Annemarie O'Brien conducted a half-day workshop in Iowa City focused on harnessing the art of storytelling to tell a product story such that it sings in a noisy digital world.  She addressed concepts of developing a product story across marketing channels, presenting a compelling narrative for potential investors, and converting a technical product message into a story the audience can understand.  The hands-on workshop utilized a combination of case studies, writing exercises, and group discussion to craft a timeless product story—a narrative that captures the facts and feelings created by the product, with the hope of inspiring an emotional reaction.

Participants reported that the exercises and case studies helped them think about their product narrative from a different perspective.  In 2019, Forbes reported that brand storytelling is the future of marketing. The prevalence of storytelling as the foundation of business pitches is also gaining traction within the entrepreneurial ecosystem. 

Annemarie O’Brien is an award-winning author and marketing professional with twenty-plus years of global brand experience. Currently, she is a global senior product manager at Bio-Rad where she creates video story content and global marketing campaigns to engage and nurture prospects. Annemarie has a BBA in marketing, an MBA in international business, and an MFA in writing. She teaches story marketing at Stanford Continuing Studies and writing courses at UC Berkeley Continuing Studies and Pixar. She is a frequent conference speaker on story marketing.