The Human Touch
A project we did last year for a biopharmaceutical firm in Portland illustrates our ability to think through a company’s underlying marketing strategy, and allow it to inform the creative decision-making process. As is often the case, this client’s perspective – in terms of “telling their story” in a compelling way – was informed largely by their own priorities and tastes. We encouraged them to widen their horizons and consider a different perspective.
Some Backstory…
AVI Biopharma develops technology to support the treatment of (and hopefully cure for) various genetic disorders, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and deadly viruses like Ebola. Clearly their “product” has the potential to significantly impact the lives of people, in addition to possibly benefiting the portfolios of investors.
The Challenge
The following is a sample of some preliminary page layouts we were presented with, which illustrated the direction the company was headed with regard to their web site redesign.
Our assessment was that, overall, these layouts had a pretty sterile and scientific look to them. This made sense, as most of the staff at AVI were scientists, and had a stake in the legitimately impressive work being done “in the lab”. We raised the question, however: “What is true about this company that will motivate our audience in way that will be lasting, and that we can be proud of?”. Enter the Human Touch.
A New Position
We suggested a strategy that purposefully centered around the impact AVI’s work is having on people. Since the audience for their web site is largely made up of investors, one could cynically assert the notion that investors don’t care about people; investors care about “the bottom line”. We addressed this concern, arguing that even the most hard-hearted investor wants to leave a legacy. Statements like “imagine if your money could continue making a difference, long after you’re gone” illustrate our point. Sure, AVI would want to give the impression that their aggressive pursuit of new scientific discoveries would ultimately result in making investors wealthier. But to us, that story was already being told – ad nauseum. The missing element was humanity.
The Redesign
Ultimately we persuaded AVI to allow our assertions to influence the redesign of their web site. The new site embraced an environment that used colors, typefaces and imagery that softened the scientific edge without blunting it altogether. As you’ll see if you click the link below, they couldn’t resist the urge to direct the design back in the direction of the lab (note the less diverse color palette). The images below, however, show our original design, which I’m confident illustrates a defendable position for AVI to take.
