Can Your Story Be Told Out of Order?

Albums used to tell a story. Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker” from the Led Zeppelin II album ends abruptly. And when people of a certain age (ahem) hear the song, they expect to hear “With a purple umbrella and a fifty cent hat,” the opening line from “Living Loving Maid” the song that immediately follows “Heartbreaker” on the album. But often as not, it doesn’t happen and we’re left a little disappointed.

When today’s kids download the songs – I think they lose the intended effect. I often wonder what record producers must think about this loss of story. Are they now forced to produce albums with stories that can be told out of order?

Think about your brand story. Can it be told out of order? Does it require a lot of backstory, a lot of history, or can it be told at different levels – company, employee, product, service – independent of the other stories that comprise your brand?