Deion Sanders, Brand Building, & The Art of Storytelling

The Hero's Journey

Deion Sanders has been dominating the news cycle this month, and for good reason too.

Last week’s game against Colorado State was one of the most watched college football games ever.

Let me repeat that… 

It was one of the most watched college football games EVER. 

Coming in at number 5 on ESPN’s late-night list, over 9.3 million viewers tuned in to catch the hype.

For those who didn’t see the game, it had all the makings of an epic story. It was biopic-worthy, even.

Going into the game there was a lot of pressure…

Jay Norvell from Colorado state berated Coach Prime for not looking “respectable” during interviews, & critics were (and still are) waiting on the “Prime Effect” to lapse.

IT WAS PERSONAL.

The late-night game started with a star player, Travis Hunter, suffering an injury after a dirty hit, and for most of the game, it looked like the Buffaloes were going to lose.

The culture was nervous.

A loss would mean that Deion would have to eat his words, and “The Prime Effect” would be considered a fluke.

IT WAS PRESSURE.

With only a minute or so left in the game, the Buffaloes drove the ball 98 yards to tie the game.

By the time it was all said and done, the game went into double overtime and ended with a win for the Buffaloes.

Everyone on the East Coast could finally sleep, and Coach Prime was vindicated.

That’s a great story, right?

It’s the type of story that every brand can tell if they have the right pieces, and it’s important to think about because it pays dividends to develop a story like that.

Say what you want about Prime and the “The Prime Effect”, but in his words…

It’s not Bull-Jive

Think about it…

In Colorado’s second week with Deion Sanders as a coach, the city’s local economy saw an $18 million boost in the economy.

It’s The Prime Effect.

Blender Glasses had $1.2 million in sales ahead of the University of the Colorado vs Colorado State game.

Why is that?

It’s The Prime Effect.

But what underpins the Prime Effect?

What’s the thing that all marketers can learn from this?

Simple…

TELL A F**KING STORY WORTH TELLING

Deion Sanders has people who don’t even like College Football tuning into Colorado games. Sh*t, I’m even buying some Colorado merch.

That’s the power of storytelling.

It captivates you.

You feel like a part of the larger success — when Prime wins, it looks good for all of us.

For every Black person who deserves a shot at the big stage. For every person who doesn’t “Look the part” but they’ve got the goods. For every person who talks their sh*t, and can back it up too.

It’s elite storytelling.

And honestly… It doesn’t matter if Colorado wins another game this year, the lessons we all can take away from what they’ve done in the past few weeks are crystal clear.

Let’s talk about it.

**And, let’s add a dash of hip-hop before we kick it off. This is Deion Sanders song produced by Dallas Austin “Must Be The Money”

PART I: Build A Compelling Narrative

The Hero’s Journey is a storytelling structure that’s almost as old time itself, and it’s one that never fails to entertain.

Prime’s team (shoutout to Constance Schwartz-Morini & Sanders Jr.) has done an excellent job of creating a compelling narrative around him that starts back at his time in Jackson State.

Let’s break it down a bit..

A. The Charismatic leader

Deion Sanders has always been Primetime.

He’ll tell you in a heartbeat that “Prime” was a character he created — one that’s helped him amass incredible levels of success.

Whenever he stepped on the field, he came with charisma to back up the talent. It made him a great. It made him distinct.

Even after football, you could see that Deion had the makings of someone built for the limelight.

Which leads us to…

B. The Call To Adventure

In 2020, Coach Prime said he was called to a task.

Something that many at his level would never think to do.

He was called to go to Jackson, Mississippi — a place facing a water crisis and levels of poverty that make the U.S. look like a third world country.

If you look at the clip below (around the 2:40) mark, he spells out exactly how he was called to the adventure of coaching JSU.

And for those who don’t know…

HBCUs have historically had a rough go at it.

They don’t get the funding that the big schools get, and let’s be honest. Even though you will find elite talent at HBCU’s, they still aren’t respected in the same way that bigger schools are.

Consider how shocked everyone is by Shadeur’s performance when he was balling out at JSU. But because he was doing it at an HBCU, everyone discounted his talent. I digress…

C. The Tiny Moments

Part of what makes an epic story are the moments that make you feel connected to the hero's pain, motivations, and feelings about the journey.

The thing about what Prime has done is that he makes you feel like you’re in the trenches with him, and because of that, when he wins you feel that same joy you feel watching good overcome evil.

It’s about the tiny moments…

It’s the halftime interviews where he says the Heisman Trophy is gonna be chilling at Travis Hunter’s crib.

It’s when he sits with Taylor Rooks and says, "I’m a monument, not a moment"

A great storyteller makes you feel the gravity of the situation, and builds anticipation.

Prime has done that in spades.

PART II: Make The Story Communal

Prime’s story is inherently one that a lot Black people are rooting for. It’s a communal thing.

He tapped into The Culture.

