Zach just rewatched the extended edition of The Fellowship of the Ring in theaters for its 25th anniversary — and came back with a full notebook of marketing, branding, and design lessons straight from Middle-earth.

Join Nick Loudon, Corey Haines, and Zach Stevens as they break down timeless principles from Peter Jackson’s masterpiece and show how they apply to building better brands, writing stronger copy, and designing more compelling websites.

Whether you’re a Tolkien nerd or just love great marketing, this episode is packed with actionable insights you can steal for your own work.

Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro & why we’re talking LOTR
00:29 - The power of deep world-building
01:18 - Zach’s theater experience + extended edition realizations
04:19 - Lesson 1: More context = more belief & investment
09:38 - Lesson 2: Abstract vs. literal shots (visual rhythm in design)
13:56 - Lesson 3: Contrast without red (better than red Xs)
17:24 - Lesson 4 & 5: Introduce your villain early + repeating villain theme
24:17 - Lesson 7: Differentiation through cultural context (Gondor vs. Rohan vs. Elves vs. Dwarves vs. Hobbits)
27:53 - Lesson 6: Great brands aren’t created — they’re stolen (Tolkien’s real-world inspirations)
30:38 - What franchise should we break down next? (Dune, Breaking Bad, etc.)
31:27 - Outro

If you enjoyed this, hit that LIKE button, drop a comment with your favorite LOTR marketing takeaway, and SUBSCRIBE for more breakdowns of storytelling, copywriting, design, and branding.

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The Factory Floor is hosted by the three co-founders of Conversion Factory, the marketing agency at the forefront of SaaS growth, marketing, and tech trends. Episodes are released on Twitter one day early, @coreyhainesco

Every other week Corey, Zach, and Nick break down what’s working right now in SaaS marketing, share real-world lessons from the field, and give you the strategies you need to outpace the competition.

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