Case Studies
You can’t build the right organisation with the wrong story. Telling the right story enables us to build stronger teams around a shared purpose and to do work we are proud of every day. Every organisation has a unique set of storytelling challenges. Overcoming those challenges gives us the opportunity to build trust and deepen connection with the people you want to serve. Here are some of the ways Bernadette helps organisations to get closer to their right people.
THE OPPORTUNITY
After almost fifteen years of successful growth and on the brink of expansion, the leadership team at Sugar Paper LA wanted to revisit their brand storytelling. Their goal was to understand how they could improve how they communicated the essence of the brand to clients and team members alike.
THE WORK
Over the course of three months, Bernadette consulted with the founders and the company’s head of marketing.
THE RESULT
A company culture book was created to share the brand’s origin story, values and guidelines. Key messaging on the website and marketing materials were reworked and highlighted. Today, the Sugar Paper origin story permeates company culture through meaningful, ongoing conversations in every department: from product development to customer service.
“Working with Bernadette challenges you to make your best work better. She is an expert in brand and storytelling, but she also digs deep to help you understand the why. She helps you identify why the work matters so that the story being told is authentic and true.”
CHELSEA SHUKOV, CEO OF SUGAR PAPER
THE OPPORTUNITY
ASSA ABLOY Group is the global leader in access solutions. They contacted Bernadette when they were rebranding their well-known hospitality division Vingcard Elsafe to help with this transition and use it as an opportunity to retell the company’s story.
THE WORK
During this process, Bernadette worked closely with a core team to research the company’s origin story. She used this as the foundation for creating a new story that would enable the company to embrace and share its values during the rebranding process.
THE RESULT
The work and intention of Tor Sornes, the lone Norwegian lock-maker who invented the hotel keycard, was brought back to life. The company went on to use the story during the brand’s transition period and as part of their broader content marketing strategy. Tor Sornes’ story (which many newer employees had never heard) gave the team a renewed sense of purpose.
“With great strategic skill, Bernadette guided us through the process emphasizing an emotional approach in the brand transition; cherishing the past at the same time as the quintessence of our common bright future was put in focus. I never thought I would establish strategic co-operation with a person on the other side of the world whom I never met, but this worked perfectly fine. I thus can give my wholehearted recommendations for Bernadette, to any marketing executive who is looking for strategic advice from someone who can truly make a difference when it comes to brand building.”
Samuel Asarnoj, Business Development Director, ASSA ABLOY
THE OPPORTUNITY
The Senior Director of Innovation at Adidas in Germany contacted Bernadette for help with an internal storytelling project. He saw an opportunity to use storytelling to help his team develop a more user-centric design focus.
THE WORK
Bernadette created a storytelling tool that could be used by individual designers and teams during the design process.
THE RESULT
Using the story-driven design approach led to a more empathetic approach to product design. The team made more connections between product features and user benefits and developed shoes that satisfied players needs and wants as a result.
“I was fortunate to recently work with Bernadette on a storytelling project. Her blog posts resonated with me greatly and I hoped she could help my team with storytelling tools and techniques. What I received was far more. Not only did I get useful tools to help tell stories throughout our process; but her philosophy helped me see the larger impact I could have within my company. Bernadette took the marketing and business “speak" we so often used and transformed it into my department’s raison d’être. She helped open my eyes to the habitual thinking that was dragging us into the same feedback loop, and understand why we had difficulty finding new solutions. Her teachings, instruction and leadership helped me to see with new eyes....to put my feet in the consumer’s shoes, and finally to create impact through storytelling. Lastly, Bernadette is a joy to work with - passionate, fun, and relatable.”
Antonio Zea, Director of Innovation Adidas
THE OPPORTUNITY
Zendesk’s Australasian operations were experiencing healthy growth and thus their team and their client reach were expanding. The leadership team saw this as an opportunity to reinforce the company’s values and purpose through storytelling.
THE WORK
Presentation of the Story Driven framework to the Zendesk team in Melbourne to reinforce the company’s culture internally. Co-creation of a presentation to leveraging storytelling and enhance the brand’s external messaging.
THE RESULT
The growing team came together with a renewed sense of purpose and commitment to serving customers according to Zendesk’s original values. The new presentation was used at several key events to reengage with existing clients and attract new clients.
“In a world where remaining true to your purpose and reason for being is challenged every day by profits and growth, discovering Bernadette has enabled us to shift and transformed our focus to higher purpose, which has delivered better outcomes for us, our clients and our culture.”
Rod Moynihan, Director, Australia & New Zealand, Zendesk
THE OPPORTUNITY
In the wake of the invention of the smartphone HID Global’s rate of innovation, capability and offerings had expanded. The existing brand story didn’t adequately reflect, showcase or communicate the value the company created for stakeholders and users in different marketplaces.
THE WORK
In consultation with the company’s senior leaders in brand strategy, business development and marketing, Bernadette created a new positioning statement that reflected the depth and breath of HID’s products and services. This new positioning became the foundation for the company’s brand story, a promotional film script and content marketing strategy.
THE RESULT
The new positioning statement encompasses the scale and scope of HID’s services. It enables employees to articulate the brand’s value to stakeholders and clients. It also led to international recognition from Insights Success Magazine for HID as one of the most valuable brands of 2017.
“With her brand expertise, her uncanny creativity and her special ability to succinctly articulate a brand’s value for customers, Bernadette Jiwa was a strategic partner with us to develop the HID brand story. As a result, Bernadette’s work led to international recognition from Insights Success Magazine for HID as one of the most valuable brands of 2017. Working with Bernadette was an amazing experience of cutting through the clutter, going to the core essence of our brand and coming out of the creative process with a renewed sense about the brand’s strength to differentiate HID in the marketplace as a leader that powers the trusted identities of the world’s people, places and things.”
Anthony Petrucci, Senior Director, Corporate Communications, HID Global
THE OPPORTUNITY
When he found a vintage backpack in his parents attic in Austria, entrepreneur Franz Drack immediately knew he wanted to bring it and the Kamarg brand back to life. After several years of product development and legal wrangling to secure the trademark, Franz was ready to launch the brand online with a Kickstarter campaign.
THE WORK
As a former marketer for LEGO, Frand knew the importance of storytelling. He undertook Bernadette’s Story Strategy Course and with her support over the next six weeks he honed the Kamarg customer profile and story.
THE RESULT
The Kamarg Kickstarter hit its pledge target within five hours. The campaign went on to collect almost €100,000 and sales continued after the Kickstarter ended. The company is slowly building a retail presence with a pop-up store in Vienna and selling online to customers around the world.
“I can only tell you that all the ideas you put forward in your work are really really working big time. I think the meaning economy is truly here and people that can see it have an competitive advantage. Kamarg is a proof of concept for your ideas for me.”