Business of Story

Our goal with Business of Story is to help you create your brand, and in the process, we have fine-tuned our own story crafting procedure. The workbook is a wonderful developmental tool, but not everyone has a clear idea of what that program is. That's why today I'm going to work with a listener like you to demonstrate the ten step story cycle in action. For the past 97 episodes, we have brought you guests from around the world to share their wisdom in crafting a compelling story for your brand. This week, we're doing the opposite. We've invited a long-time listener, Jonathan Barney, founder of Inspired.Service, to demonstrate the ten step story cycle program. Jonathan is a service industry veteran and a young entrepreneur who has bravely volunteered to join us and discuss his story. In this episode we follow the simple guidelines of our brand storytelling workbook: Own Your Story: Your DIY Guide to Craft And Tell Compelling Brand Stories That Sell, and using Jon's experiences and motivations, we create a powerful business story. Join us as we take his incipient business, apply the 10 step story cycle to his work, and produce the beginnings of a strong brand narrative. Learn how you too can own your story. In This Episode, You'll Learn The four-step exercise: identifying your brand's place in the market How to apply the ten-step story cycle to your brand Learning to love your antagonists Key Quotes "That story was not a huge thing, but it triggered a passion in him" – Park Howell "We want to boil this down to your position in the marketplace. What is your service that nobody else can deliver?" – Park Howell "What you want to do is really understand your audience's story." – Park Howell "What is at stake for my audience? What is it they want?" - Park Howell "Who is the hero? It's not the brand, it's the customer." - Park Howell "Someone has to be the first monkey shot into space. I'm glad It was me." – Jonathan Barney Mentioned In This Episode Jon Barney Twitter Inspired.Service 12 Personality Archetypes DIY Story Cycle Notebook Carl Young Zig Ziglar The Simpsons Red Bull Star Wars About Business of Story Podcast The Business of Story is hosted by trusted brand story strategist and keynote speaker Park Howell and is among the top business and marketing podcasts geared toward founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and communication leaders. Each episode brings you the brightest content creators, advertising creatives, authors, screenwriters, makers, marketers, and brand raconteurs that show you how to make your brand story marketing stand out and achieve epic growth in your organization.

Most people believe that the best product wins. That used to be true when consumers had fewer choices. But today we have abundant competing products and services. Therefore, defining a new and unique category for your offering is what will separate you from your competition and insure your survival. Christopher Lochhead, host of the Legends & Losers podcast and author of the irreverent marketing book Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate Markets, explains how to create brand dominance through the right market category. Christopher has been described as the "Howard Stern of entrepreneurialism." His methods of point-of-view storytelling, the "magic triangle" of business, and insight into market categories are critical for your brand position. If you want to become a legend, join us for an in-depth method from the legend himself. Learn how you don't have to beat others at their own game by creating a new game for yourself. In This Episode, You'll Learn What is a brand category, and why is it important? How to "prosecute the magic triangle" How you can find the right problem Key Quotes "The category makes the brand, not the other way around." – Christopher Lochhead "Fall in love with the problem, not the solution." – Christopher Lochhead "Humans think the person who articulates our problem the best must have a solution." – Christopher Lochhead "If you think having the best product is all it takes to win, you'll probably lose." – Park Howell "You tell people that, whether they know it or not, they have a problem that I can fix." – Park Howell Mentioned in this episode: Christopher Lochhead Christopher Lochhead Twitter Play Bigger: How Pirates, Dreamers, and Innovators Create and Dominate the Market Legends & Losers Podcast The Ramones Spanx Hewlett-Packard Oracle Intel Xerox Netflix Jack O'Neill Story Marketer of the Week: Nike Phil Knight, one of the founding members of Nike Incorporated, published his memoir and his company's origin story. Knight founded Blue Ribbon Sports Company to bring low-cost shoes to the American market, but the journey was not an easy one. Rival shoe businesses kept Nike on the brink of bankruptcy for decades, and Knight knew he had to change his brand's narrative to survive. His book, Shoe Dog, details the ups and downs of their forty-five-year history. This book is an invaluable insight into the process of becoming a leading member of an industry, and all the challenges that go with it. Stories of underhanded competition, unscrupulous suppliers, a decade of Nike almost going out of business teach the most important lessons for businesses: belief is irresistible, and always take the next step. For an authentic look into a company's rocky history we have decided to name Nike as our Story Marketer of the Week. About Business of Story Podcast The Business of Story is hosted by trusted brand story strategist and keynote speaker Park Howell and is among the top business and marketing podcasts geared toward founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and communication leaders. Each episode brings you the brightest content creators, advertising creatives, authors, screenwriters, makers, marketers, and brand raconteurs that show you how to make your brand story marketing stand out and achieve epic growth in your organization.

