Introduction
This is the manifesto shape I was most eager to learn as a young writer. Many of my favorite manifestos have Z-Shape structure, including “Think Different.” But it took me a long time to learn. I kept getting stuck at the opening. I knew there was something tricky going on with these manifestos, but I couldn’t make sense of it. I was only until I started decoding manifestos line by line that I noticed a pattern—and, more importantly, a reason for that pattern.
Z-Shape manifestos are designed to make your POV interesting. And when I say “POV,” what I mean is the line in the script that clearly lays out the concept or big idea of the campaign. This is the line that shows what shift in thinking you’d like the audience to take.
In the “We Try Harder” manifesto by Avis, the POV line is “We try harder.” It’s a beautiful, simple, and clear description of their idea. It sets up the rest of the script and gives us the lens that we’re going to be evaluating everything through. The only problem? It’s boring. That’s why the Z-Shape manifesto is necessary. It’s designed to make your POV interesting. And the way it does this is with tension. Let’s take a look.
How it works
Step 1: WTF — Tension that spikes interest in your POV
Start your script with the craziest, most insane thing that (a) you can get away with, and (b) is relevant to your concept. That second part is crucial because you can’t just start your script with, “Want some free money?” (Unless your concept has something to do with free money, in which case it’s excellent.)
I call Step 1 the “What the fuck?” The goal of the WTF is simply to wake people up. If they were expecting anything at the start of your manifesto, that is not what you gave them. You brought something so head-turningly incredible that we have to know why you would say that.
Take the first line of Apple’s “Think Different.” You might know it by heart. It says, “Here’s to the crazy ones.” This manifesto was released in 1997. This was long before the word “crazy” came to mean a good thing. Being called crazy was an insult, not a compliment. So, the idea of a brand celebrating them was significant. As listeners, we’re wondering why any brand would make a commercial celebrating crazy people. Our ears are perked, our curiosity piqued.
Every good Z Shape script starts with a WTF. The reason for this is one of the most important lessons I can teach you on this site. You have to start with a WTF to make people interested in your POV. Without the first part, nobody cares about the second. You need to get their attention first. You need to make them so curious that they’re asking you what you mean by that.
For that reason, think about having your WTF create the most tension possible. The best way I’ve come up with to figure this out is by asking myself, What are we most afraid to say? What stigma are they trying to sweep under the rug? What is wrong with the world right now? Whatever it is, lead with that.
Take Chrysler’s “Born of Fire,” which set out to improve the perception of Detroit—and with it, the city’s ability to create luxury cars. Since that’s where the audience is starting, the first few sentences ask the question directly.
I got a question for you. What does this city know about luxury, hm? What does a town that's been to hell and back know about the finer things in life? …
—from “Born of Fire,” Chrysler
I was at a Super Bowl party with a room full of advertising people when this commercial aired for the first time. This line silenced all of us. Why would a brand say that?
Here’s another example. During the Oscars one year, Facebook ran an ad that leaned against the exact thing everybody was there to celebrate. Rather than find a cheesy way to integrate movie stars into the commercial, their commercial celebrated the stars in our own lives.
Some of the greatest movies don’t make it to the big screen …
—from “Is a Great Movie on Your Mind?” Facebook
If you get stuck, try writing down what your competitors or haters believe that you disagree with. You might find that it works to include that in the final script.
Most companies think having a strong opinion means scaring away customers who think differently …
—from “Here’s What We Believe,” Oatly
Another trick is to write down all the bad things about your product that you know, then analyze this list to see if you can flip any of them into examples of your brand’s quality. Back in grad school, I heard a story about a teacher asking a student to explain their favorite fishing boots. The student raved about all the benefits. The unimpressed teacher said, “Well, isn’t there anything bad about them?” The student thought for a second and said, “They smell horrible.” That was what the teacher was looking for. The best fishing boots trap all the nasty foot sweat because that’s what it takes to make them completely waterproof. Look for the bad stuff, then figure out why it’s the byproduct of quality.
Now, when I sit down to write a Z Shape manifesto, my mind naturally looks for the most tension. I imagine this is true for many great manifesto writers and will be true for you as well. You’ll find yourself searching for something crazy, unbelievable, or downright insane to start off your script, knowing it’s the best way to make people interested in Step 2.
