I realised this the hard way.
In the back seat of a cab, half listening to a podcast ad.
The host was talking about a product I might actually need. And then came the speech:
We started this company because we believed the market was broken. We spent years perfecting the solution. We built a world-class team. We are redefining the industry.
Ten seconds in, I wasn’t convinced. I wasn’t even curious.
I was tired.
Not because the product was bad.
But because once again, I had been demoted to a supporting character in someone else’s origin story.
That’s when the line became very clear to me:
The hero isn’t you.
And yet, most brands act like it is.
The ‘About Us’ page nobody finishes.
A few years ago, I was reviewing a website for a company that genuinely did good work.
Their “About Us” page started like this:
Founded in 2012 by industry veterans with over 40 years of combined experience…
I scrolled.
There were awards. Growth charts. Certifications. Logos.
More “we”.
About halfway through, I realised something odd.
I still hadn’t found the customer.
Not even a cameo appearance.
No moment of:
- What problem was someone struggling with
- What risk were they facing
- What changed in their life because this company existed
Just a beautifully documented self-portrait.
So I asked a simple question in the review call:
Where does your customer first appear in this story?
There was a pause.
Then someone said, very sincerely, “Well, we are the story.”
That’s the trap.
Brands mistake effort for importance.
Yes, you worked hard.
Yes, your journey matters to you.
But to the customer, your backstory is just the opening credits.
They haven’t bought a ticket yet.
The demo that tried to save the world
Another moment that stayed with me was during a product demo.
The presenter opened with a slide titled “Our Vision.”
It was ambitious. Inspirational. Borderline cinematic.
In the next five minutes, we were shown:
- The company’s philosophy
- Their long-term roadmap
- The change they wanted to bring to the industry
Only after fifteen minutes did someone on the buyer side interrupt:
Sorry, can we come back to what we will be able to do differently on Day 1?
That interruption said everything.
Customers don’t wake up wanting to join your mission.
They wake up wanting to:
- Reduce risk
- Finish work on time
- Stop a recurring problem
- Look competent in front of their boss
- Go home without carrying unresolved issues
When brands lead with their purpose instead of the customer’s problem, they flip the story upside down.
They become the hero, giving a speech.
The customer just wants to survive the scene.
Why brands keep making this mistake
Because inside the company, the brand is the hero.
Every internal story reinforces it:
- We built this in six months.
- We pulled an all-nighter.
- We pivoted.
- We shipped.
Those are real stories. Meaningful ones.
But they’re internal morale stories, not external trust stories.
Trouble starts when brands export internal narratives directly to the market.
It’s like showing your gym progress photos to strangers and expecting applause.
Wrong audience. Wrong lens.
The subtle shift that changed everything
I once worked with a team that made one small, almost boring change to their messaging.
They replaced:
We provide 24/7 support with enterprise-grade technology.
With:
When something breaks at 10:47 pm, you won’t be left guessing what happens next.
Same capability.
Different hero.
Suddenly, the story wasn’t about availability; it was about relief.
And something interesting happened.
Sales conversations changed tone.
Support teams started repeating the same language.
Customers began quoting that line back.
Because for the first time, the customer could see themselves in the story.
What it actually means to make the customer the hero
It doesn’t mean:
- Removing your brand
- Downplaying your competence
- Pretending you don’t matter
It means understanding your role correctly.
You are not the hero.
You are the guide.
The Gandalf.
The Yoda.
The seasoned driver who knows the road.
Your job in the story is not to win.
Your job is to make the customer win.
Which means your narrative should answer their questions, not yours:
- What problem am I facing right now?
- What’s the risk if this goes wrong?
- What does success look like for me?
- How do you help me get there?
- And what happens when things don’t go as planned?
If those questions aren’t centre-stage, the story collapses, no matter how elegant the words are.
A simple check before you publish anything
Before you ship your next post, deck, or campaign, do this quick test:
Circle every sentence that starts with:
- We
- Our
- Us
Now ask:
If I removed half of these, would the story become clearer or weaker?
If it becomes clearer, you have your answer.
Conclusion
Stories don’t fail because brands are arrogant.
They fail because brands are too close to themselves.
You live inside your company’s struggles and wins.
Your customer lives inside theirs.
The moment your story starts with their tension, not your triumph, people lean in.
Because finally…
They are the hero again.
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