It's not too difficult to get your story out there. There are myriad social media platforms that streamline your content creation process. But, with hordes of videos, blogs, tweets, Snapchats, Instagrams and updates added constantly, it's difficult for your message to reach the surface in this sea of content. What can a brand do to stand out? What are the secrets to finding your way into the lives of your audience? Why can a 10-year-old do this stuff better than me? These are the tough questions that struggling media marketers ask every day. This week features the dynamic social media marketing duo of Amy Schmittauer and Vincenzo Landino. Amy is the creator and host of the widely successful Vlog, Sexy Savvy Social. To the untrained eye, her simple video format may seem ordinary, but the techniques used are remarkably powerful. Amy has crucial advice for any blogger, vlogger, Youtuber or story marketer trying to get noticed in the cacophony of media. Amy also is the author of Time's Best-Selling book, Vlog Like a Boss: How to Kill it Online With Video Blogging. Vincenzo, the creative director of Aftermarq and host of the Brand Boost Podcast, has worked with brands to bring stories to life through creative videos. He helps organizations manifest the "start-up sexy" marketing ideology that commands total brand appeal. If you're having trouble getting your voice heard by the right ears, this episode is for you. Tune in for advice and wisdom from two of the world's best content creators, and you too can learn to navigate through the social media frontier. In This Show, You'll Learn Skills for successful video marketing creation Importance of simplicity and specificity in marketing The "do"s and "don't"s of a brand taking a stand Key Quotes "These video creators didn't survive because they lost sight of who they were talking too." – Amy Schmittauer "You have to look at the camera like it's a human being. One human being." – Amy Schmittauer "When you take real action, you have something to show." – Amy Schmittauer "All that matters is that you told it, not what medium you use or how you told it." – Vincenzo Landino "We don't have to be everywhere. Nobody wants to see everything of every day." – Vincenzo Landino "Too many people put out too much garbage. It's not enough to just start blabbing, you gotta have a point." – Park Howell Story Marketer of the Week: AirBnB Now that you've listened to the audio from our Story Marketer of the Week section, you're ready to experience the whole video (and if you haven't listened yet, you should! Tune in at 35:32). This beautifully crafted advertisement features a simple tale of a man struggling with his past, and the efforts to help him move through the emotional impact. You'll quickly see why I've decided to name AirBnB again as our Story Marketer of the Week. Mentioned in this episode Amy Schmittauer Website Amy Schmittauer Twitter Savvy Sexy Social Savvy Sexy Social Youtube Channel Vlog Like a Boss Vincenzo Landino Vincenzo Landino Twitter Brand Boost Podcast Aftermarq Joseph Gordon-Levitt's HITRECORD Oracle Modern Marketing Experience Jay Baer About Business of Story Podcast The Business of Story is hosted by trusted brand story strategist and keynote speaker Park Howell and is among the top business and marketing podcasts geared toward founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and communication leaders. Each episode brings you the brightest content creators, advertising creatives, authors, screenwriters, makers, marketers, and brand raconteurs that show you how to make your brand story marketing stand out and achieve epic growth in your organization.

