The Power of Storytelling in Pharma Marketing: Engaging Customers with Your Brand

Storytelling is one of the most effective ways of engaging with your customers. Stories are much easier to remember than facts and findings, allowing your brand to connect with its customer base emotionally. Storytelling is used as a marketing strategy in various industries – electronics, FMCG, agriculture, mining, and many more. However, there is one particular industry where storytelling has a higher impact: the pharmaceutical industry.

Pharmaceutical companies face scepticism from their customer base owing to safety, efficacy and quality concerns. Hence, storytelling is an effective way to instil trust in customers and humanise the brand. This article highlights the power of storytelling in pharma marketing.

How Does Storytelling Impact Customer Engagement?

Source

Storytelling in pharma marketing is crucial to brand development because:

Complex information simplified

Pharmaceutical marketing usually aims to promote the company’s medication or drug portfolio. However, complex information about these products is difficult to remember, which means medical practitioners and professionals may overlook the advertisement. Hence, companies create relatable stories that promote their product, engaging customers with storytelling.

Emotional engagement

Emotional appeals can sway rational arguments. This is true even for people who consider themselves extremely rational. Hence, pharma marketing strategies can target the emotional involvement of customers. One excellent example is Moov’s excellent marketing campaign which informed the audience that even housewives get tired and have back pain. This was a previously untapped market as most pain relief medications primarily focused on the “pain” aspect rather than creating an emotional connection. Moov’s ah se aah tak campaign, which usually depicted housewives and their pain, was successful all across India, making it an excellent example of storytelling in pharma marketing.

Fostering trust in brand

Trust is essential in pharma marketing, especially because pharmaceutical companies also target healthcare professionals who prescribe medication and treatment choices. Storytelling in pharma marketing can help companies build trust and credibility. By sharing authentic stories, pharma companies can inform their target audience of company values, ethics, reputation, etc. For example, Johnson & Johnson’s Nurses Rise to the Challenge Everyday campaign acknowledges and thanks the nurses’ work. At the end of the video, the message is clear: Johnson & Johnson supports nurses and healthcare professionals, which attracts the trust and support of nurses and healthcare professionals.

Storytelling plays an important role in pharma marketing strategies. Hence, a pharma company should know how to create compelling and genuine narratives.

How Do You Create a Compelling Narrative?

• Identify your key message: Determine what you want the story to highlight. Do you want to highlight the benefits of the product or address any misconceptions about a medical condition or showcase your brand? Highlight the conflict, narrative, resolution and your brand’s role in all three.
• Find an authentic story: To gain customer confidence, you should use authentic stories. Use genuine stories about your company, employees, patients or others to craft storylines. You can incorporate testimonials, insights, etc. to make the story more genuine.
• Give context: Ensure your campaign provides enough background information to help the audience understand. Avoid using complex medical terminologies and detailed mechanistic studies. Instead, break down the content into simple terms.

An excellent example of a campaign combining all three is the Dolo 650.

Case Study: Dolo 650

Source

Before 1973, paracetamol was widely available in the market. While one paracetamol tablet could effectively treat low fever, it was not effective for high fever. Hence, patients almost always consumed two tablets of paracetamol. Micro Labs noted a gap in the high-fever market and launched the Dolo 650.

It has a unique name; Dolo translates to Doo loo (take two) in Hindi, which makes it easier for customers to remember and take the correct medication. Micro Labs used funny memes and posts on social media to further improve its marketing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Dolo 650 was among the most prescribed medications.

This shows how well Micro Lab’s marketing strategy made it stand out against the competition. Engaging customers with storytelling can also help you stand out from the crowd. While storytelling is widely used as a marketing strategy, the correct storyline can also help your customer differentiate between brands.

How Does Storytelling Help Brands Stand Out? Strategies for Integrating Storytelling into the Brand Strategy

Brand differentiation through storytelling is simple for customers. This is because the correct storylines provide customers with a sense of togetherness. Sharing stories that align with your customer’s values provides them with an emotional connection. If customers believe the brand shares their values and beliefs, they are more likely to trust the brand. Hence, pharmaceutical companies should integrate storytelling. Here’s how you can integrate storytelling in pharma marketing:

Define your brand story

Define your company’s values, morals, ethics, beliefs, etc. These will feature in all pharma marketing strategies. Avoid redefining brand stories multiple times; this can create doubt.

Identify stories

Determine the stories you want to share with your customers. You can include stories about customers, brand development, product development, employees, etc. Remember to use authentic stories only.

Choose the stories that connect with your customers

Define stories that your customers are most likely to be moved by. You will only be successful in engaging customers with storytelling if your story resonates with them.

Communicate a clear message

Make sure the content you create has a set message. Furthermore, ensure your previous or future marketing campaigns do not disagree with or undervalue this message. This contradiction can mean you lose customer trust.

Keep your brand consistent

Maintain consistency in storytelling to retain your audience. If your audience knows what to expect from you, they are more likely to remain loyal customers. If your message is inconsistent, your audience may find it difficult to connect with the brand.

Conclusion

Storytelling in pharma marketing is an excellent strategy to connect with end users and healthcare professionals. Companies should portray an engaging, transparent and genuine story to boost customer trust and brand image. Using fake, altered or AI-generated stories can negatively impact customer trust. Furthermore, it is also necessary to ensure all campaign materials and documents comply with the guidelines and codes of conduct of local and international regulatory bodies. Storytelling, when done right, is a tool that can create a permanent mark for your brand in the market, just like Moov, which is one of India’s go-to pain relief medications.

FAQs

1. Which types of storytelling are effective in pharmaceutical marketing?

To engage customers with storytelling, your pharma marketing strategies should focus on genuine, transparent, and realistic stories that customers can relate to. Using inauthentic stories means you may lose customer trust and brand reputation.

2. What are some examples of good storytelling in pharma marketing?

Good storytelling in pharma marketing includes campaigns that feature testimonies, documentaries or videos of real patients who provide their truthful experience with the product.

3. How can companies ensure their marketing campaigns are ethical and compliant?

Companies can ensure their pharmaceutical marketing strategies are ethical and compliant by following the code of conduct and regulatory guidelines issued by the local or international regulatory bodies and thoroughly reviewing all marketing products and materials to ensure they include all necessary disclaimers and information.