Table Of ContentPraise for What’s Your Story?
“What’s Your Story?chronicles the art and science ofstorytelling, the most effective commu-
nication device used with various degrees of success by societies and individuals since the
beginning of time. Authors Ryan Mathews and Watts Wacker are not only gifted histori-
ans and futurists, but articulate storytellers as well, making this, their second collabora-
tion, a delightful read for a wide audience. I was so fascinated by their insights in how
companies and individuals tell their stories that I bought copies for all of our executive
leadership team and for my spouse and children as well. None of them were disappointed
and all have started honing their skills by using the advice offered by the authors in this
clever, well-written book.
“Three thumbs up for What’s Your Story?Three thumbs? That’s another story.”
—Bob Rich, Chairman, Rich Products Corp., Author Fish Fights,
The Fishing Club, and Secrets from the Delphi Café
“As usual these two future-finders have their fingers on the pulse of what’s happening—
and what we need to know about. In every business, in every organization, the seven most
important words these days are: ‘But wait! A story goes with it!’ You need to read this book
to find out why.”
—Alan Webber, Co-founder, Fast Companymagazine
“A great story sparks our imagination, challenges us to think, and resonates with our col-
lective conscience. Ryan Mathews and Watts Wacker’s story about telling stories does
exactly this. It is an essential guidebook for capturing and conveying the essence of corpo-
rate identities and enriching brands.”
—Paul A. Laudicina, Managing Officer and
Chairman of the Board, A.T. Kearney
“There is an old Irish proverb that translates into: ‘Listen to the sound of the river if you
want to catch a fish.’ What’s Your Story?is the ideal way to listen to the marketplace, and
readers will find the fishing there to be both fun and profitable.”
—Senator Feargal Quinn, Seanad Éireann (Irish Senate)
“Everyone enjoys great storytelling, whether in a book, movie, or play. Ryan Mathews and
Watts Wacker have now applied the art of storytelling to business and provided us with
tools and examples that show us how stories can strengthen our brands, companies, and
industries.”
—Kimberly Till, Chief Executive Officer, North America, Taylor Nelson Sofres (“TNS”)
“I loved this book. It was witty and irreverent, and totally relevant to anyone in business
today, regardless of discipline. Everyone likes a good story and the business lessons in
What’s Your Story?will resonate with everyone.”
—Lisa J. Donahue, Managing Director, AlixPartners; Executive Vice President and Chief
Financial Officer, Calpine Corporation
“This book is a must-read for marketers, brand managers, marketing students and, more
globally, for anyone interested in understanding the emotional attraction/repulsion effects
brands have on us.
“A lot has been written on brands; however, this is the first book to analyze branding
through the original angle of ‘storytelling.’ Ryan Mathews and Watts Wacker make a bril-
liant demonstration showing why and how a great and emotional story is one of the key
success factors of a strong brand.
“The Walt Disney Company has elevated this branding strategy based on storytelling to an
art. Every Disney animated movie tells a great story, which is developed into a standalone
brand. Each product featuring the movie characters contributes to telling the same story
and acts as media delivering brand awareness and, ultimately, building brand equity.”
—Dominique Bourse, Co-Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Cyber Group
Europe and former Senior Vice President, The Walt Disney Company (Europe)
“My take: This book reinforces the sometimes forgotten notion that a great story, told by a
great storyteller, can capture and transport thinking to a new place and a new perspective.
When done well, it is an instrumental tool in propelling the audience toward getting the
correct point. Anyone in the business of conveying, communicating, and convincing
should take note.”
—Tom Zatina, President, McLane Foodservice
“Today, businessmen, mothers, teachers, lovers, politicians, and more are communicating
around the world with the stroke of a keyboard or touchpad. What is lost in this method of
communication is the essence of the message, some critical fact, the true meaning, or even
the intended tone of voice. Mathews and Wacker point out in their wonderful book, What’s
Your Story?, that storytelling’s origins go back thousands of years and is an art that passes
through entire civilizations. Stories often span generations and are immensely powerful in
shaping the perception of an individual or an organization. Mathews and Wacker detail
what it takes to be an effective storyteller.
