Our Work with Brand Story

We look to the brand as the starting point of every organization’s story. The Brand Story is the story of your truth – what you stand for, what you promise, and what people experience. There are two important distinctions to your organization’s Brand Story – (a) the official message that you produce, versus (b) how constituents actually perceive you.

This narrative gap is where our work begins. We help organizations to identify the emotional assets that create attachment and loyalty. We then help align organizational strategy, culture, and communications in support of a revitalized story.

THIRSTY-FISH creates solutions at the intersections of branding, anthropology, and organizational change. Through our Change Leadership Model, clients learn how to create the necessary buy-in for constituents to embrace a new, powerful strategic narrative.

Unlike old-fashioned branding, we do not focus on a logo, tagline or advertising campaign. Instead, the THIRSTY-FISH approach works from the inside out with a methodology that creates alignment across your Brand, Strategy, Story, and Culture.

The Ideal Client

Although we work across industries and sectors, our clients are senior leaders with an agenda that supports innovation and impact. Below are some of the characteristics that set them up for success:

• Understand their strategic priorities and business drivers
• Seek a fresh perspective on complex problems
• Need a unifying story that people can get behind
• Want to empower people to act and feel their best
• Recognize that a story must be embodied in order to become real

In addition, our clients accept responsibility to co-create with THIRSTY-FISH. We do not “diagnose” what is wrong, nor do we go and craft a story in isolation to be then force-fit into your organization. Ultimately, your story is yours to tell and live by. Therefore it needs to be authentic to who you are and what you stand for. Lastly, our clients carry realistic expectations regarding the story-change process. It takes time, money, and courage to overcome the status quo. An openess to try new things and stand in unfamiliar places is required as part of the journey.

Engagement Criteria

Most engagements require a minimum of six months as THIRSTY-FISH becomes an integral member of your team. If you are not ready for such a sustained commitment, you should probably consider other vendors. Our process is demanding — in time, emotion, and leadership — because the implications of our work is ultimately transformative. In the end, our clients get as much out of the process as they put into it.

If you have more short term need - consider engaging us for a keynote or workshop engagement. Naturally, our impact is far more limited. But it can often serve as the catalyst for stimulating dialogue and the political resolve for greater action.