Just like Maverick and Goose. Tango and Cash. Butch Cassidy and…that other guy.
That was the mantra of the 90s alien conspiracy show The X-Files. “I want to believe.” The show paired the “true believer” Agent Mulder with the skeptic Agent Scully, investigating mysterious and macabre happenings. The irony was, in just about every episode, Scully was wrong. There actually were aliens, monsters, or a shadowy government conspiracy. Sometimes all three. Almost never was it Scooby-Doo-like fakery. The show’s creators knew that it wasn’t just the characters who needed to believe. It was the audience too.
And they weren’t the only ones.
On October 30th, 1938, the world changed. No, it wasn’t World War II (that was still a year away). It was an invasion.
An alien invasion.
In New Jersey.
Orson Welles’ radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’ (no relation) War of the Worlds caused widespread panic across the United States. Probably due to how much it sounded like real reporting. There were riots in front of police stations and city halls. Looting of groceries and drugstores. Highways stuffed with hastily-packed cars fleeing the bigger cities. You probably heard about it in school. Only it never happened. Mostly.
The radio broadcast happened, and it did sound somewhat real. But most of the mass panic was phone calls to newspapers, radio stations, and government offices demanding to know what was going on. There weren’t riots or looting, and honestly, not all that much panic. But it sure made a great newspaper story the next day, and Mr. Welles was all too happy to take credit for the massive media event.
Orson had a beard by age 4 and his first cigar the year after.
We all want to believe
The X-Files and Welles’ War of the Worlds broadcast have more than aliens in common. They were about what people wanted to believe. Welles’ radio show happened right before World War II, when folks were expecting the worst. It was easy to believe an invasion–any invasion–was happening.
The X-Files came right after the end of the Cold War. One enemy was gone, and nobody knew where the next would come from. The X-Files suggested it would be aliens. It was a fictional show, but there was something earnest about how much the fan base wanted it to be true.
This quirk of human nature helped make Welles and The X-Files huge hits. It can help you too.
You might think your business just provides a service. But it doesn’t. It also provides a story. There’s a reason Coca-Cola feels nostalgic, Disney feels magical, and Apple feels trendy and innovative. They tell really good stories we want to believe.
And people who believe your powerful story will pay you for it. Feel good about it. And tell their friends. Year after year.
That’s a story worth telling.
Need help uncovering your story or telling it to the world? We can help with that.