Driven by imagination. Built for growth.
We restore the joy of brand storytelling for the age of AI — strategy, voice and narrative that is unmistakably your brand.
100%
human-made craft
The StoryDrive™ system
Where insight & imagination becomes motion.
StoryDrive™ is a simple, powerful three-pillar system built around a single upward arc — transforming foundational truth into brand momentum and go-to-market content.
Foundation
Unearthing the truth that powers the brand
Before brands accelerate, they must be grounded. We uncover the essential insights across business ambition and growth objectives, brand equity and perception, customer motivations and tensions, category dynamics, cultural forces and competitive pressures.
Momentum
Transforming insight into a big idea
This is where distinctiveness is born. We define the brand archetype and role in culture, strategic positioning, core value proposition, big idea(s) and growth pathways.
Script
Building the narrative that drives engagement
Ideas move when stories inspire people and catch fire. We develop a clear narrative arc, messaging hierarchy, content pillars, storytelling phasing and measurement plan.
Our approach
Foundations to master AI-driven brand discovery
Creating distributed brand experiences to drive brand access and availability.
Structured Knowledge Ecosystem
Organizing, prioritizing and distributing the most useful and timely information designed with deep customer knowledge and able to answer a wide range of individualized needs and questions. “Chunking” content across broad topics and information categories.
Authority
Publishing original content that reflects the brand's leadership, topical expertise, credentials, and credible point of view including partnerships and third-party endorsement and associations.
Community
Maintaining deep and active connection to relevant communities, influencers and creators, business stakeholders to generate conversation, discussion, reviews & ratings, and user generated content.
Contextuality
Aligning with culture and social currency, anticipating and betting on emerging trends to maximize receptivity and relevance, and deeply understanding changing customer needs, behavior and motivations.
Outcomes
What you drive away with.
Every pillar of StoryDrive™ ends in something you can use — not a deck that sits still.
A sharp, defensible strategic foundation that clarifies where you can win — and why.
A compelling and scalable strategic idea that drives growth and forward motion.
A storytelling plan that aligns teams, channels and partners, inspires audiences and fuels sustained brand engagement.
About us
Meet L. John Baker.
John is a marketing communications professional with 35 years of experience building brands for some of the world's largest marketers — Procter & Gamble, Colgate-Palmolive, Citigroup, Vodafone, Kraft, Nestlé, AT&T and IBM.
His work spans brand strategy, advertising and creative development, integrated communications planning, digital + data infrastructure, media planning and buying, brand identity and design, and marketing sciences and analytics — across global and pan-regional business. Along the way he's led teams at Spark Foundry, Wavemaker, Red Fuse, Mindshare, Ogilvy, BBDO, EuroRSCG, Publicis and Y&R, on campaigns recognized with One Show, Cannes, Effie and ARF David Ogilvy awards.
He founded Toy Car Studio to help companies create deep brand meaning and visibility for the age of AI — driven by the belief that ideas and insights are the most valuable currency a team can trade in.
John lives in Santa Monica, CA with his wife Mimi and stepson Archie. Outside the studio, John's passions include the NY Yankees, skiing, golf and history.
Let's build a brand worth remembering.
Tell us a little about your company and what you're trying to grow into. We reply within two business days.
- john@thetoycarstudio.com
- Remote · working with brands and founders worldwide
- Foundation → Momentum → Script