It's a ubiquitous buzzword — storytelling — used on almost every website for every creative agency in existence. We at Frances Roy Agency firmly believe that we are privileged to craft the stories of our incredible clients. But these stories have already been created. They are at the heart of the companies and brands we represent. No two stories are alike.
So by us telling a story, we are assisting in sharing the unique qualities of the clients we represent, yes. In reality, we see "telling" as simply a cut and dry verb. We're the vessel or the channel used to engage new audiences or current audiences in new ways.
Instead, we like to consider ourselves story crafters. What does this mean to us exactly? It means we dig deep with our clients. We challenge ourselves to discover clients' organizational attributes that cannot be duplicated. We're talking about nuggets like how Rock Out Climbing Gym built an actual mountain to help create a rock climbing community in Destin, Florida.
On the philosophy, Frances Roy Agency President & Chief Creative Officer Shantelle Dedicke said, “When it comes down to it, our agency agility is put to best use when we integrate into our client’s existing team. We don’t tell the stories, the people who work within these organizations truly tell the story. We listen. Yes! We are story listeners, designers, writers, crafters, and creators. But storytellers? That’s going a little far, in my opinion."
This process can take a little longer, but it's why we do what we do. Our current and prospective clients have already established their stories. It's our job to craft those compelling stories, to pull out the heart of them, and to make them a little more vulnerable and real. That's how we are able to strike a chord with our clients' audiences.
So yes, we're telling stories every single day through a variety of channels and mediums. But we're also crafting and refining those anecdotes, parables and adventures into something that will truly resonate. We're finding the "why" and displaying it for the world to see. We're story crafters.