What if I were to tell you that the most crucial aspect of a successful business was not actually profit gain? Would you be willing to believe that a key ingredient in a booming, high-profit organization was generosity? We at the Business of Story typically focus on the story aspect of brand marketing strategy. Today we're focusing on the business side. In the past, marketing and advertising were created for the sole purpose of generating as much revenue as possible, with no concern for the customers. That was then, and this is now. The modern consumer has more agency and makes informed decisions based on up to date facts. They no longer serve the brand; the brand serves them. Previous methods of marketing are no longer effective in this age, and businesses need to adapt to survive. How can an organization hope to succeed in this cutthroat world of brand marketing? Simple; just a little bit of kindness and authenticity. Today's guest is an expert both in business and humanities. Bob Burg, international businessman, author of Go-Giver, and Endless Referrals is with us to explain how giving is the most effective way of getting. With decades of experience helping Fortune 500 companies and other business endeavors, Bob has created his Five Laws of Stratospheric Success to share with others the stunning effect that generosity and kindness can have. His goal is to remind us that the purpose of business is not for making money, but the exchange of value so that both parties leave happy. These lessons examining the methods of business are crucial for any entrepreneur who wants to respect and to be respected, by their customers. Tune in today, and learn just how giving is receiving. In This Show, You'll Learn Bob Burg's Five Laws of Stratospheric Success The importance of generosity in the business world Benefits of focusing the story on someone else Key Quotes "Money is the thunder to value's lightning." – Bob Burg "The focus was not in the right place; the focus was on myself." – Bob Burg "People buy you first before they buy into your product" – Bob Burg "Don't be afraid to show your authentic vulnerable self, and that gets people to buy into what you are about, so you can help them get what they want." – Park Howell Story Marketer of the Week Not wanting the stress of spending $200 per night on a hotel, my wife and I decided to try out AirBnB during our most recent trip to visit our son in Hollywood. Boy, were we impressed! Michelle and I have since used AirBnB for basecamp in our travels across the United States and Europe, each room an incredible and unique experience. AirBnB recognizes that it's more important for the focus to be on the guests, and works hard to ensure that you are the hero on this brand journey. A large section of their website is dedicated to customers sharing their own tales. Plus, it features the stories of their hosts and photos of the guest's journeys. For creatively shifting the focus from their own company to the consumers, and for putting the customer in the spotlight of their story, we have awarded AirBnB as the Story Marketer of the Week. Mentioned in this episode Bob Burg Bob Burg's Twitter The Go-Giver Endless Referrals Arianna Huffington The Greatest Salesman in the World The Richest Man in Babylon Zig Ziglar Ritz Carlton Marriott Penguin Random House Portfolio About Business of Story Podcast The Business of Story is hosted by trusted brand story strategist and keynote speaker Park Howell and is among the top business and marketing podcasts geared toward founders, CEOs, entrepreneurs, solopreneurs, and communication leaders. Each episode brings you the brightest content creators, advertising creatives, authors, screenwriters, makers, marketers, and brand raconteurs that show you how to make your brand story marketing stand out and achieve epic growth in your organization.

There are dozens of crucial factors to think about when talking to your audience. Anything and everything in your message should be carefully considered. However, almost nothing in the world of story branding is more important, and more overlooked than genuine connection. This fact is nowhere as clear as in the case of Pepsi's infamous ad. Millions of dollars invested, a world-famous star, a positive call to action, great music, bold cinematography; all gone to waste. Where did they go wrong? All the right stuff was there, what happened? The answer lies in the authenticity of the story they told. This expensive, carefully manufactured, artificial story pales in comparison to the real thing. If a company hopes to share their message with customers, it must be a real connection, based on real events. These real stories are the focus of our conversation today. Our guest is Jordan Bower, strategic storytelling consultant, brand marketing professional, and an expert in what makes a story real. His tale began when he walked along the entire West Coast of the United States, meeting thousands of people along the way. These brief views into the lives of so many different people painted a clear picture for Jordan. He realized that the connectivity of social media is nowhere near as important as a face-to-face human interaction. From these experiences, he could pinpoint the key aspects that make a story authentic. Jordan's Four Pillars of Storytelling are a vital knowledge for content marketing. His personal stories, tips, and advice on authenticity and connectivity are integral for making your story work in today's world of story branding. Story Marketer of the Week Our Story Marketer of the Week Award goes to Heineken, for their World's Apart advertisement. This brief TV advertisement features the interactions of two people with opposite opinions on highly polarized issues; climate change, transgender people, and feminism. Heineken, however, added a twist. They didn't know the other's stance on these issues. The two individuals are given tasks to complete, and in the process, find common ground. When the secret is finally revealed, they are given a choice. They can leave, or stay, and talk about their differences over a cold beer. This social experiment not only calls for the viewers to open their minds and hearts but also humanizes those on the opposite spectrum of an issue. For helping those of different beliefs empathize with each other over a beer, Heineken is the Story Marketer of the Week. In This Show, You'll Learn: How does social media connection leave us disconnected? What is the importance of authenticity in telling your story? Jordan's Four Pillars of Storytelling Key Quotes "A story isn't just the content we communicate, it's also the connection." – Jordan Bower "We can be connected on social media, but that doesn't actually represent what a true human connection is actually like." – Jordan Bower "What's important to remember is that what you're saying isn't nearly as important as how you're saying it." – Jordan Bower "Business people are people too." – Jordan Bower "The more we're connected, the more we're actually disconnected." – Park Howell "Data brings you no emotion." – Park Howell Mentioned in this episode Jordan Bower Jordan Bower Twitter How I Built This Cheryl Strayed Homo Digitalis Wells Fargo Pepsi Uber Google Ventures The Sprint Book by Jake Knapp Apple Steve Job

