3 Big Reasons Why Your Life Science Brand Needs a Single Narrative

Your narrative is the north star of your life science brand.

It determines what you stand for, what your goals are, and how you’re different than your competitors.

Unfortunately, many companies in the life sciences struggle with their personal narratives. This results in a generic brand identity that is uninteresting and easily forgotten. After all, what’s so compelling about a tagline like “We deliver accurate results”?

Humans crave a good story. In her book Wired For Story, Lisa Cron writes:

“We think in story. It’s hardwired in our brain. It’s how we make strategic sense of the otherwise overwhelming world around us. Simply put, the brain constantly seeks meaning from all the input thrown at it, yanks out what’s important for our survival on a need-to-know basis, and tells us a story about it, based on what it knows of our past experience with it, how we feel about it, and how it might affect us.”

Story is how we make sense of the world. It’s a powerful tool for captivating audiences and staying top-of-mind. In this blog, we’re going to outline 3 reasons why your life science brand needs a single, unifying narrative.

Reason 1: It creates clarity and simplicity

A clear, simple message is much more likely to resonate with your customers than an abstract, complicated message. Take a look at Forma’s opening tagline from 2018:

At Forma Life Science Marketing, we take an inventive approach to answering important questions: How do you transform a complicated explanation into an attention-grabbing message? How do you turn something that’s perceived as a commodity into a product or service with unique value? How do you translate the theory of high-performance marketing into targeted, effective outreach? Boil it all down: How do you make the complex compelling? For us, it’s part science. It’s part art. It all comes together in a disciplined approach where we refine every element — and deliver impressive results.”

This is an evocative, engaging opening, but it doesn’t tell you precisely what Forma does in a straightforward way. Now compare it to the tagline we created in 2020:

The 2020 tagline is more direct, clear, and simple than the previous tagline. Within 10 seconds of landing on our homepage, you know immediately what we do. This is an example of clarity in messaging.

Reason 2: It improves brand cohesion and consistency

By sticking to a singular narrative, you’re making it much easier for your employees to stay aligned and engaged.

Reiterating your brand narrative is one of the best ways to guarantee that your internal workforce is all on the same page. The goal should be for everyone in your life science organization to be able to answer the question, “What’s the most important thing our company stands for?” without thinking about it too hard.

Reason  3: It controls your brand story

When you think of the car brand Subaru, what are some of the words that leap to mind?  The most prominent one is likely “safety“, right?

For decades, Subaru’s message has been “We’re the safe ones”. This simple, consistent narrative has been so effective that it’s allowed Subaru’s iconic brand to endure for over 60 years.

This is the power of a unified narrative. It shapes and controls your brand story from both internal and external perspectives.

The Benefits of a Single Narrative

By focusing on a clear, cohesive, unifying narrative, you’re paving the way for your life science organization to reap all sorts of benefits, such as:

• A lower turnover rate and a more engaged workforce
• A high-performance culture focused on results
• A competitive edge over your less-focused competitors
• A happier audience with loyal customers and clients

If you’re looking for a partner to help you harness the power of story to help elevate your science brand, reach out today and start the conversation.