Mark Toft, chief strategy officer and cofounder of the Narrator Group, was lead digital writer for the Staples Easy Button, and his tagline for CenturyLink, "Your link to what's next," has been in use for over a decade. He has also advised two governors and a United States senator. He graduated from Stanford University and earned his master's degree in fiction writing at Washington University in St. Louis. Toft brings over 25 years of experience advising companies and Fortune 500 brands. His clients have included American Express, Staples, FedEx, CenturyLink, Ball, Flying Dog Beer, and Breckenridge Ski Resorts.
Jay Sunny, chief creative officer and cofounder of the Narrator Group, spent seven years as an art director at the two top advertising agencies in Switzerland, where he created award-winning branding and advertising campaigns that were translated into over 20 languages. His work has appeared on every continent but Antarctica and has won awards from the Effies, Art Directors' Club, Epica, New York Festivals, Clio, and Cannes Lions. His clients have included Swiss Bank Corporation, UBS, Nestle, United Airlines, Swissair, IBM, Canon, CenturyLink, Novartis, Amoco, Verizon, FedEx, DHL, and SC Johnson.
Rich Taylor, senior vice president of the Narrator Group, is a marketing and sales leader with experience in planning, developing, and implementing successful marketing campaigns. He has held leadership roles at Leo Burnett, Lee Hill Inc., and Zocalo Group. In addition to his agency background, Taylor has served as chief marketing officer and vice president of marketing and advertising for a leading regional grocery chain. Early in his career, he was a senior marketing manager for a Fortune 100 telecommunications company, where he directed campaigns to support $3.5 billion in annual sales.
Endorsements
"I've seen people with good ideas fail because they can't tell a good story. This book will help you sharpen the way you think about and pitch your products or services. Authenticity saves you from the biggest traps and gives you memorable ideas on how to position your brand."—Hans Tung, Managing Partner, GGV Capital, 7-time Forbes Midas Lister (#7 in 2019)
"There are so many books and articles out there about branding, you can easily suffer from paralysis by analysis. Thankfully, Authenticity goes right to the core of branding—the perception of a brand's mission and credibility. It will positively impact your business, and you as well."—Stephen Smith, President, Persuasive Creative Advertising
Adjunct Professor, Loyola Chicago Graduate School of Business
"Most business books function best as sleeping pills. Not Authenticity. The examples and anecdotes the authors provide are actually entertaining."—Christopher Miller, Author of American Cornball, The Cardboard Universe, and Sudden Noises from Inanimate Objects
"This is an entertaining book. More importantly, it's a necessary book. Business, marketing—the entire culture—needs the lessons and wisdom contained in these pages."—Sven Kahler, Chief Creative Officer, Kreisvier Communications, Basel, Switzerland