Aug 24, 2020
Take ‘Em to the Promised Land
Brands can imbue pragmatic products with intrigue through storytelling that illustrates the worlds those products make possible. By Andrea Bullard On any given day, about a million Appen employees from around the […]
Dec 10, 2019
King of Burgers, Queen of Pop
By Kenly Craighill In 2008, a doe-eyed, cowboy-boot-clad 18-year-old took to the CMT Music Awards stage. Her unmistakable permed curls, paired with a cutesy-country twang and puppy-love lyrics, made her […]
Aug 14, 2019
Peer Pressure or Pure Profit?
Brand Loyalty Waits on the Other End of a Difficult Decision By Dante Pannell “It is shameful retreat for the company. American businesses should be proud of our country’s history, […]
May 15, 2019
Won’t You Be My … Customer?
Lessons on authenticity and connection from Mr. Rogers By Rachel Fox “It’s through relationships that we learn best and grow best.” Some lessons are evergreen. In the aftermath of the […]
Nov 8, 2018
Google It, Xerox It, FedEx It, Post-It: How Story Can Help Prevent Brand “Genericide”
By Zachary Vickers Barry Manilow is known for chart-topping hits like “Looks Like We Made It,” but few may realize that many brand jingles we still can’t get out of […]
Sep 28, 2018
A Case for Taking the Long Road
By Lindsay Cottman Famed operatic soprano Beverly Sills used her vocal talent to sing, and to impart wise words, once musing that “there are no shortcuts to any place worth […]
Sep 27, 2018
Soup’s Down! How Tired Brands Can Refresh Through Story
By Zachary Vickers The $4.5 billion U.S. canned soup industry has been flat since 2012, and Campbell’s — with 40 percent of the market share — is the face of […]
Sep 7, 2018
Why Bad “Plot Twists” Ruin Brand Stories
By Zachary Vickers When Norman Mailer said that the novel was dead in 1955, perhaps he was also heralding the impending fate of independent bookstores. In 1995, Amazon become “Earth’s […]
Aug 29, 2018
Selling a Story You’re Not Telling
Craft a Narrative Built for Indirect Customer Marketing By Lindsay Cottman A staple of camps and classrooms is the children’s game “telephone.” The kids sit in a circle, and work […]
Apr 17, 2018
Coachella and the Art of Crafting a Timeless Story
By EM Ricchini Twenty-five thousand people gathered to watch Pearl Jam play at Empire Polo Club in Indio, California on November 5, 1993. The show originated in protest: Pearl Jam […]