Last week, I was interviewed by the Custom Publishing Council and asked five questions about the implications of brand storytelling on the content business.

You can read the full interview here.

CPC: How does the following quote, taken from Thirsty-Fish’s Favorite Story Quotes, explain how a unique narrative can help a brand identify with its’ audience: “We all live in suspense, from day to day, from hour to hour; in other words, we are the hero of our own story”? –Mary McCarthy (author)

MM: The greatest freedom of this era is the ability to construct and shape our personal narratives. Just look at the explosion of social media – blogging, the twitterverse, and the emerging semantic web. What a thrill! The future of the Internet is really about making sense and meaning of a world buckling forward at warp speed drive. On the flip side, we’re all suffering from information overload and attention deficit. That’s why we need new, and more sophisticated, filters for processing content. And as much as technology is an enabler, at the end of the day, it’s our human ability to weave stories that brings meaning to our lives. The brands that put the customer at the center of the universe are increasingly the winners. Go a step further, and invite your customers to actually narrate the story (customization, co-creation, user-generated content, etc…). Consumers tend to identify these brands as enablers they couldn’t live without. Imagine for a moment life without Google…

Michael has been invited to teach Brand Storytelling at the Schulich School of Business in Toronto, Canada. He will lead off the first day of a 7-month long Masters Certificate in Brand Communications Program with a half-day module on this important topic.

Schulich School of Business is a top 15-rated Global MBA program, and part of York University (Canada’s largest institution of higher education). This Masters Certificate is being created and sponsored by the Institute of Communication Agencies (ICA) - the leading advertising association of Canada.

Michael will also deliver an evening keynote to the ICA on February 23 on the evolving role of Brand Storytelling and its potential to reshape the agency model.

Join us on Tuesday, December 2, 2008 for our Introduction to Brand Storytelling Workshop to be held in New York City from 9am to 5pm.

Using a narrative approach, this one-day workshop will introduce you to a methodology and practical tools to shift how your company is understood and appreciated. More than a cosmetic make-over, we will show you how to reshape your brand from the inside-out.

Audiences don’t merely buy products, services, or programs. They buy the story that is attached to them. Apply this one little secret in the right way — and you can transform how your organization is perceived by internal and external audiences. The workshop content and format is relevant to a wide audience including corporate marketers, nonprofit leaders, and innovative entrepreneurs.

TOPICS COVERED

• How brand storytelling can align strategy, culture and communications
• Why certain brands carry a deeply emotional and psychic connection
• How to frame the essential truth at the core of your business
• Who should be the central character at the center of your story
• How to evaluate your existing assets for crafting a remarkable story
• How to neutralize competing story-lines that can prevent success
• How to engage key stakeholders in this transformational process
  

Read reviews from past participants.

We have some exciting event news for our European colleagues and site visitors:

THIRSTY-FISH will lead a one-day executive-level workshop in Istanbul, Turkey on Wednesday, November 5th, 2008. Titled “The Story Generation: Engagement Strategies for Youth Marketing”, this brand storytelling workshop is to be held in partnership with our friends at IMI Conferences, a leading conference and seminar producer in Turkey.

Who Should Attend
This executive-level session is designed for individuals with strategic influence and responsibility over their brand’s reputation, customer experience, and the youth demographic. This includes company CEOs, general managers, vice presidents, and director-level leaders of marketing, sales, branding, strategic planning, and customer service. Sectors expected to participate include retail, technology, finance, entertainment, and mobile communications.

Overview
Learn how to create story-driven marketing and brand-centric campaigns that resonate to Generation Y (ages 18-29). Did you know that Youth are increasingly society’s taste-makers – with a remarkable influence on popular culture, technology habits, and other commercial trends?

Click to read more ...

Join us on Thursday, July 17th, 2008 in Honolulu, Hawaii for a one-day workshop designed with nonprofits in mind.

“Intro to Brand Storytelling Workshop” is a seven-hour interactive session designed for senior leaders with responsibility over the strategy, reputation, and image of their nonprofit organization. Sponsored by the YWCA of Oahu and Hawaii Alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (HANO), this workshop is limited to 30 participants.

Modeled after our successful one-day format, this workshop is a follow-up to THIRSTY-FISH’s keynote and breakout sessions at the HANO Conference: Telling the Nonprofit Story. Early bird registration discount ends on July 1st, so don’t delay if you are interested in attending.

Click here to get more details about the content of this upcoming workshop.

UPDATE - This workshop has SOLD OUT, but is accepting names on a wait list.

