See a photo of Bill, his bio, Part 1 of this Q&A, Part 2, and Part 3.
Q&A with Bill Gibeault, Question 4
Q: How is your methodology for getting at a business backstory more powerful than other similar methodologies?
A: I think our methodology to really “get to the heart” of a company’s
backstory, is unique, as we combine the latest thinking and frameworks of experience design, authenticity, and storytelling, as a foundation to take a deep dive into a company’s heritage.
Our story-development methodology also reflects learning and thinking, from our own real world experiences, in the trenches of corporate sales, management and training, video storytelling, experience design and most recently social media.
The goal is always to make the storytelling process an engaging experience for customers, by intentionally customizing the process for each customer, to make their time spent with us more personal and meaningful. The challenge with every project we engage in is to get our customers emotionally engaged. When we meet this challenge, the customer has a greater sense of ownership, which results in a more powerful authentic story.
It is clear that authenticity has become a new consumer sensibility today. To be perceived as authentic (“Is What it Says” and “True to Self”) a company needs to understand its backstory — its heritage, including the WHY of how they got there.
In simple terms, a backstory is how a company became what it is today. Your backstory is connected to your heritage, sense of purpose as a business, and your values — the who, what, where, when, why, and how of your business. We refer to it as your heart and soul. Our Story-ING process encourages and fosters, a courageous and honest journey of discovery and learning for our customers. It’s not about fancy words and mission statements or slickly edited videos, but finding REAL stories that demonstrate the true essence and identity of a business.