Why people love sherlock holmes

Why do people love BBC’s hit TV series Sherlock Holmes?

– Promise, Aspiration, & Application.

– There are a few key factors that aided me in my deduction:

1. The show promises and delivers every time :- Not a single episode has gone by that’s failed to capture the audience. Its got a strong storyline, that’s well integrated – start to finish. For Sherlock Holmes, be it a bomb that has to be diffused, or a serial killer to be nabbed, he delivers every time. He saves the day in each and every episode. That’s a promise. Something brand’s need to aim for in their marketing efforts – consistency in execution.

2. Its got an aspirational lead character :- From the sharp appearance of Sherlock Holmes to his quick wit and strong deduction skills, he’s somewhat of an idol to a lot of people. Its the superhero effect, that applies to a lot of people that look for a role model in their lives, consciously and sub-consciously. Maria Konnikova is absolutely obsessed with Sherlock Holmes and her latest book “Mastermind: How to Think Like Sherlock Holmes” dives into the methodology of the deduction skills of Holmes. This “Super-Hero” phenomenon is not unique to tv shows, movies or comic-books. Steve Jobs was considered as a hero by many of his employees, as was Warren Buffet. Their unique combination of skill and luck made them inspirational and aspirational leaders. “We need idols to force us to think in a different manner. We need to test the new thought processes, and retain what makes sense to our cognitive selves. “

3. He’s got his weaknesses:- People like to watch him fail, momentarily of course, because failing is human. We learn from failures. His failure allows us (aka mere mortals) to connect with him for a few moments.

4. Relationships:- From Mrs. Hudson to Molly, Sherlock deals with each one of them in his unique way, giving rise to multiple scenarios and situations. You can’t help but to put yourself in the shoes of Sherlock Holmes as he tries to manage Molly’s advances, and Mrs. Hudson’s constant nagging. Regardless of what you encounter in your own lives, you experience a sense of relaxed adventure when you watch Sherlock manage these complex relationships.

“That’s what a good story does to us. It puts us in the shoes of the protagonist. Our whole world is transformed for a mere second or two, allowing us to learn from the experience and improve ourselves.”

5. Practical applications:- Superman teaches us courage, and batman resiliency. Both highly admired qualities that humans aim to acquire in their quest for self-improvement. Sherlock teaches us the importance of looking deeper into facts and creating connections where they may not have existed before. In other words, he’s a truth-teller in a world of lies, confusion and deception. That’s a quality that many people would like to have going into negotiations, presentations, and even relationships. If everyone could tell if the new client was a fan of golf just by looking at the length of his pants crease, you could leverage that information in your negotiations. If also, your loved one was cheating on you, you’d want to know that in an instant through the power of deduction.

Lessons for Marketing

These basic principles apply to marketing as well. When agencies create content marketing strategies, advertisement storyboards, or even a brand’s communication as a whole, they need to think about – Promise, Aspiration, & Application. After people watch your 30second tv spot, or read an article on your blog, they should have the answers to the following questions:-

Promise – What does this brand promise me, and can it deliver on that promise? Is the promise consistent, or does it change everytime?

Aspiration – Does this message make me want to follow your brand on social media? Does the content make me want to check out your products and services? Does the brand have an existing fan base that I can tap into? Does the brand stand for something bigger and better?

Application – What can I learn from this ad about myself, the product, or society as a whole? What can I understand from this infographic? How will this product affect my life? Does it have any interesting features? Does it perform better than the competition?