The Great Knight Hype
"Yes, behold my lord Ulrich, the rock, the hard place, like a wind from Gelderland he sweeps by blown far from his homeland in search of glory and honor, we walk... in the garden of his turbulence!"
”……..yeah!”
A Knight’s Tale (2001)
Recently on LinkedIn, I came across a post shared by Tyler Suomala, AEC industry architect, in which he asked his LinkedIn audience “What expertise do you bring to the AEC industry?” This struck me as a generally difficult question, especially where marketing is concerned, since most marketers I know are competent in their craft and contribute several services to their firms and the industry.
As I have written many times before, we do so much more than just proposals. My instinctual response to Tyler’s query, of course being a marketer, was to reply with an example, in which I explained “I’m that same level of hype-man that Heath Ledger’s character has in A Knight’s Tale, except I herald architects instead of knights.”
This response got me on a thought tangent though - have marketers existed throughout history, and if so, is the character of Geoffrey Chaucer representative of a kind of medieval marketer? I mean, he writes, knows communication and industry etiquette, is obviously a competent orator, and sells the skills of the knight who employs him. His experience is nuanced too, since he guides the team on when to act, what to do and say, and how to react for best results. That sounds like marketing to me.
The Review
William Thatcher dreams of being more than a thatcher’s son. His supportive father sends him as a boy to apprentice under a knight to train as a squire. When William is grown he and his companion’s discover their liege has died unexpectedly, leaving them three days starving and no chance of a meal in sight. After posing as the dead knight to win a jousting tournament, William convinces his companions that they can do this full time. Reluctant but also supportive, they use what little earnings they have to train for the next tournament.
Along the road to the tournament they meet a naked poet, trudging the path alone, that informs them that a “patents of nobility” (certification of lineage) is required to compete. William and company’s lie just got more complicated. The poet, Geoffrey Chaucer (you may have heard of him) offers to scribe them a patents of nobility in exchange for clothing, food, and shelter. After proving himself at the tournament, he agrees to join William’s team full time as a herald. William Thatcher takes on the noble pseudonym “Ulrich Von Lichtenstein” to pass among the nobility competing at the jousting tournament, and this is the name for which Chaucer creates a patents of nobility.
Further along the way William’s crew picks up the talents of a blacksmith, outcast in her own right for being a woman in the profession, who brings new technology and her own talents to the team. They help William to get the princess of his dreams, Jossalyn, through advice and communications; a light take on Cyrano de Bergerac and any romcom you’ve seen in the past twenty years. William’s team also helps him to contend against his acquired rival Adhemar, who covets not only the grand tournament prize but Jossalyn as his bride.
A Knight’s Tale, by no means historically accurate, is a fun movie I saw as a teenager that doesn’t take itself too seriously but teaches some valuable lessons about dreams, ambition, teamwork and leadership, and self-fulfilling destiny. At its heart it’s an anachronistic and enjoyable tale that inspires with great one-liners and an awesome soundtrack.
The Take
Essentially, William and his friends start a small enterprise. They develop a small cadre of people who at their essence represent the various parts of a working small business. Kate is their blacksmith, outcast by others but accepted by this group (added bonus to see an awesome female blacksmith), she employs her talent to repair and develop Sir Ulrich’s armor. Wat is the enforcer of the bunch, he helps in various ways but also acts as the protector of the group. Roland is the father figure, moral compass and jousting strategy master. Chaucer of course is the communicator. He uses his skills and talents to sell Ulrich as a sensation, writes his letters, drafts his patents (a legal document in its time), and encourages him to attend social gatherings.
Anyone who has ever been in a competition setting can probably attest to the fact that confidence affects your mindset in a big way. It’s necessary during competition to have that much needed, ultra-positive mentality - hence the need for a good hype-man and herald. More hype can result in better performances and more wins, which equals more winnings. In the historical definition, a herald was
“an official employed to oversee state ceremony, precedence, and the use of armorial bearings, and to make proclamations, carry ceremonial messages, and oversee tournaments.”
In its modern definition a herald can be equated to a messenger. Both versions can be attributed to the tasks of a marketer in some fashion.
Chaucer teaches us a few marketing lessons throughout the film. In his introduction, William recognizes the need for his services and agrees to his terms to provide the patents. When Chaucer delivers, he asks him to stay on the team as his herald. William recognizes the need for a man of his talents and makes the right decision to keep him on. In another memorable example, Chaucer delivers a verbose speech congratulating Sir Ulrich on his win in the sword arena. It completely flies over the heads of the audience, and so Roland starts to cheer excitedly. While I read that this scene was unscripted but too funny not to keep, it shows that Chaucer is learning about his audience. More words don’t always equate to a better response.
Later in the film Sir Ulrich gets brutally knocked by his rival Count Adhemar. Wat, the fiery Englishman, wants to “fong” Adhemar into oblivion in the protective and angry way that he typically responds but Chaucer holds him back and tells him instead to check on Sir Ulrich, while clapping and congratulating Adhemar. Chaucer knows the etiquette of the tournament and seeks to keep his master in good standing with the nobles and the crowd with good sportsmanship. That’s because like any good marketer he is interested in protecting the brand. He also encourages Sir Ulrich to go to the festival banquet, proving also that socializing was as much a part of doing business back then as it is now.
The best lesson on marketing in the film actually does not come from Chaucer but from Prince Edward (also known as Edward the Black Prince of England). He is also competing in disguise so that the other nobles and knights do not back out of a joust for fear of injuring or insulting a royal. In a key scene he tells William quite bluntly
“Your men love you. If I knew nothing else about you, that would be enough.”
He shares the real truth of marketing, which lies in its result. Loyalty is the highest proof of a good leader. Good marketing brings people to your leadership but bringing them back is the result of doing all the right things at the right time. Repeat customers, as they say, build a business. By the end of the film William knows he can’t succeed without his team and their loyalty, resulting in this cool slow-motion team stroll shot that was so popular in the 90s (looking at you Reservoir Dogs). Prince Edward, knowing that William has earned the loyalty of his crew, feels confident to bestow knighthood upon him.
In our AEC industry it’s important to remember that not all firms started out large, nor did the professionals that run them. William and his companions start as three but end as five. No large growth by any means but each represents a key function to their success. If the numbers were multiplied, and say they grew from 300 to 500 staff, we would congratulate them. In an early scene trying to convince Wat and Roland to trust in him, William asks his friends
How did the nobles become noble? They took it at the tip of a sword.”
He knows that their growth, and their success, is dependent on risk. What he didn’t account for was the need for a good communicator. With Chaucer’s help his team gains the needed support to not only win tournaments but to change their destinies and create a new world of possibilities for themselves. Every member of the team is important, just as every member of your team is important, and of course should be treated as such. But never underestimate the need for good marketing services, even if you’re a medieval knight changing your station, defeating your rival, and getting the girl of your dreams.