Step 2: POV — Insightful POV that pays off the tension
This is when you tell people what you believe. Put another way, this is when you own the positive side of whatever negativity happened in the WTF. I always picture this as translating the tension. I’ve said something unbelievable in Step 1. Now, I provide the missing piece that makes saying it believable. That’s your POV.
Let’s take a look back through some of the WTFs we looked at before.
Avis asked why you should go with a car company that’s number two. The answer is that the company appeals to people who value passion:
… We try harder …
—from “We Try Harder,” Avis
Visit Oslo’s grumpy local would recommend not coming to the city. The answer is that the city appeals to people who don’t like chaotic travel:
… Everything is just so available, y’know.
There’s no exclusiveness …
—from “Is it Even a City?” Visit Oslo
Chrysler points a mirror up to our assumptions and asks what the people of Detroit would know about luxury. The answer is that it’s precisely this history that creates luxury worth admiring:
… Well, I’ll tell you. More than most …
—from “Born of Fire,” Chrysler
Sometimes, your POV can be embedded in the first type of example. I believe the POV line for “Think Different” is “The ones who see things differently” because it’s the point in the script where we understand why Apple is celebrating the crazy ones. Before that, they were just redefining crazy people in different ways. But after that, we realize that Apple admires that being crazy gives people a unique approach to the world:
Here’s to the crazy ones.
The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.
They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo.
You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them …
—from “Think Different,” Apple
Whatever you choose, always keep the POV as short as possible. If you can do it in one line, that’s great. The quicker you clarify things, the faster your listener will reach Step 3.
Step 3: Proof — Showing all sides of that POV
Now it’s time to fill your manifesto with as many great examples as you have. Key word: great. Don’t stretch mediocre stuff. Keep it to the hits. If you’re not restrained by character count, make this section the majority of your total script.
… I will like myself more.
I will have more self-confidence.
I will suffer less depression.
I will be 60% less likely to get breast cancer.
I will be more likely to leave a man who beats me.
I will be less likely to get pregnant before I want to.
I will learn what it means to be strong …
—from, “If You Let Me Play,” Nike
But what if your manifesto is longer? It took me years to learn how to extend this section without losing focus. There are two tricks to help.
The first is what I call POV Refreshers.
Whenever you need to change things up, insert a line that says your POV in a different or more specific way. This breaks up the monotony and provides new types of examples to list.
Take a look at this Proof section from “Dream Crazy.” At regular intervals, there’s a POV Refresher. The POV for this spot essentially says that non-believers calling you crazy is a compliment. Notice how both of the refreshers just refine that idea in different ways.
EXAMPLES
Don't try to be the fastest runner in your school, or the fastest in the world. Be the fastest ever. Don't picture yourself wearing LBJ's jersey. Picture LBJ wearing yours. Don't settle for homecoming queen or linebacker. Do both. Lose a hundred-twenty pounds then become an Ironman after beating a brain tumor.
POV REFRESHER
Don't believe you have to be like anybody to be somebody.
EXAMPLES
If you're born a refugee, don't let it stop you from playing soccer for the national team at age 16. Don't become the best basketball player on the planet. Be bigger than basketball.
POV REFRESHER
Believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything.
EXAMPLES
When they talk about the greatest team in the history of the sport, make sure it's your team. If you have only one hand, don't just watch football play it. At the highest level. If you're a girl from Compton, don't just become a tennis player. Become the greatest athlete ever.
—from “Dream Crazy,” Nike
Most valuable for me was realizing that the rest of the examples around those POV Refreshers were essentially the same. Every example in this spot is just a specific example of someone not being held back from greatness. You can shuffle them in any order and the script still makes logical sense. This could get monotonous, but with those Refreshers, we’re given a second to take a breath, remember the concept, and keep listening.
Think of POV Refreshers as an opportunity to add more depth and clarity to your POV argument. How does your POV affect a person? What’s a more focused use case? Who else does your POV apply to? What does your POV look like in practice? The answers to all of these questions might make good POV Refreshers.
Apple’s “Think Different” puts POV Refreshers in a different way. This script mixes up the structure of the examples in each section. Sometimes, the sentences are short and choppy. In others, they’re long and flowing. More importantly, for our purposes, notice how the Refreshers are used to turn the camera toward a different type of example. Rather than have them all be interchangeable, these examples actually elaborate on the point the Refreshers make. The POV for this boils down to “people who see things differently are worthy of our respect.”
EXAMPLES
They’re not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them.
POV REFRESHER
Because they change things.
