the icon immense scope. He could be funnier, a bit temperamental, prone to making mistakes, susceptible to the wiles of the experienced and more likely to be devastated by the pitfalls of love. In other words, here was a superhero still dealing with the angst of adolescence. Needless to say, that made for interesting storytelling.

Taking on an established brand in the marketplace is never an easy venture. The leader usually has the advantage of defining the expectations in that category. It can set the tone and topic of the conversation. It becomes very difficult for a later entrant to appropriate attention. But brands that have looked at this challenge a little innovatively have done well. Take Pepsi’s famous repositioning of Coke by declaring it was ‘the choice of a new generation’, thus making its rival lose a lot of its fizz.

Injecting the brand with a younger point of view is often a smart strategy. Especially considering how often audiences look towards brands to fulfil their needs of feeling more ‘with the times’. Brands which bring back youth inevitably trigger rich emotions. No wonder few can forget Bryan Adam’s words about his younger times, ‘those were the best days of my life’.

There is a world of difference between the incredible life of the amazing Spiderman, and the dolorous existence of Peter Parker. While Spiderman is the super-hero who breathtakingly swings over the city, Peter Parker finds it difficult to make ends meet. Spiderman commands attention wherever he is; it is easy for people to ignore the ‘ordinariness’ of Peter Parker. And yet both need each other. The greatness of Spiderman is glad to find refuge, from time to time, in the mundane life of Peter Parker. In many ways this idea interestingly captures the concept of there being several identities within the same person.

Brands which understand and embrace this multiplicity of identity do set themselves up for some truly engaging tales. Consumers frequently seek liberation from boring monochromatic perceptions; brands that tap into this insight can leverage a lot of mindshare. Take the case of Tata Safari, which celebrated the fact that there was an outdoorsy, adventurous streak to its white-collar clientele.

Hence it extolled the virtues of taking the rough with the smooth. Parle Krackjack has, for many decades, entertainingly alluded to our sweet and not-so-sweet nature in its communication. In the end, there are various facets to each of us, and staying too long in any one is quite a strenuous task. Even Spiderman would have long hung up his boots had he not had the option of the Peter Parker mode.

Beyond the obvious To be fair, these are but a few thought starters when one examines the various aspects of the Spiderman epic and brings that cross reference to bear on the challenge at hand. For the discerning mind, many others readily present themselves. Like the advantage of appropriating an adjective to one’s brand; remember, it is ‘The Amazing Spiderman’.

The idea is to look beyond the obvious when it comes to taking brand thinking to the next level. And peering outside the window and perhaps onto the wall of the next building might just get us to think about someone who could infuse much-needed super-power into our brand.

(Vinay Kanchan is a trainer in the art of creative thinking and a brand ideation consultant. He is also the author of the book ‘The Madness Starts at 9’. He can be contacted at vinaykanchan5@gmail.com )

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