What do you think is the most valuable survival tool in an arctic expedition? A nice winter coat? Snowshoes? Warm hat? For a 900 mile trek through one of the most dangerous places on earth, over hidden crevasses, calving glaciers, and frozen landscapes, one of the most critical tools is the ability to communicate the right story. Joining us on this edition of Business of Story is adventurer Robert Swan, the first man to journey across both the North and South Poles unaided. His dream of traversing the ice caps began in his childhood, and when he was an adult, he was ready to go, but he couldn't do it alone. For the next seven years, he worked hard to find sponsorship for this journey, and through the many rejections, he could learn from his mistakes and refine a compelling story to gain support. Robert used these very same storytelling techniques to inspire his fellow arctic companions and survive the ice. Today, he is one of the leading experts in the field of sustainability leadership, bringing students from around the world to visit the ice caps. Decades of experience has taught Robert the necessity of storytelling in leadership roles. To be able to craft a narrative, convince people of their own personal gain, and trust in those around you is the mark of a good leader. In This Show, You'll Learn: How great leaders use storytelling to rally support Importance of credibility in your narrative Telling your story through someone else's point of view Key Quotes "Trust yourself. If you don't trust you, who is going to trust you?" – Robert Swan "Every time I was told no, I listen to why these people told me no." – Robert Swan "Trust will inspire people more than anything." – Robert Swan 'You really connected with their legacy, they didn't even realize they were part of these expeditions." – Park Howell Mentioned in this episode Robert Swan Robert Swan Twitter Destination, Antarctica Antarctica 2041 A Walk to the Pole 2041 Climate Force Robert Falcon Scott Jacques Cousteau Earnest Shackleton NASA Red Bull South Pole Station

The world of brand marketing is changing rapidly. Ad campaigns don't work like they used to. Because brands are no longer the storytellers. They're the story makers handing their stories to their customers in hopes they'll share it with their world. Smart brands are focused on making movements, like REI's #OptOutside effort. Dove's "Real Beauty" campaign. Or Heineken's recent "Open Your World" work. How do you turn an ad campaign into a meaningful movement that matters? It starts by creating a relationship with your audiences through your story marketing. Brand relationship expert, Kimberly Manno Reott of Context Partners, joins us from her home in Madrid, Spain. She explores the three elements and six critical roles to every successful movement. Context Partners is a new type of design firm focused on relationships at scale. We all face a changing world where identity, information, and power are rapidly shifting. Traditional models of communication are failing and once-passive audiences are coalescing into powerful, vocal communities. Kimberley and her team help organizations like Microsoft, Lilly and the Rockefeller Foundation and the Rainforest Alliance build, navigate and leverage their relationships to shape the future. Kimberly will teach you how to craft a compelling message and structure the right team with the correct personalities to turn your campaign into a movement. In This Show, You'll Learn: How to approach business storytelling through the lens of relationships, particularly through the STORYTELLER. The three-story plot points you need to make any movement take off The six aspirational roles people play to make your cause successful And the almighty power of chocolate to bring clarity to your story. Key Quotes: "All business strategy is a story." – Park Howell "In traditional marketing, consumers get segmented by demographics… that way of segmenting people is kind of old school and actually doesn't allow you to build the relationships that are lasting." – Kimberly Manno Reott "It ultimately comes down to building these relationships by truly understanding your audience." –Park Howell Mentioned in this episode: Kimberly Manno Reott Kimberly Manno Reott Twitter Context Partners Rockefeller Foundation Sally Hogshead Fascination Advantage Assessment Rainforest Alliance GreenBiz Arab Spring Twitter Aspirationals Vincent Stanley Patagonia New York Times Damnation Yvonne Chouinard Schwinn Stingray

How would you go about creating a brand story for a person? Would you be able to sell an individual's personal story or even your own? We at Business of Story focus on teaching storytelling and branding techniques for media marketers, advertisers, nonprofits, and other business-oriented organizations and leaders. Today we ask you to think of another area you can improve upon with a little bit of storytelling. Marketing your own life is something that may be overlooked a bit too frequently, but if you can harness the power of story, the possibilities of your personal growth are endless. With a bit of narrative, you'll stand out above the rest, whether it be a job interview, making a big sale or just gaining a positive reputation in your community. Our guest on this podcast episode is Sally Hogshead of How to Fascinate. Author, advertiser, branding expert, media marketer and mother of eight, Sally joins us to share her story and what led her to the creation of her Fascination Personality Test. Discover How The World Sees You with Sally Hogshead's Personality Test Her creativity has been a defining part of her character, and from elementary school classrooms to international corporate offices, Sally's experiences in story brand marketing have helped her craft her personality test to help you understand and utilize your own character. This wonderful and insightful test is unlike any other I've ever taken, and to prove it, Sally is going to let you take the test for free! Visit her Website and enter the code 'story17' for an opportunity to gain insight into your personality traits and how to best use your strengths. Story on!

