Introduction
This is one of the most effective manifesto structures for new business pitches and campaign launches. The reason is because when they are done well, they’re packed with ideas for individual commercials, print ads, and other executions. The hard part is doing them well.
This shape got its name because of the path that you take the listener on. I picture the start of the journey being at the top right of the “S”, then a sinuous path all the way to the bottom left.
During that trip, you have a lot of work to do. You need to establish a problem they’ve never thought about before, share with them what you believe, demonstrate why the status quo is bad, show how it can be different, then get them excited about that difference.
It’s a long walk. But if you do it right, this can be the best manifesto to get people excited about a big idea.
How it works
Step 1: Problem — A captivating intro to what’s wrong
S Shapes always start with the Problem. You want to wake people up. Get their blood pumping. Don’t waste time talking about your history or who this manifesto is for. You want to come right out the gate with something heavy.
After all, this is why we’re writing an S Shape. We want to change perception. There’s something out there that really upsets your brand. It might not be serious, but it’s specific. You can define it and explain it in a few sentences. Your goal is to make it distinct, relevant, interesting, and solvable.
You can point out how something has lost its way:
Don’t go to Paris. Don’t tour Paris. Don’t go to the same places and take the same pictures. And please, don’t “do” Paris …
—from “Live There,” Airbnb
Identify something we do not appreciate enough:
Nature doesn’t need people. People need nature. Human beings are part of nature. Nature is not dependent on human beings to exist. Human beings, on the other hand, are totally dependent on nature to exist …
—from “Humanifesto,” Conservation International
Shine a light on the feelings of a subjugated group:
I was not put on this Earth to be invisible. I was not born to be denied. I was not given life only to belong to someone else …
—from “The Girl Declaration,” Girl Effect
Bring up an unsolved or persistent question:
Why do we explore? Do we simply want to go places we’ve never been before? …
—from “Never Stop Exploring,” The North Face
And there are endless more. Your goal is to open up a question in the minds of the listeners that needs to be solved. I’ve seen manifestos tell a quick story, reference a famous person’s opinion, quote a historical figure, create a mythical character, echo the words of a controversial author, surface thoughts from an influencer, and even the thoughts of the writer’s own parents.
When in doubt, just say the most staggering thing you can get away with.
This Black Friday, we’re closing all 143 of our stores …
—from “#OptOutside,” REI
I love this example from REI because it doesn’t look like a problem on the surface. It looks like it’s just an announcement, but the problem is baked in. What American company would close its stores on Black Friday, the biggest shopping day of the year? What would possibly justify that? It looks like there’s a problem with Black Friday, but what is it?
We’re intrigued. We want to know more. The point of the Problem is to make us want the answer. Luckily, we don’t have to wait long to get it. That’s coming directly in Step 2.
Step 2: Belief — Your take on the problem
Yep. You’re going to tell people right here what you believe. This is the step most writers miss. They want to get right into Step 3, and I get it. Step 3 is fun. It’s all ranting and whining. But there’s business to do first. You have to share your point. If you really want to hold it back till the end, it’s best to write a J Shape manifesto instead. For S Shapes, you want to change minds. To do that, you need to make sure you’re clear in Step 2 about what that change will be.
Why? Simply this: always remember your goal with S Shapes is transformation. After you have told people what the problem is, you want to get them out of their assumptions as quickly as possible. The rest of the manifesto is going to convince them that your belief is right. They can’t collect evidence if you haven’t first told them what kind of basket you want them to put it into.
Take another look at this Airbnb opening we just saw with the belief added in at the end:
Don’t go to Paris. Don’t tour Paris. Don’t go to the same places and take the same pictures. And please, don’t “do” Paris. Live there. Because when you live in Paris, you have your own home …
—from “Live There,” Airbnb
Notice how simple and clear that is. We know exactly where Airbnb stands on the problem. The Problem says, “Tourism has become heartless and routine.” The Belief says, “Airbnbs connect you to the city.”
As listeners, we might not have bought into this idea yet, but that’s okay. Now, we have the foundation to evaluate the rest of the manifesto. We know what we’re being asked to believe, and we’re ready to see if they can pull it off.
To demonstrate how important Step 2 is, take a look at the following. This is Diesel’s manifesto with the Belief removed, essentially going straight from Step 1 to Step 3. I’ve squished them together for effect:
Like balloons, we are filled with hopes and dreams but over time a single sentence creeps into our lives. Don't be stupid. It's the crusher of possibility. It's the world's greatest deflator. The world is full of smart people doing all kinds of smart things that smarts well.
