STRATEGIC VISUAL STORYTELLING

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MORE THAN JUST A PRETTY PICTURE:

Jay Shemenski, Digital Manager @HarvardMed | @jshemenski jason_shemenski@hms.harvard.edu

IMAGES ARE THE NEW HEADLINES

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THE HMS CASE STUDY

• An elite and inaccessible institution

• Small and mostly indoor campus

• Content not consumer friendly or consumer focused

• A small team with time and bandwidth constraints

• No established visual identity

THE CHALLENGES

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GOAL

• Create a compelling visual identity that aligns with the HMS brand to build a deeper connection with current and new audiences.

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5 KEYS TO A VISUAL STRATEGY

IDENTITY AUTHENTICITY

RELEVANCY EMOTION

1

CONSISTENCY

2

3 4

5+

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ESTABLISHINGIDENTITY

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CORE

ELEMENTS

Mission & ValueAttributesNarrative

ImagesCopy

VoiceDesignLook & Feel

ESTABLISHING YOUR VISUAL IDENTITY AND STORY

APPLICATION

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IDENTIFYING VALUE

WHO ARE YOU?

1 2 3WHAT MAKES

YOU, YOU?WHAT MAKES YOU

STAND OUT?

A one sentence summary that establishes who you are and

your value.

What are the key elements that create your value.

What differentiates you from competitors in your market.

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THE HMS VALUES

WHO IS HMS?

1 2 3WHAT MAKES HMS, HMS?

WHAT MAKES HMS STAND OUT?

The leading institution for biomedical research and medical

education in the world.

The faculty, staff, students, alumni — the HMS

community.

History, recognition, reputation, and prestige.

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INSPIRATIONALWe provide a goal, share success stories, embody an aspirational ideal, and look to empower our audience.

INFLUENTIALWe provide thought leadership and discoveries that can’t be found anywhere else.

ESTABLISHING THE HMS ATTRIBUTES

SERIOUSWe maintain a demeanor to match our reputation.

AUTHENTIC

ACCESSIBLEWe share our community and allow people to see what life is like at HMS.

We’re true to our brand identity, qualities, and self.

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VALUE + ATTRIBUTES = NARRATIVE

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HOW TO KEEP IMAGES ON BRAND

• What does an image say and what is the story it tells?

• Do the answers fit within your value and attributes?

QUESTIONS TO ASK

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MAINTAININGAUTHENTICITY

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MAINTAINING AUTHENTICITY

Your value and attributes are a filter to run all of your selected images through to maintain authenticity.

STAY TRUE TO YOUR IDENTITY AND STORY

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MAINTAINING AUTHENTICITY

Using UGC as long as it fits within brand parameters is a good way of establishing authenticity.

USER GENERATED CONTENT (UGC)

EMBRACING IMPERFECTIONSImperfections in photographs make images more relatable.

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CREATINGRELEVANCY

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WHAT DOES THE AUDIENCE WANT TO SEE?

1. The ideal selves they would like to become

2. The selves that they could become

3. The selves they are afraid of becoming

Adapted from “Possible Selves” by Hazel Markus and Paula

Nurius +

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CREATING RELEVANCY

Aim to align your visual identity with how people see themselves or want to see themselves — consciously or subconsciously — while staying true to your attributes.

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CREATING RELEVANCY

• People use your brand to identify and say something about themselves.

• Help people reach an ideal or better themselves, if possible.

YOU AREN’T THE HERO OF THE STORY

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AN EXAMPLE FROM HMS

1,084 likes and 94 comments

RESULTS

AUDIENCE KEYS• Inspirational• Accessible• Authentic

ATTRIBUTESThe image is the embodiment of what our audience is looking to achieve.

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EVOKING EMOTION

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EVOKING EMOTION

• Use images that viewers can identify with and that tap into universal human experiences.

• Utilize a variety of brand attributes and emotions.

• Images that evoke an emotion without showing it explicitly create a deeper connection.

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EVOKING EMOTION

Which of these performed the best?

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EVOKING EMOTION

Which of these performed the best?

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BUILDING CONSISTENCY

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BUILDING CONSISTENCYThe coffee table book approach

• A person should be able to understand your brand’s values, identity, and story without words.

• Images should have a similar look and feel. Mastering filters, editing, and colors creates an identifiable style.

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FINAL CHECKLIST

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FINAL CHECKLIST WHEN SELECTING IMAGES

• Does the image fulfill the brand identity and story?

• Does the image embody the brand attributes?

• Is the image authentic?

• Does the image mean something to, connect with, or help the audience?

• Does the image evoke emotion?

• Does the image fit the brand style?

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ADDITIONAL TAKEAWAY

TEST, REFINE, TEST

See what is creating the most engagement and try new things. This process will help inform your strategy — and may even cause you to rethink your brand or audience.

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HMS RESULTS

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RESULTS• 100% growth in followers over 4 months, on pace for 400% growth over 8

months

• 1,442% growth in engagements over 4 months, on pace for 845% growth over 8 months

• Largest medical school Instagram profile

• >5% engagement rate per post

• ‘Photo of the Week’ posts are among the highest viewed on other channels

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THANKS!Jay Shemenski, Digital Manager @HarvardMed | @jshemenski |

jason_shemenski@hms.harvard.edu

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