Blue Feet

Your Story in 10 Images or Less

Is a saying a cliché if it’s true? In this case, that a picture really is worth a thousands words. Since we’re not willing to read a thousands words so often these days, it’s more apt than ever.

Infographics have always been popular. There’s even a site dedicated to them: dailyinfographic.com. But lately they’ve popped up as a regular feature in Newsweek, one of the most mainstream of media.

Obama at 50: Newsweek 7-24-11

One of the most consistent relationships in my adult life has been with Newsweek. I’ve been a subscriber since college, when a journalism professor went down the long list of all the things I had to read regularly. I picked Newsweek because then at least I’d have a summary of the news when I didn’t get through the rest of his list.

It’s been interesting to watch the evolution as its editors attempt to save the life of the publication. The latest is Tina Brown, a celebrity journalist in her own right, and she’s certainly brought more, shall we say, mainstream content to the news weekly.

But she’s also brought something critical in the digital age – visual storytelling. There’s still a place in the magazine for thousand-word and even three-thousand-word articles, but interspersed are nuggets of eye candy.

The best infographics do much more than impart information – they tell the story in one or two pages.

Case in point: On the occasion of what would have been Princess Diana’s 50th birthday, Brown wrote an article about what Diana’s life would be like were she alive today. You can read the article, or you can skim Diana’s Facebook page, which gives you all the same ideas in a clever format.

Princess Diana's Facebook Page, Newsweek

I recently heard a colleague lament about what a writer can do in an era where people don’t read. Writers are more important today than ever, was my reply. It takes great skill to crystalize an idea into the few words that matter most. When paired with compelling images, your story can make a lasting impression, and may even lead to someone reading the thousand-word article.

Thanks, Betty, for Being Yourself

“I didn’t have the vaguest idea what being a first lady was and what was demanded of me.”

The solution? “I just decided to be myself.”

– Betty Ford, from the Los Angeles Times

Photo: Courtesy Gerald R. Ford Library

This gem comes from Saturday’s LA Times obituary of our former first lady. One might say she was an accidental first lady. But sometimes accidents have the best outcomes.

Betty Ford didn’t have time to prepare and develop a platform and create messages, all of which can be highly effective. Instead, she just had to jump in and be herself.

It worked because, even when you are developing a platform and delivering messages, what today might be called personal branding, being authentic is the surest road to success.

Authentic is the only way to sustain a brand, especially a personal brand. After all, it is you.

It’s also the best way to engage an audience. One proof point from the Times article: “when he [President Ford] ran for election in 1976, one of the most popular campaign buttons read ‘Betty’s Husband for President.’”

The other part of the story is that, when the pressure of having a job she never wanted got to be too much, she self-medicated.

Thanks to Betty’s authenticity, she turned that into a gift also. Addiction wasn’t something people talked about in those days. Nor was breast cancer, which she also fought and won.

It’s hard to imagine that now, but we can thank Betty’s frank authenticity for freeing us to get the help and support we need.

Being herself was the best brand ever. No consultant could have dreamed up anything better.