Smart may have the brains, but stupid has the balls. Smart recognizes things for how they are. Stupid sees things for how they could be. Smart critiques. Stupid creates.
Do you feel your mind wandering? It seems like you’re supposed to know what the point is, but there’s nothing definitive to hold on to. This was always the trap I ran into when I started out. I never wanted to write the belief too soon. I figured it would deflate the tension and somehow make the script less interesting.
In truth, the opposite is true. Your script is only interesting once you state your belief. Notice the difference with those lines added back in:
Like balloons, we are filled with hopes and dreams but over time a single sentence creeps into our lives. Don't be stupid. It's the crusher of possibility. It's the world's greatest deflator. The world is full of smart people doing all kinds of smart things that smarts well.
We're with stupid. Stupid is the relentless pursuit of a regret free life.
Smart may have the brains, but stupid has the balls. Smart recognizes things for how they are. Stupid sees things for how they could be. Smart critiques. Stupid creates …
—from “Be Stupid,” Diesel
Notice the difference? We’re tuned in. Instead of trying to determine what the argument is, our brains have switched over to judging its quality. That’s perfect.
The good news is, you don’t have—and shouldn’t—spend a lot of time here. Be as brief as possible to get your idea across clearly. This usually takes a few sentences, but don’t have it go longer than necessary. Your only goal is clarity.
… We explore so we may know the earth better and, along the way, ourselves …
—from “Never Stop Exploring,” The North Face
… To live the High Life is to be a man. To return to simple, manly virtues; to a time when men didn't take themselves too seriously; when a man worked hard to create a better world for himself, his family, and his neighbor, and knew the proper reward for his efforts: Miller High Life Time …
—from “This is The High Life,” Miller
Each one states the concept, and each concept is interesting enough that we want to know more. We’re curious why a brand would take these points of view. We’re wondering what has led to them being this passionate about this thing. That’s when we’re ready for Step 3.
Step 3: Critique — Observations on what’s so bad
You’ve cleared the Problem and stated your Belief. Now, listeners are going to be looking to you to prove your point. The place to start is to take a scathing look at what’s wrong right now. Think of this as providing specific details of the Problem. What’s so bad? Who’s being affected? What does it look like day to day? What is the current situation that needs to be improved by your concept?
… The old schools of art were unable to produce this unity; how could they, since art cannot be taught. They must be merged once more with the workshop. The mere drawing and painting world of the pattern designer and the applied artist must become a world that builds again. When young people who take a joy in artistic creation once more begin their life’s work by learning a trade, then the unproductive “artist” will no longer be condemned to deficient artistry, for his skill will now be preserved for the crafts, in which he will be able to achieve excellence …
—from "Bauhaus Manifesto,” Walter Gropius
Your goal is to get people on your side by revealing how messed up things are right now. In shorter manifestos, this is often a list of challenging questions.
… What if they didn’t have to be the first, the best, or the only woman? …
—from “Be One of Many,” Mercedes-Benz
Critiques can also take the form of a pendulum swinging back and forth between the good and the bad. This happened in the Diesel manifesto above. It’s also a good way to get in a lot of specifics on both sides of the Problem.
… To live the High Life is to exercise the manly principles that built a nation, kept Boris in his place, and set several land-speed records. Pursue the High Life and you put a man on the moon. Turn your back on it, and a cheap thermal-tile glue grounds your whole space program. Pursue the High Life and your oversized Cadillac consumes the road like a many-finned shark. Turn your back on the High Life? Have a nice K-car. When a once proud man loses his taste for the High Life, even his taste for football-the sport of Dick Butkus, Knute Rockne, and Jim Thorpe-wanes. How else do we explain the new, sad popularity of a so-called sport like soccer? America, is that you? …
—from “This is The High Life,” Miller
If you have a good concept, you already know what’s bad about the world right now. Just get at least three examples down if you have room, then get ready to mix things up in Step 4.
Step 4: Shift — The impact or need for your better way
Now it’s time for a change, both in society and in your manifesto. This is almost always the halfway point of the script. We’ve established the Problem, shared our Belief, pointed out what’s wrong, and are ready to show the better way. In almost all scripts, this is a distinct tonal shift toward the concept, the answer, the big idea, the insight, and so on.
