The villain creates the tension.
And here’s the bit most businesses miss: If your marketing doesn’t name the villain, your customer doesn’t feel the urgency.
Most business owners can quickly tell you what they stand for.
Growth.
Better service.
Quality.
Warmer homes.
Lower bills.
Peace of mind.
That’s fine. But it’s not powerful, because 'standing for' something is passive, and story needs friction to keep it interesting.
The real question is 'What does your business stand against?'
What is the thing making your customer’s life harder than it needs to be? What’s the frustration, waste, risk or fear?
Therein lies your baddy.
Let’s make it practical.
If you help people lose weight, the villain isn’t 'fitness'. It’s weight gain, crash diets, confusion about food, and wasting months and money with no results.
If you’re a solicitor, the villain might be poor advice, or no advice, being taken advantage of, or paying far more than you should because you didn’t have the right protection in place.
If you run a garage, the villain could be cowboy mechanics, hidden costs, being ripped off because you don’t understand what’s under the bonnet.
At Simple Story Marketing, we stand against bad messaging. We stand against waffle, confusing websites, and against businesses being brilliant at what they do, but invisible because nobody understands them. There's too much noise.
That’s the enemy, and when you name the enemy, something clicks.
Your customer already feels the pain.
They already feel:
But they often haven’t labelled it clearly.
When your marketing says, 'We stand against wasted time and money,' or 'We stand against confusing financial advice,' or 'We stand against small businesses being ignored,' you are stepping into the tension they already feel.
Now the story has movement. Now there’s something to fight. Now they can see themselves as the hero in the story and you as the guide who helps them win.
Without a clear villain, you’re just another service. With one, you’re a leader with a cause.
To go deeper, think about your villain at three levels:
External problem – What’s actually happening?
Wasted money. Poor advice. Weight gain. Time lost.
Internal problem – How does that make them feel?
Stressed. Embarrassed. Overwhelmed. Frustrated. Anxious.
Philosophical problem – Why is it just plain wrong?
Small businesses shouldn’t feel confused about their marketing.
Hardworking people shouldn’t be ripped off.
Families shouldn’t be left unprotected because legal advice felt intimidating.
When you speak to all three levels, your message strengthens.
Now you’re not just selling a service, you’re taking a stand.
So, what do you stand against?
Don’t overthink it. Make it specific. Make it slightly uncomfortable. Make it real.
Then ask yourself:
Is that clear on my website?
Is that clear in my social posts?
Is that clear when I introduce myself?
Because if you don’t define the villain, your marketing stays polite, and polite rarely drives action.
Conflict creates clarity. When you define what you stand against, your customer understands what problem you help them escape, and people are often more motivated to avoid pain than to gain benefit.
So yes, stand for something good, but be brave enough to name what you stand against.
Schedule a call today to see how we can help you clarify your message and connect with your customers.
P.S. Download a free checklist for creating marketing content your audience can't ignore on the homepage and download the free PDF.
Send download link to:
