Whether or not you consider the recent Spider-Man sequel an unnecessary reboot or a visual spectacle, there’s no denying that the web crawler will linger in the waves of pop culture for at least a while.

It’s the fifth Spider-Man movie in the last 12 years. It has set the cliche-ish standard for comic book heroes: not-so-popular kid discovers he’s got powers, fights crime, messes around with rich supervillains, defeats all of them in the end, and of course, gets the girl.

It’s dated, but hey, people love it. So it’s here to stay.

What is it that makes Spider-Man one of the most loved (and profitable) characters in modern action hero lore? It’s the story behind the mask.

Businesses can learn a thing or two from Spider-Man:

Accept your flaws

Spidey was not really the flashy superhero type. He has an enormous amount of vulnerabilities and flaws, and he often makes a lot of wrong decisions both in his personal and heroic lives. But he accepts them and uses them to be motivated for the better.

Every business has its weaknesses. What business owners and marketers could do is to take those weaknesses by face and mold them into something positive. If you act like you’re invincible from the start, you’re meant to get disappointed eventually.

Be with the people

He has always referred to himself as your “friendly neighborhood Spider-Man”. Why? Because he likes people to think that he’s just an average guy just like everybody else, and he’s always just around the corner when people need him. He doesn’t want to be put on a pedestal for worship. That’s why people adore him (unless he’s being framed for something he didn’t do).

For a business to achieve the same kind of regard from its market, it needs to reach out in a way that it sees people eye to eye. Put the people’s interest before anything else – yes, including gaining profit.

Be responsible

You guessed it: “With great power comes great responsibility.” Peter Parker could have lived a normal life if he chose to. But he has been endowed with a power to make a difference, and with that, a social responsibility he could never escape.

Think of your business as a responsibility rather than a money-making machine. That will keep you grounded on what’s really important. The revenue and the reputation will just follow. Eventually, people will easily see your company for what it is – a business with a heart.