On June 26, 2008, THIRSTY-FISH will help kick off the ESSAE (Empire State Society of Association Executives) Annual Conference and Expo - an annual gathering of over 300 association leaders from across New York State.

Asked to lead the opening session and interactive plenary, THIRSTY-FISH will present the concept of Brand Storytelling as it applied to Generation Y (18-30 year olds). The session will explore the unique factors that shape and define this trend-setting generation, and the strategic implications for association executives.

   ASAE Learning CenterIs your organization in the midst of transition, signicant growth, or a fast turnaround? Discover how the language of Brand Storytelling can lead you to a new path forward.

Please join us on Thursday, June 5, 2008 (10AM-5PM) in Washington, DC for companies and organizations interested in the value of Brand Storytelling.

More than just a basic overview, this interactive session will provide you with a framework and set of tools to immediately apply these concepts to your own work.

Whether you are trying to manage the evolving expectations that come with growth — or renew your brand’s relevance in the face of a changing world, this workshop will help your ideas and leadership to be understood and embraced by your constituents. Whether you need a brand story for your company, product, service, or cause - this day-long workshop will offer the tools and language to get you started.

Select Testimonials

“THIRSTY-FISH’s workshop made me reconsider how we are selling ourselves and what we need to think about to make our story more compelling.”
- EVP, Technology Company

“The ‘tooling’ to support developing the brand story was really invaluable. Thank you! I got a good road map to discover the meaning and essence of our parent brand.”
- Head of Business Development, International Clothier

“Michael and Stephanie have a great way of breaking down an overwhelming task (determining a compelling brand story) into manageable steps.”
- Manager, R&D Innovation Lab, Major Food Manufacturer

“Thought provoking and insightful. The workshop helped me to think about crafting our story with more structure and clarity. I’m looking forward to sharing this with the team back at the office.”
- VP of Marketing, Online Community

“The workshop did a great job of articulating complex and nuanced concepts, while giving each of us lots of personal attention.”
- VP of Marketing, Tech-driven Nonprofit

Click to read more ...

This past May 2008, THIRSTY-FISH was proud to have co-produced and keynoted a state-wide conference on “Telling the Nonprofit Story” with HANO (the Hawaii Association of Nonprofit Organizations). HANO interviewed us as part of the conference promotions. We have reprinted the interviews here as quick introductions to our work and motivations.

Below are short excerpts with links to the full interview: 

“Whether it has been lobbying US senators to protect California’s Mojave Desert, bridging the digital divide in New York, building an entrepreneurial class in Morocco, or giving a collective context to the cultural genocide in Tibet, each organization must find its story of truth – as well as allow supporters to feel located within the collective story. Now, I have the privilege of helping other organizations and companies to harness their best story to reveal their hidden potential and achieve their long-term success.” [read the full interview with Stephanie]

“Storytelling is an essential tool to activate and accelerate your efforts, whether they are related to fundraising, advocacy, or internal change. In the end, stories will allow you to succeed faster and in a manner that has people invested in a collective future…Storytelling is a leadership philosophy. Look at any organizational challenge through the lens of narrative; I guarantee you will discover new insights and solutions.” - [read the full interview with Michael]

Click to read more ...

On May 16, the Hawai’i Association of Nonprofit Organizations will gather leading professionals from the sector for a day-long conference devoted to telling better stories. With more than 275 nonprofit members, HANO is the leading collective voice for nonprofits in the state of Hawaii.

THIRSTY-FISH is excited to partner with HANO to deliver a morning keynote, and two afternoon workshops on Brand Storytelling and Constituent Engagement.

 “Telling the Nonprofit Story: How Strategic Messages Inspire Engagement and Support” will focus on:

• Demystifying what nonprofits do and why we matter
• Closing the perception gap
• Shaping how things get done and why people care
• Connecting organizations, people and communities
• Describing a desirable future

 You can learn more at the HANO web site.

Please join us on Wednesday, April 2, 2008 for a one-day workshop for companies and organizations interested in the value of Brand Storytelling. Come and discover how the language of branding can be used to propel innovation, change, or turn-around within your organization.

More than just a basic overview, this interactive session will provide you with a framework and set of tools to immediately apply these concepts to your work. Whether you need a brand story for your company, product, service, or cause - this session will offer the tools and language to get you started.

In this session, you will:

• Understand brands through the lens of narrative
• Discover six ingredients for a successful brand story
• Learn how to gauge current brand story perceptions
• Gain skills in how to frame and align a new brand story
• Learn how to build buy-in and support for this method

Click to read more ...