… We embrace the struggle and accomplish things others thought impossible. The equipment we rely on is more than our tools. It is how we transport ourselves from who we are to who we will be …
—from “Never Stop Exploring,” The North Face
This is also the place where the brand name can come in, saying something like “At Super Corp, we know ….” This is helpful when you want to name a rising company, reposition an old one, or reassure nervous clients.
… We are Conservation International and we need your help. Our movement is dedicated to managing those we can control. Better. Country by country. Business by business. Human by human. We are not about us vs. them. It doesn’t matter if you’re an American, a Canadian, or a Papua New Guinean. You don’t even have to be particularly fond of the ocean or have a soft spot for elephants …
—from “Humanifesto,” Conservation International
One key with Step 4 is to focus as much on details as possible. We’re not using motivating language just yet. That’s coming in Step 5. Instead, the Shift establishes the specific differences that happen when we buy into your belief. This section should be about equal in length to the Critique section. In short manifestos, this is short. In longer ones, this is longer.
… Some day, they will say this was the moment when the world woke up to my potential. This is the moment I was allowed to be astonishing. This is the moment when my rising no longer scares you. This is the moment when being a girl became my strength, my sanctuary, not my pain …
—from “Girl Declaration,” Girl Effect
However, the most important thing that you do in the Shift is to create any kind of tonal switch that fits your concept. While most manifestos shift toward the positive, some take a turn toward even darker territory, or they’ll turn over a new leaf only to find things even worse on that side.
… The world cries out for men to walk the Higher Path. Coffee boutiques consume retail space that might better be used by hardware merchants. John Tesh is able to have a career. Richard Simmons is allowed to live. Fitness industry stocks pay better dividends than aerospace exploration. Isn't it time for a man to reclaim control of his own destiny; to pursue the High Life in the manner our founding fathers had intended; to embrace the High Life to which each of us, by nature's grace, is born? …
—from “This is The High Life,” Miller
When I was starting out, I would usually stop my manifestos at the end of Step 4. I thought I’d already said everything there was to say. Those are all the details about why our idea is better, so the job’s done, right? But we need to make one more stop to close out the S Shape, and it’s the most important one on the ride.
Step 5: Rally — Motivation and inspiration to pursue it
This is the most iconic part of every S Shape. Rallies can be summed up in two words: “Join us.” Some even say it.
… Join us on November 27th and opting outside.
—from “#OptOutside,” REI
The Rally’s purpose is to raise the heart rates of everyone listening. This often happens with parallel structure.
… I don’t want to make history. I don’t want to be the only woman. I want to be one of many.
—from “Be One of Many,” Mercedes-Benz
… We do not explore to cheat death. We explore to celebrate life. We will never stop exploring.
—from “Never Stop Exploring,” The North Face
Some longer manifestos use two sections with different parallel structures:
… We will throw away our self-lighting charcoal. We will question the leather interiors and automatic transmissions of the sports utility vehicles we dare call "trucks”? We will stare down every shameful modern manifestation of male impersonation and say, “You cannot kill our beer. You cannot take away the High Life to which we are entitled. Try as you might, you cannot keep a High Life man down.”
—from “This is The High Life,” Miller
Although Rallies almost always feature parallel structure—and you should too, if you can—some also just use parallel syntax instead. The Airbnb script doesn’t all start the same way, but there’s a rhythm that’s created by having command after command throughout the ending.
… Feel at home, anywhere. Wherever you go, don’t go there. Live there. Even if it’s just for a night.
—from “Live There,” Airbnb
Finally, there are some scripts that succeed just by having a more traditional summary at the end without any parallel structure. That’s okay. The crucial element is the invitation. You need to open the door to people joining you in some way. If you find that it’s more interesting and more fun to just say that straight, you’re in good company.
… This is simply about all of us coming together to do what needs to be done. Because if we don’t, nature will continue to evolve. Without us. Here’s to the future. With humans.
—from “Humanifesto,” Conservation International
You don’t want your Rally to be too long. It’s easy to just stack motivating sentence after sentence, but three examples and maybe a final summarizing line are enough. In most scripts, the Critique, the Shift, and the Rally are all about the same length. Remember that if you’ve done all the other sections well, your audience is waiting to applaud (or cheer or fist pump). Don’t take the air out of the balloon by talking it to death.
Raise the temperature, shout the rallying cry, and seal the deal.
