Why brand strategy is now essential for life sciences

In a rapidly evolving industry like life sciences, the stakes have never been higher. From accelerating innovation to navigating complex stakeholders, organisations face increasing pressure to communicate clearly, credibly and consistently.

Against this backdrop, brand strategy has become a critical business tool.

Drawing on conversations with leaders across life sciences and wider sector insights, we’ve outlined three challenges the life sciences industry is facing and how brand strategy can solve them.

Three ways brand strategy can solve problems in life sciences

1. Rebuilding trust in an age of misinformation

The problem: Trust is fundamental in life sciences and health industries, and what the past five years have taught us is that it is increasingly fragile.

The rapid rise of AI, combined with the spread of misinformation, has made audiences more sceptical than ever. Without consistent and credible communication, even the most innovative organisations risk being overlooked.

In practice: During COVID-19, AstraZeneca faced intense scrutiny around its vaccine. Often grouped under the banner of “big pharma”, it responded not with louder marketing but with greater scientific visibility.

Senior scientists spoke publicly. Data and regulatory processes were explained clearly and repeatedly. The tone was factual, transparent and consistent.

The lesson: In life sciences branding, credibility is built by making evidence visible and doing this consistently, especially under pressure.

Organisations must focus on building trust through clear brand storytelling. Accurate and accessible information will help audiences feel informed, confident and reassured.

2. Communicating complex science without losing authority

The problem: Striking the balance.

Life sciences organisations operate in an inherently complex environment. Scientific terminology and technical detail are essential, but they can also alienate stakeholders if not handled carefully. At the same time, oversimplifying messages can undermine expertise and credibility.

The solution: This is where an effective brand strategy makes the difference, translating complexity without diluting meaning. By grounding messaging in audience insight and behavioural science, brands can communicate with clarity while maintaining authority.

Practical tip: Create a clear core message that can be adapted across your audiences

To communicate complex science without losing authority, CMOs must establish a clear strategic core that adapts by audience without losing scientific integrity.

This means implementing a principle-led system, which focuses on one clear idea, expressed differently depending on the context, audience, and regulatory need.

This approach to implementing branding allows complex science to be articulated with clarity, flexing in tone and depth without ever diluting credibility.

Learn more: The science behind better branding

3. Aligning internal teams around purpose

Why is this important?

When employees understand and believe in the brand, they can speak about it with confidence. In life sciences, that internal credibility is your most powerful endorsement. Your most credible brand champions are already inside the organisation. The role of brand strategy is to give them the clarity and language to advocate with authority.

The solution: A robust life sciences brand strategy doesn’t just align teams, but equips them. It gives scientists, commercial leads and leadership a clear narrative they can stand behind externally, without feeling like they’re simplifying or overstating the science

Real world: We used brand workshops and consultations with an education platform to transform a sporadic approach to idea development into a robust internal decision-making process. This meant staff know exactly what to prioritise across each subbrand, but with a shared purpose front of mind.

In life sciences, trust starts internally. If your own people can’t articulate what you stand for, your market won’t believe it either.

Read more: ‘Brand only matters externally’ and five more misconceptions in life sciences branding

So what can you do?

At its core, brand strategy helps life sciences organisations do something essential: make science human.

This approach moves brands beyond simply sharing information, towards creating experiences that both internal and external audiences understand, trust and remember.

If you’re curious to learn more about addressing real business challenges through brand, we’ve compiled a sector-specific report on the key misconceptions surrounding brand strategy, supported by real-world case studies from the life sciences industry.

Download the full report here or get in touch today to learn more.