We’re calling for a revolution. posted by Murad Sabzali

We’re calling for a revolution and we are using the Sharpie as our sword. As life science marketing stewards, we are calling for a drastic reduction of all that is cliché.

Pretty scientist in a lab coat looking at colored liquid?
Different sized beakers lined up in a row?
Smiling scientist looking into microscope?
Petri dishes from above?

No mas!

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not totally against using scientific imagery. Sometimes you just need that gel exposure, or you need to showcase a scientist. I’m against using “slice-of-life” scientific imagery to differentiate. The truth is, everyone is using the same images, so there ends up being very little differentiation from one company to the next. Lack of differentiation kills a brand.

I was walking down the aisle at a trade show last month. No exaggeration, in one aisle I saw three companies using the same stock photography on their booths. The funny thing is that these companies’ products had no relevance to an image of a scientist hunched over looking at colorful liquids.

Life science companies need not always use a scientist to relate to a scientist. The medium does that. For example, if you are at a scientific trade show, chances are, the audience is scientists. I’m willing to bet they know you’re there selling products or services to them. So, why not get creative? Do something that captures their attention. Something that is truly different.

A few years ago, we convinced our client to use a red bench and a locker room scene to promote its toxicology services. The message was that they had a bench of scientists waiting and willing to help. The baseball giveaways, a red bench, lockers, and Astroturf were all very disruptive. People stopped and took notice. The show was extremely successful for them, generating a lot of qualified leads.

The bottom line is that life science marketers need to rethink how they communicate with researchers. The goal of marketing is to elicit a response. You need to ask yourself if your campaign is doing that.

Join our revolution! We’ll send you a Sharpie.

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