In March, The Virgin Group honored storytelling month on its website because Richard Branson believes that the strength and ability to tell stories effectively drives performance in business. Branson is just one business leader who has tapped into the ancient craft of storytelling to drive performance and mold the behaviors that construct the culture within many of his booming companies. Another one of these astonishing storytellers is our guest today, Doug Keeley. Doug, the founder of The Mark of a Leader, believes that his life and career path were ultimately changed by the narrative of Tim Burton's film, Big Fish, after he lost everything in the crash of his $50 million company. Doug will share with us how he learned to drive performance through compelling storytelling and how narrative can help you construct the level of prosperity you deserve in your company. He originates from Toronto, Canada, where he formed his storyteller skills by being an elite jazz guitarist, a brand marketing guru, and an acclaimed speaker and storytelling coach to many leaders. Story on ~ Park In This Show, You'll Learn: The five levels of leadership engagement through narrative How you can use all five levels of leadership engagement even though your competitors are only utilizing two of them How you can apply the 'storytelling for leaders' program in your business Key Quotes: "All great organizations have a story about how they started and stories that show their culture. I put that together with leadership, and that's how I ended up here." – Doug Keeley "One day, we were this crazy, great company and the next day it was gone. That was a very scary moment." – Doug Keeley "Kids aren't learning by the written word – they are learning by video. At some point in the not too distant future, you're going to drop in virtual reality to that, and it's going to completely change how we tell stories." –Park Howell "We take this corporate drivel, self-aggrandizing features, and benefits and turn them into stories. If we're good at it, we make people think, and that's all Hollywood does—that's what great writers do." – Doug Keeley "In religion, the story will tell you 'this is how we want you to behave in this circumstance.' When you put a whole bunch of behaviors together, that's called culture because the dominant behaviors of any group are what their culture is all about and inarguably in the world of corporate culture, culture drives performance." – Doug Keeley

Your customers don't want to hear about what you make. They want a story about what you make happen. That's why Robert Rose urges you to transform your marketing department into a storytelling department. Turn your adverbs and adjectives into adventures in your story marketing to move your audiences to action. Our guest today has us covered in storytelling from music to Hollywood to creating stories for the largest brands. He's a sought-after social content marketing strategist, speaker, author, and conspirator of business success. Robert is the chief strategy officer for the content advisory, the consulting and education group for the Content Marketing Institute. He co-hosts This Old Marketing podcast with Joe Pulizzi, founder of the Content Marketing Institute. He also co-wrote a book with Joe called "Managing Content Marketing," which is widely considered to be the owners manual of the content marketing process. Robert has helped develop content and customer experience strategies for large enterprises such as Oracle, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Allstate Insurance, Microsoft, Capital One, AT&T, PEPCO, UPS—and the list just keeps going! In This Show, You'll Learn: How to transform your marketing department into a storytelling institute The biggest mistake most people make in content marketing Why you should move your advertising marketing and sales content from featuring adverbs to focusing on adventures Key Quotes: "Build those strategic initiatives, those platforms that will help you tell your story that delivers value over time and build that audience so that you get the value of all the content you're creating, not just the individual assets that you're creating." - Robert Rose "I'm a big believer in when people say, 'content is king.' Then I say, 'Storytelling is the kingdom sorcerer,' - because that's where the magic happens." - Park Howell "It's about helping them understand that there is another world out there for content that can actually be valuable to the customer - that they can tell stories with." - Robert Rose "Transform it from an approach of describing value to describing an experience with value packed into it." - Park Howell "We can put adjectives in front of nouns, and we can talk about synergies, paradigms, and all sorts of stuff that we're good at it. We can do those things well, but the creation of content for value sake for the audience is a different muscle. It's about delivering value in the content." - Robert Rose Mentioned in this episode: Robert Rose Robert Rose on Twitter contentadvisory.net Content Marketing Institute (CMI) Joe Pulizzi "Managing Content Marketing" by Robert Rose Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Jay Baer The Hero's Journey Showtime Red Shoe Diaries Ben Folds Joseph Campbell UBM Chapman University "Save the Cat" by Blake Snyder "Story" by Robert McKee Doug Keeley