Brand Narrative · Evolution · Component
The change record
How the narrative has evolved, and what prompted each change — because someone will ask why the story is different now.
The deliverable
What it is
Narrative changes are noticed by anyone who has followed the organisation for a while, and being unable to explain the change is worse than the change itself.
The record also prevents circularity, where a narrative element is dropped, reinstated three years later and dropped again by people who do not know it was tried.
One level in
What it is made of
Each element is a constituent part of the component. Follow one to see the attributes it carries.
The versions
Each version of the narrative, with its dates.
3 attributes: Version · Held for · Narrative
LearnThe transition
How the change was handled with people who knew the old story.
3 attributes: How announced · Transition period · Continuity kept
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Keep superseded narratives in full. A paraphrase is not enough to explain to someone why the story changed.
The other components in evolution
The fixed parts
What will not change, decided before there is pressure to change it — because under pressure nothing turns out to be fixed.
LearnThe continuity cost
What a change would spend in recognition, and what built it — because abandoning narrative equity is usually more expensive than the change it accompanies.
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