Storybook Marketing in Ancient Egypt

Storybook Marketing in Ancient Egypt
© Copyright 2011 Michael J. Costa, All rights reserved.

A Long, Long time ago, in the Land of the Pharaohs…

Before Star Wars became a marketing empire of toys, figurines, posters, and other memorabilia, the ideas for storytelling marketing began with the “religion” of the Pharaohs. Nowhere do we see so much devotion to a mythology than in Ancient Egypt. The worship of Osiris was a major storyline marketed with mummies, Ushabty statues and other amulets, Scarabs, artwork, etc. related to the script. The dramatic performance of the Lamentation of Isis and Nephthys, the Opening of the Mouth, and others were performed by costumed Priests as paid actors at the direction of a Lector/Reader Priest. The ancients didn’t have a film projector (as far as we can tell) or electricity, but they did have a theater in the form of a dark Temple, or Mortuary Temple near the tomb. Commemorative heart Scarabs were distributed by the Pharaoh to mark an event, as with Amonhotep Nebmaatra’s marriage or hunting expedition, similar to commemorative bumper stickers or key-chains of today.

MC