The 42Works team went to see Deadpool last year for one of our Fun Friday agendas (Yes, we are this COOL!). See, I’m a big superhero movie fanatic – the barrage of snippets, costumes and the action that leaves you breathless with non-stop speculations. But after watching one specific scene, I knew that Deadpool is going to be the antithesis of existing standards of Superhero movies.
In the scene, Wade Wilson (a.k.a Deadpool) was on a killing spree to hunt down Francis (a.k.a Ajax), I noticed something very relatable to my work: His superhero suit – A simple gray sweatshirt, his First Draft in the costumes.
He chose the easiest possible costume and most importantly, it worked for him until it got blood all over it.
After learning that gray sweatshirt and blood don’t go together, Wade just entered his first proofreading session. He experimented more about the costume - replacing red with gray, choosing a more ventilated fabric, until he finally got the ultimate “Deadpool Anti-Hero Costume” – the Final Draft.
“You may wonder why I am wearing a red suit — it’s so the bad guys can’t see me bleed”
And in that very moment, Wade officially started the Build-Measure-Learn engine: The stepping stone of any startup launch – be it a blog or a product.
But my “learning-journey” didn’t just end with Deadpool. There are 2 more talkies that left me spellbound with their preachings.
So here are the best marketing lessons that these blockbusters of the year 2016 have taught me.
Dangal
Success is just outside of your comfort zone
Like any other Aamir Khan movie, Dangal has been made with dedication and perfection. The true and inspiring story soulfully shows how Mahavir Singh Phogat coached his daughters to win a gold medal for his country.
But there is one particular sequence, where Mahavir realizes that his daughters need protein (Read: Non-Veg) to get stronger, that leaves you with a lifetime precept.
Despite chicken being out of his ‘vegetarian’ morals and economical P.O.V, he convinced a butcher to provide him chicken at a nominal rate and cooked it himself.
Similarly, startups should also learn to step out of their comfort zones and learn that there is no secret sauce to success except hard work and diligence.
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
A Reliable Team Is Key to Success
“There has been an awakening… have you felt it?”
Yes. I felt the awakening this movie has taught me and I’m sure you will too!
The Star Wars team on a whole is a leadership lesson in itself. I would totally want Chewy on my team – all cool, faithful, strong and fuzzy. What a guy!
And who doesn’t want a Jedi, a princess, and a cute stubby little robot on their side?
But seriously, for a startup, the most important component of success is a great team – one that’s fighting for a shared cause and that has your back and pulls you up when you need it. No evil empire was ever toppled by an individual. It’s always a team that wins – a team that started out small and scrappy with a shared vision, with members who often have complementary talents, each of whom is invaluable in making that vision a reality.
The Takeaways
While you might not have 40 years of a galactic sci-fi franchise in your name or the luxury to have “Sexiest Man Alive” in red spandex, there’s a lot you can learn from these movies and more that you can apply to your business.
If any other movie has managed to inspire you to buck up your game, feel free to share it in the comment section below.
