The Power of Surprise and Delight: How to Be Remembered in a Crowded Market

Paula Ward

Photographer, Story Strategist, and Client Experience Expert

After a 26-year career leading marketing and storytelling strategy at Frito-Lay, Paula Ward shifted from corporate storytelling to personal storytelling. Through Paula Ward Photography, she now helps families capture the meaningful moments and stories that define their children’s lives, and she helps small businesses uncover and communicate the unique story behind their brand.

Today she brings both worlds together. Paula draws on her corporate experience with large-scale consumer strategy and blends it with the deeply personal, relationship-centered work she now does as a small business owner. The result is a practical and human approach to Surprise and Delight that any entrepreneur can use to create stronger client connections and long-term loyalty. She will help us understand how the right story attracts the right clients and how intentional, memorable moments transform those clients into enthusiastic advocates.

“It is not about spending more. It is about noticing more.”