Deep Dive I – Storytelling for Ocean and Business
The ocean carries an extraordinary narrative capital. It is a place of life, movement, risk, opportunity, and imagination. It connects ecosystems, communities, industries, cultures, and futures. For the Blue Economy, this means that ocean-related ideas are never only technical, scientific, environmental, or commercial. They are also part of larger stories about sustainability, resilience, responsibility, and the places we depend on.
Stories and narratives are not only tools for communication. They are strategic resources for companies, organizations, and communities. They help people make sense of change, build relationships between stakeholders, and transform visions, hopes, and ambitions into shared direction. As communication becomes increasingly shaped by AI, automation, and new content technologies, clear narratives and authentic stories become even more important.
In this practical workshop, participants will explore how narrative capital can serve as a strategic resource for marketing, communication, and business development. The session will introduce models for narrative placemaking and narrative value creation, supported by cases and inspiring best-practice examples. It will show how stories can create short-term value such as attention, clarity, and engagement, as well as long-term value such as trust, legitimacy, resilience, and shared direction.
The workshop provides participants with concrete tools:
- a practical framework for identifying and developing the narrative capital of an ocean-related idea, venture, place, or organization
- models for using narrative placemaking and narrative value creation in marketing and communication
- cases, best-practice examples, and focused questions that can help strengthen pitches, presentations, investor dialogues, partnerships, public communication, and stakeholder engagement
The workshop is led by Joakim Lind, PhD, researcher, communications strategist, and senior advisor at Cloudberry Communications and Åbo Akademi University. Joakim brings more than 25 years of experience from strategic communication, place branding, innovation communication, and applied research on how narratives create meaning, engagement, legitimacy, and long-term value.
After this workshop, you’ll be better equipped to see the narrative potential of ocean-related ideas and places, and to use storytelling as a strategic tool for communication, collaboration, stakeholder relations, and sustainable value creation.
Participation requires a valid A’Pelago Initiative 2026 ticket and advance registration. Due to limited space, A’Pelago may reserve the right to select participants based on applications.
Workshop by
Cloudberry Communications is a Stockholm-based strategic communications consultancy operating pan-Nordic, specializing in branding, PR, media relations, strategic messaging, content, and stakeholder communication. The agency helps organizations at the intersection of technology, innovation, society, and place development translate complex ideas into clear, credible, and engaging narratives that build understanding, trust, and momentum.