“Connections made through stories often lead to richer personal and business relationships
and give a clearer understanding why a certain path was chosen. Mathews and Wacker
entertain the reader and cite numerous examples of how past and present notable people
have cultivated a public persona that was different from their personal lives. I, for one, will
never think of Walt Disney the same.
“Even at an Internet startup like eBags.com, which launched in 1999, new team members
almost a decade later soak in stories about how the company started in a living room, sur-
vived on credit card debt, and faced seemingly insurmountable challenges, including the
dot.bomb and the 9/11 tragedy. And as eBags has expanded to Europe and Japan, stories of
the frugal early days play a key role in grounding new eBaggers into the company culture.
On a personal level, my story of surviving a deadly cancer directly led to the life-changing
realization that I wanted to co-found the world’s largest online retailer of bags.”
—Peter Cobb, Co-founder/Senior Vice President Marketing, ebags.com
ALSO BY RYAN MATHEWS
The Myth of Excellence
ALSO BY WATTS WACKER
The 500-Year Delta
The Visionary’s Handbook
ALSO BY RYAN MATHEWS AND WATTS WACKER
The Deviant’s Advantage
This page intentionally left blank
Vice President, Publisher: Tim Moore
Associate Editor-in-Chief and Director of Marketing: Amy Neidlinger
Acquisitions Editor: Martha Cooley
Editorial Assistant: Pamela Boland
Development Editor: Russ Hall
Digital Marketing Manager: Julie Phifer
Publicist: Amy Fandrei
Marketing Coordinator: Megan Colvin
Cover Designer: 4 Eyes Design
Managing Editor: Gina Kanouse
Project Editor: Betsy Harris
Copy Editor: Keith Cline
Proofreader: Karen A. Gill
Indexer: Lisa Stumpf
Compositor: Jake McFarland
Manufacturing Buyer: Dan Uhrig
©2008 by Pearson Education, Inc.
Publishing as FT Press
Upper Saddle River, New Jersey 07458
FT Press offers excellent discounts on this book when ordered in quantity for bulk purchases
or special sales. For more information, please contact U.S. Corporate and Government Sales,
1-800-382-3419, [email protected]. For sales outside the U.S., please contact
International Sales at [email protected].
Company and product names mentioned herein are the trademarks or registered trademarks of
their respective owners.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, in any form or by any means, with-
out permission in writing from the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
First Printing August 2007
ISBN-10: 0-13-227742-5
ISBN-13: 978-0-13-227742-6
Pearson Education LTD.
Pearson Education Australia PTY, Limited.
Pearson Education Singapore, Pte. Ltd.
Pearson Education North Asia, Ltd.
Pearson Education Canada, Ltd.
Pearson Educatión de Mexico, S.A. de C.V.
Pearson Education—Japan
Pearson Education Malaysia, Pte. Ltd.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Mathews, Ryan.
What’s your story? : storytelling to move markets, audiences, people, and brands / Ryan Mathews,
Watts Wacker.
p. cm.
ISBN 0-13-227742-5 (hardback : alk. paper) 1. Marketing. 2. Storytelling—Economic aspects. 3.
Corporate culture. I. Wacker, Watts. II. Title.
HF5415.M3365 2007
650.1—dc22
2007005372
To my four favorite stories—Gabriel, Adam, Sierra, and Zack.
I can’t wait for the next chapters. And to Priscilla,
who proves that happy endings aren’t just in fairy tales.
—Ryan Mathews
This book is dedicated to Mr. Richard (Dick) M. Clarke, who was
the original source of inspiration for its inception, and to my dad,
Watts Wacker (himself), who taught me the power in storytelling.
—Watts Wacker
