On 11th March, CEW welcomed Annabel Rivkin, acclaimed journalist and founder of storytelling agency Bee Works. 
Bee Works provides creative strategy, branding, storytelling and content for luxury, beauty and fashion brands. They specialise in narrative – anything from an advertising tagline to an entire magazine (online or print), a brand bible to the story of a single product – to create a unique tone of voice. 
Annabel shared her insights on how to ensure that brands stand out amidst the habitual ‘white noise’ of marketing and PR language.
Her years of experience writing (for Tatler, The Times, Vogue, and ES Magazine) and carving out brand stories, have provided her with the ability to know precisely what works or, more importantly, what doesn’t, when it comes to getting your brand message heard and your brand identity recognised.
Years of reading endless piles of poorly written press releases and marketing collateral led to the creation of Bee Works, a strategic consultancy designed to help brand communications cut through an increasingly crowded marketplace. 
What’s your story?
We’re all storytellers, but some of us are better at it than others, which is where Annabel’s services come into play. Annabel firmly believes that a brand’s tone of voice should be as unique as a person's, to ensure that its messages stand out for all of the right reasons.
Annabel’s top tips on perfecting your brand story:
- Focus on your brand’s USP - Ensure that your brand’s tone of voice is authentic- Consistency is key – remember that everything you say and do as a brand is connected- Content should entertain, make the consumer laugh, smile or think – it humanises your brand and makes it relatable- Make content that you, personally, would be proud to share- Don’t get too attached to the past or hysterical about the future- Don’t patronise or use clichés (‘passion’, ‘fabulous’, ‘indulge’, ‘pamper’) – they demonstrate laziness and a lack of respect for the consumer- Don’t self-declare; allow people space to interpret your brand 
For any queries, please contact Jinny Yeon ([email protected]). 
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