12x34 Story Framework

12x34 Story Framework rests on the critical theory of the monomyth by Joseph Campbell. Backed by many years of practice and research, the 12x34 Story framework has been a handy guide for for-profit and not-for-profit businesses and brands wanting to tell stories that mean business. It contains five storyboards anyone can use. See below

Name

First Name

Last Name

Title of Class/Workshop

Please mention your class name or the workshop where you came across the 12x34 framework.

What are you marketing?

Define your market: industry, domain, category. What's the core action you want your audience to take when they engage with your work? Who are your top three competitors?

Frame 1: Describe the storyworld of your end-user or audience

What aspects of your audience's ordinary world—social, technological, environmental, political, financial, celebratory, routine, or cultural—shape their story?

Frame 2: Given their storyworld and your market, what is your user/audience's DRAMATIC NEED?

What keeps them awake at night? What makes them escape the ordinary? What is their big dream? What kind of future excites them?

Frame x: What's in the way of your audience/user dramatic need?

In Lion King, it's the jealous uncle, Scar. In Cinderella, it's the wicked stepmother and rival siblings. X can also be an internal conflict - self-doubt, beliefs, etc. Ensure your X has a narrative to its name. Not just a stepmother but a wicked stepmother. Not just 'money in politics,' but 'BIG' money in politics, low self-esteem, and impostor syndrome. Framing the X here is key to your storytelling strategy.

Frame 3: In light of the above, who are you and what do you bring to the hero (your audience/user)

Rafiki in Lion King brings mentorship, healing, and protection to Simba. The fairy godmother in Cinderella brings beauty and confidence to a downtrodden princess. What's your big solution addressing their dramatic need?

Frame 4: What big lesson or wisdom do you want us to take away from this experience? Start with BECAUSE...

Frame this part to mirror your marketing pitch. Using the Lion King, your framing could be as simple as "because dreams are worth fighting for." Musing on Cinderella, it could be every girl deserves their princess moment

Put it altogether as in the example below.

Many young girls struggle to compete with social media's beauty standards. They often retouch photos, use filters, or even delete their pictures. Numerous social media platforms have been urged to regulate the toxic content that makes beauty seem unattainable for young women. Some lobbies argue that this regulation infringes upon free speech. Nevertheless, a significant number of girls report feeling depressed because they believe they are not beautiful enough. Lola is one of them. Lola, a member of our audience, wants to post her picture on social media and receive likes from everyone. However, an internal voice tells her she will never be beautiful enough. SnapMe is a new AI app that helps young women post their pictures on social media with confidence. Like a fairy godmother in Cinderella, SnapMe brings magic to social posting, because SnapMe believes every girl deserves her princess moment online.