If you know Quentin Tarantino’s movies, it’s probably not a huge surprise that he’s a fan of Spaghetti Westerns.

Tarantino’s 2012 movie, Django Unchained, references Sergio Corbucci’s 1966 Spaghetti Western Django. But the tribute doesn’t stop there.

There’s a scene in Django Unchained where a man asks Django how he spells his name. Django says, “The D is silent.” The man responds, “I know.”

That man is Franco Nero, the actor who plays Django in the original 1966 movie. The two Djangos, 46 years apart, sitting side by side. This is what’s called intertextuality.

It’s referencing, quoting or alluding to other content. And it helps increase views and engagement with your content.

That’s one of the things we’re talking about today with Max Bard, VP of Content at Pray.com.

Together, we’re taking lessons from Oscar-winning director Quentin Tarantino, like exploring outside of what is considered “brand safe,” incorporating intertextuality and getting nostalgic in your content.

About our guest, Max Bard

Max Bard is an Executive Producer and the head of PRAY Studios, PRAY.COM’s content production arm. As the head of PRAY Studios, Max has produced over 5,500 original podcast episodes, audio books, and daily devotionals. Max has worked with Superbowl Champions like Drew Brees, Emmy Award winners like Dr Phil, and Grammy Award winners like Lecrae to create world-class content for the Christian audience.

Prior to PRAY.COM, Max was the President of VideoFort, Hollywood’s largest supplier of aerial and nature stock footage to companies like Getty Images, Adobe, and Shutterstock. VideoFort content has been used in Academy Award winning films, Cannes Lion award winning commercials, and Emmy award winning TV shows.

Max is from Los Angeles and graduated from the University of Southern California in 2014. After graduation Max pursued his dream of writing, directing, and editing film & video content in genres ranging from Drama to Advertising to Music Videos.

What B2B Companies Can Learn From Quentin Tarantino:

• Explore outside of what is “brand safe”. Sure, you can play it safe and continue to make slow but steady growth. But the big growth happens when you take risks. Max says, “If you want to hit the home runs, you have to take the big risks. And if you don't, then you can take the easy route and you'll probably keep that steady baseline. But if you want to get that massive spike, I think you got to try something every once in a while. Take that big risk.”
• Incorporate intertextuality. That is, use references to other popular content. You’ll get more eyes on your content because you’re piggybacking on what is already in the public consciousness. Max says, “Some people say that Quentin Tarantino copies other films.. But he is inspired by films of the past and TV shows and music and culture. Brands could do that too, and it's like an Easter egg. It's really cool if you can incorporate that into your campaigns. It could be massive, especially when it comes to memorability.”‍
• Get nostalgic. Pull from fondly remembered content. Tugging on those heartstrings, or the content people see with rose-colored glasses, creates that positive association with your brand. Max says, “You can see this a lot in Tarantino's films.  I think a prime example is in Pulp Fiction when they enter Jack Rabbit Slims and they're walking around the restaurant and you see Marilyn Monroe in there and you see James Dean. The waitresses and the waiters are all people from the fifties.”

*”He has this distinctive style that stands out. If you're going to a [Quentin] Tarantino film, you don't have to go in saying, ‘Hey, we're going to watch this Quentin Tarantino film.’ The moment that it starts, you're going to tell just from the visuals, from the cuts, from the camera work, that it is his. He has that immediate brand identity. That's a big part of your marketing, is having that memorable piece within your brand. This highlights the importance of developing a unique brand voice that can really help you stick out amongst this crowd of hundreds of other brands,”

*”When you see these things that bring back positive memories, I think if you can do that with your branding, then whatever it is you're doing, whether it be a campaign or or a commercial spot, a Facebook ad, people will remember it better. And if they remember it better, ideally they'll purchase your product or want to work with you, or they'll have that positive brand association with you.”

Links

Connect with Max on LinkedIn

Learn more about Pray.com

About Remarkable!

Remarkable! is created by the team at Caspian Studios, the premier B2B Podcast-as-a-Service company. Caspian creates both nonfiction and fiction series for B2B companies. If you want a fiction series check out our new offering - The Business Thriller - Hollywood style storytelling for B2B. Learn more at CaspianStudios.com.

In today’s episode, you heard from Ian Faison (CEO of Caspian Studios) and Meredith Gooderham (Senior Producer). Remarkable was produced this week by Meredith Gooderham, mixed by Scott Goodrich, and our theme song is “Solomon” by FALAK.

Create something remarkable. Rise above the noise.