Elevating Scientists and Science in the Public Eye through Communication and Marketing

·38 min·2 clips

Science communication explains, education equips, and marketing connects.

1. cc: Life Science Podcast focuses on elevating scientists and science in the public eye through communication and marketing. 2. Chris Conner hosts the conversation with Elizabeth Schaub, CEO of High Touch Group, author of The Giant's Ladder, and a director at the Maine Venture Fund. 3. The episode asks how science companies can position scientists as cultural icons while still supporting commercial goals. 4. Schaub says scientists are often “locked in by academic journals” and traditional outlets that limit broader public storytelling. 5. She argues that storytelling should make scientists feel more like “rock stars” because that framing is easy to understand and communicate. 6. Neil deGrasse Tyson, Carl Sagan, and Bill Nye come up as examples of scientists who became public figures through books, television, podcasts, and live events. 7. Schaub says marketing can add polish and reach to science communicators who already explain complex topics well. 8. She separates brand from mission and says science companies should lead with mission building first. 9. Her definition of a brand is “what somebody might say about your company,” while mission is what the company stands for. 10. Moderna is used as the clearest example because Schaub says it advanced RNA-based medicine, shared data openly, invested in public education, and partnered with governments. 11. Schaub says Moderna’s public mission made the brand stronger and gave people a clearer story about RNA therapeutics beyond COVID. 12. She says the episode’s framework matters because communication builds trust, education builds competence, and marketing drives adoption. 13. Schaub uses a microbiology-lab equipment example to show how different audiences need different levels of explanation. 14. She says marketing is the emotional component that helps people think, “I’m interested in this” and “I believe in what they’re doing.” 15. For smaller companies, Schaub recommends “fail fast, fail cheap” projects that last 30, 45, or 60 days and stay tightly scoped. 16. She specifically suggests a CEO or chief science officer LinkedIn blog, ghostwritten if needed, with an editorial calendar and performance tracking. 17. The tone is practical and advisory, with Chris Conner pushing for concrete examples and Schaub answering in framework-heavy language. 18. The format is a conversational interview that moves from big-picture positioning to tactics like podcasts, panels, and regional innovation clusters. 19. People in life science marketing, science communications, and biotech strategy would get the most from this episode. 20. Listeners looking for entertainment or narrative storytelling may want to skip it.

As heard by us

A practical case for giving scientists a larger public role without flattening the science.

This episode takes a practical look at how marketing and science communication can work together. Elizabeth Schaub makes the case for giving scientists a larger public role, framing it as a trust problem as much as a translation problem.

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