EXAMPLES
They invent. They imagine. They heal. They explore. They create. They inspire. They push the human race forward.
POV REFRESHER
Maybe they have to be crazy.
EXAMPLES
How else can you stare at an empty canvas and see a work of art? Or sit in silence and hear a song that’s never been written? Or gaze at a red planet and see a laboratory on wheels?
—from “Think Different,” Apple
When you first hear “Think Different,” this kind of structure disappears. Your brain doesn’t consciously track all these different nuances. But when we’re building manifestos, this process can help guide where to go when you reach a dead end. Got a good chunk of examples and not sure what’s next? Try a POV Refresher.
Another trick is to try filling in the blank afterward, which naturally requires more explanation. My favorites are “Because…,” “Maybe…,” and “That’s Why….” Take a look at the POV Refreshers again in “Dream Crazy.” Each of those could have started with one of these words: “Because you don't believe you have to be like anybody to be somebody,” and “Maybe you should believe in something even if it means sacrificing everything.” When I’m writing examples, I will sometimes just start a new line and write one of these words before I know what’s going to follow, just to see what comes up.
I recommend going through all the scripts on this site and looking at the words around the examples. All scripts offer valuable tricks for extending, lengthening, condensing, and transitioning between lines. Eventually, they all start to collect into a deck of manifesto-writing tricks in your brain to be dealt out as needed.
There’s one more thing worth mentioning about crafting examples before moving on. When in doubt of what to write next, try a line that’s really, really specific. Specificity, in general, is one of the most important ways to make your manifesto better than most. Why? It’s hard. Specificity takes research and insights. You need to know what you’re talking about, know what will resonate with your audience, know what to avoid, and how to weave all that together into a compelling piece. But even beyond that, there’s value in having one or two examples that are incredibly specific. The classic example is the good pastrami sandwich in Duluth.
… To start you out right with a new car, like a lively, super-torque Ford, and a pleasant smile. To know, say, where you get a good pastrami sandwich in Duluth …
—from “We Try Harder,” Avis
Most writers and brands don’t want to do this. They settle for cliches and vague phrases. The scripts that thrive are the ones that feel vivid, alive, and real.
… That’s why sometimes,
a few steps are all it takes to leave us smiling.
That’s why three seconds of blurry footage
from 1977 can make us cry …
—from “Is a Great Movie on Your Mind?” Facebook
Now that you’ve thoroughly proven your point of view and everyone is sold on your great idea, you can land the plane. That’s Step 4.
Step 4: Thus — The impact or takeaway of that POV
I know calling this step “Thus” is awkward. But I find the word supremely helpful. The end of Z Shape scripts is not just a summary or a wrap up. You can’t just restate your POV. You need to evolve your POV in some way based on the examples that you showed. Everything that we’ve just heard needs to be combined into something that wouldn’t have been possible (or at least not meant as much) at the beginning of the manifesto. The best way to do that is to definitively state what the POV means to you or your brand. What do you most admire or hate about this idea?
… Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do …
—from “Think Different,” Apple
Apple isn’t just restating that crazy people are influential—that’s the POV. They’re saying they admire them because their influence changes the world.
… So while you take on life’s opportunities, we’ll take on the things that stand in your way …
—from “Get Old Manifesto,” Pfizer
Pfizer isn’t just restating that being old is a byproduct of a job well done. They’re saying that their focus is on removing blockers so that you can have the most fulfilling life possible.
Some Z Shape manifestos end by defining something that has been central to the entire piece. Sometimes, this is literally a definition:
But it can also just be putting on a label or clarifying something:
… But when a movie is just life shared between friends, that’s what makes it worth watching.
—from “Is a Great Movie on Your Mind?” Facebook
The final trick on the ending to note is to always be on the lookout for a great one. While this is true for all manifesto writing, it’s especially true for Z Shapes. You might accidentally stumble on a great ending while writing a POV Refresher or while trying to simplify the POV. Pull those lines aside. Save them. Whatever you accidentally wrote them for, keep going until you find something different to put there. A good ending is worth any level of frustration you might experience in replacing it somewhere else.
Okay, that’s it for the traditional Z Shape. Start strong, end strong, and then dazzle in between.
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Get the book or ebook and dive into 2,293 more words on the Z Shape. Available now on Amazon.
Any questions?
I’d love to help. Send me an email with whatever you’re working on. (But please mind all NDAs.)
I’d love to help. Send me an email with whatever you’re working on. (But please mind all NDAs.)