A New Year Begins

A new year begins. Another one ends. A mix of nostalgia and hope for the future. Running around on New Year’s Eve, Dan Fogelberg’s song “Same Auld Lang Syne” plays as I park the car. I sit and listen, remembering how much I loved the story behind the music. Dan Fogelberg was one of the original troubadours. I made a note, as I often do, to research the song as my next blog post. 

There’s always a story behind the music. Here’s the list of things I learned from the story behind the story:

1. Dan Fogelberg was from Peoria, IL (or, as we Chicagoans like to call it, the Quad Cities)

2. He liked Irish Coffee (so did my dad) and went out to purchase whipped cream on NY eve (his mom made him go)

3. He ended up at a convenience store with no stores open and ran into an old girlfriend (small towns-love that!)

4. They split a 6 pack in the car, caught up, and went their separate ways (been there, done that)

5. 5 years later, he wrote the song

6. His dad really was a band director (the story behind the story-“Leader of the Band”)

7. He was discovered by Irving Azoff (yet another Irving story)

8. Irving Azoff sent him to Nashville to hone his skills (there’s always a Nashville connection)

9. “Part of the Plan,” the musical, opened at TPAC in 2017 ( I was there)

10. My Morning Jacket’s (another fave) frontman, Jim James, said Fogelberg was a significant influence (another favorite band of mine)

What’s the story behind your story? Here’s mine, in the same top-ten fashion.

1. Daughter of an ex-Jesuit priest (in the early 80’s, dad has a license plate made for his BMW X-Priest-it hangs in my brother’s garage.

2. Private catholic schoolgirl through (nuns, favorite one? Sister Nancy Murray (Bill Murray’s sister)

3. Humor and music were a part of my early life (my first concert-Woodstock, The Pink Panther movies, and Peter Sellers got me through chemo)

4. Yes, I am the Sloane Peterson

5. I lost the first love of my life at 22. God gave me a second one

6. 3 x ovarian cancer survivor. If given the chance, I’d rewrite the patient experience.

7. Lucky enough to ride alongside some of the smartest people I know (shout out to Kenny Lauer, Elizabeth Pinkham, Karin Flores, Christine Kiesling, Holly Miller, Andre Gaccetta, Mark Montgomery, and Gavin Ivester)

8. A big believer in giving back (Ordinary Hero, Pregnancy Crisis Centers of Middle Tennessee) 

9. Passionate believer in Jesus Christ

10. Collector of hardcover books (children’s books and cookbooks, especially) and antique ribbons (hats)

Every brand has a story to tell, and there’s always a story behind the story. Early in my branding career (shoutout to Marty Neumeier), I learned that “customers don’t want to be told; they want to tell.” That’s where the concept of story framing comes from. It’s the discipline of building a structure that lets customers create their own narratives. Be the hero in the story.

Is your brand letting customers be the hero in their own story?