This is a Black man who went back to the community to help out after amassing his millions, and eventually he got called to an opportunity that many don’t get.

The reality is that his time at Colorado is bigger than him. It’s about the next Black Coach who needs a shot.

So if you’re asking yourselves why so many celebs come out to the games every week or why is The Rock in the locker room during the post game speech, it’s exactly that.

The culture is tuned in, because it’s a big moment for all of us.

Remember… A good story makes YOU feel like you’re on the journey with the hero.

This is definitely Prime’s story, but there are thousand’s if not millions of us on that journey with him.

THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING TOO…

The hype around the Colorado Buffaloes has literally captured the attention of a nation.

Let’s continue…

PART III: Have Great Assets

Every hero has some type of assistance that helps them achieve their ultimate goal. It can come in many forms too.

Harry Potter had his friends.

Michael Corleone had his father Don Corleone.

Beatrix Kiddo had a Hatori Hanzo sword.

You get it…

Every great brand has great assets too.

Nike has the Swoosh, Michael Jordan, and the “Just do It” tagline.

Apple has… Well, the Apple, and a charismatic co-founder in Steve Jobs.

Prime moves with the same mindset.

One if his greatest brand assets has been…

His Taglines

A. Gimme my theme music: After every win, Prime gives the post-game speech in the locker room, and closes out the meeting with the phrase “Gimme My Theme Music” — it’s so well known that after last week’s win, it was trending on Twitter.

B. It’s personal: Before the very first down of this season, people were doubting Prime and his team.

Rather than meet the criticism with hate, he told his team to remember the doubt that was cast on them and that “It’s personal”

The game against Colorado State made it even more apparent. And like any good tagline it even appears on the merch.

C. Do you believe now?: After winning the first game of the season Prime made sure to call out the reporters who talked trash about him and the team before the season started

My point though is this…

I’m barely a football fan and I remember these taglines from memory.

I didn’t have to research a thing. Why is that?

BECAUSE I’M WATCHING A GREAT STORY.

Let’s move on…

PART IV: Social Media To Even The Odds

Often on the journey, the hero doesn’t have all the tools he needs to succeed.

Harry Potter needed the Elder Wand.

Michael Corleone needed a hidden gun to take out Solazzo.

Beatrix Kiddo needed a special kung fu technique.

The same goes for Prime.

As result of not being properly funded at JSU, Prime and his team had to be scrappy & innovative.

His longtime associate and business partner Constance Schwartz-Morini recently said in an interview that they use social media to compete with better funded football programs.

His son Deion Sanders Jr. knew how to leverage social media, and together they started building his pops online presence.(And , he’s been killing it. Gotta give him his props seriously).

Why is it working?

Because, like any great story, you need to be able to see how the hero is evening the odds.

You need to know what’s happening inside the mind of the hero that will give them an edge over the antagonist, and Deion Jr. is providing that to us.

Think about The Wire…

What made McNulty such a compelling character was that we saw all the mess — his alcoholism, his degenerate ways etc. all in service of what he was really great at: Being a cop, and bringing down Avon (and eventually Marlo).

Prime is no way like McNulty, but my point is this:

His team uses social media to let us into the mind of Prime & The Buffaloes.

The BTS clips give the viewer a presence gives an insider view into the locker room.

if you’ve been in one before it makes you feel nostalgic/reaffirms what you know about the culture of a sports team.

If you’ve never been in a locker room before, they provide a glimpse into what you’ve never experienced.

It’s a win-win.

BONUS: Become a Branded House

Once the core of your story exists, build it out.

The Harry Potter Franchise consists of 7 books, 8 movies, a game and much more.

I say that to say the ways in which you can serve your audience are as endless as your imagination, so expand on your offerings by either creating a house of brands or a branded house.

As we’ve all seen by now, Prime’s team is elite and his business acumen is on point.

While the limelight is the brightest he’s been able to parlay that into a ton of opportunities.

He has partnerships in place with Aflac, and KFC and a TV series on Amazon Prime that’s heading into season 2. He even has a line of Blender sunglasses coming soon — that’s the brand he helped achieve $1.2 million in sales.

On top of that, it appears he has a merch deal with the University of Colorado — if you head to the website you can get some Coach Prime merch.

Although the brand is a person in this case, the concept still stands. It’s a great example of a branded house.

WHAT’S THE BOTTOM LINE?

Coach Prime has people who aren’t interested in football tuning in every night.

It’s because the story surrounding this team, and surrounding him keeps us on the edge of our seat.

When you’re at the top of the mountain everyone’s waiting to see you fall, or continue to defy expectations, and so far he’s continued to defy them.

The moral of the story for brands is really as simple as this.

Step away from the gimmicks and get back to telling a compelling story.

Find an iconic figurehead, or the right partner who’s on the cusp and tell a story people care about.

With that said, lemme go ahead and pay for this Colorado merch. I hope them boys go 12-0 this season.

Salute to Coach Prime.

Peace.