Whether you are Nike, Starbucks, or a life science startup, you have a story to tell. A story about the moment when the spark of inspiration and discovery shaped a disruptive therapy that could help change lives. But the truth is, many startups are still in a research phase, or pre-commercialization. They are filled with scientists or engineers eager to get the facts and the data out there to investors or key physician influencers. So, building a brand story may seem premature, and frankly, a bit fluffy. And yet, the brand story is the key to success. If you build it, with these four critical brand characteristics in mind, they will come: simplicity, personality, consistency, and authenticity.

Simplicity

It is quite common for companies to use thousands of words to describe where they came from, and what they do. But the concept behind it is really quite simple:

1. There was a problem
2. We solved it
3. Success comes because of it

In short, your brand story should be simply and clearly told—“a short narrative that one could tell during an elevator ride.” But the challenge for many startups comes in determining what should be left out of the narrative. The key is to include only the compelling and differentiating points that keep the story moving. Simplicity breeds clarity, clarity breeds vision, and vision inspires multiple stakeholder audiences to want to be a “part” of the story…[Read More]