John Elbing
Chief Storybuilder
John Elbing has watched a lot of good companies get positioning wrong — including by doing everything the textbook says.
Agency brief, workshop, new messaging, and it still doesn't land.
His view: the mistake is where the story starts.
Through Standpoint and his book Storybuilding: Your Brand From Their Standpoint, he helps leadership teams rebuild their story from their customers' side of the table.
Based in Geneva, Switzerland.
2
Nov. 11, 2026
Mastering Storytelling Through Analysis and Customer-Centric Approaches
In this episode of Digital Marketing Stories Jim interviews John Elbing, founder of Standpoint in Switzerland, about his “Story Building” methodology for helping companies tell the right story from the customer’s point of view rather than focusing on themselves. John explains how his varied background led him to refine existing storytelling frameworks into his own process and why companies often need outside perspective to see gaps in their messaging. He discusses auditing a brand’s full online presence - website, social channels, and even how AI describes the company - to ensure consistent narrative and avoid being driven by vanity metrics. John outlines a three-step model: * recognition (customers see it’s for them) * perception (they understand differentiation) * projection (they can imagine the steps and positive future) plus how podcast guesting and his book (with AI prompts) support credibility and practice.
Guests: Jim Banks , John Elbing