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Yesterday offered two gratifying reminders of what impactful research looks like in motion.
Early in the day, my colleagues Tim Brewer, Daniel Clark, and I were visiting a client’s campus headquarters. In the waiting area, a large monitor was running one of their latest consumer-facing ads. Toward the end, the campaign featured a compelling datapoint from a study we had conducted demonstrating physicians’ strong trust in that brand and the company itself. Seeing our work leveraged externally to build public confidence in a brand was deeply gratifying, especially since so much of our work is used by companies internally.
Later, we received an email from another satisfied client, pointing us to their updated unbranded website -- a thoughtful, educational resource designed to raise disease awareness in a rare disease. There, too, our survey data were featured prominently, highlighting an important treatment consideration.
Moments like these are rewarding not because they’re high-profile, but because they demonstrate how rigorous, compliant survey research can translate into credible, effective storytelling that elevates both branded and unbranded communications.
In life sciences, the default instinct is to lean on clinical data -- and rightly so. But in many cases, there’s an equally powerful opportunity to tell your brand’s story through non-clinical promotional claims: insights-driven statements grounded in how physicians, patients, or caregivers think, feel, and behave.
These claims don’t speak to efficacy or safety. Instead, they build trust and differentiation by reflecting authentic perceptions:
When executed properly, these data points become concise, compliant proof statements -- shaping perceptions and strengthening engagement without venturing into clinical territory.
Traditional research often seeks to know -- to understand preferences, needs, or market dynamics. But claim-oriented research is designed to show -- to generate evidence that can be cited externally in marketing, medical, or educational materials.
This subtle but critical distinction means the research must be planned and executed with precision. A few core principles:
When designed with this intent from the start, the research process becomes both creative and strategic. You’re not simply measuring sentiment; you’re building the foundation for a public statement that tells a story backed by evidence.
Even though these claims are non-clinical, they still fall under FDA oversight through the Office of Prescription Drug Promotion (OPDP). Compliance isn’t just a box to check; it’s what allows these insights to stand confidently in market-facing materials.
A few key guidelines:
Regulatory clarity builds trust -- with reviewers, with physicians, and ultimately with the public.
In both of the campaigns we saw yesterday, the data were more than decoration. They grounded the message in credible, independent evidence.
For the consumer-facing work, the data validated professional trust in the company -- reinforcing brand credibility in a way that connected with patients. For the unbranded site, the data gave weight to an educational message, turning insight into awareness and helping visitors see the real-world implications of management of this rare disease.
Both examples illustrate the same idea: when research is designed with intent, it doesn’t just inform marketing strategy -- it becomes part of it.
Developing survey-based claims requires a special blend of marketing insight and regulatory fluency. These aren’t ordinary surveys; they’re purpose-built studies that must hold up under internal and external scrutiny.
That’s why clients turn to ThinkGen for this type of work. We combine methodological rigor with deep experience navigating MLR (medical, legal, regulatory) processes. We understand how marketers intend to use the data -- and how reviewers will evaluate it.
It’s that dual perspective -- strategic and compliant -- that allows these studies to move smoothly from fieldwork to final creative execution.
For commercial, insights, and analytics professionals across pharma, biotech, and medtech, this approach represents an underused lever for brand storytelling. Non-clinical claims:
In an increasingly competitive market, where differentiation often depends on perception as much as performance, these studies can help your brand stand out -- authentically and compliantly.
It was gratifying to see yesterday how our work helped clients bring credible, data-driven messages into public view -- supporting both branded and unbranded efforts that ultimately serve patients and physicians.
For organizations exploring this kind of insight-to-impact work, I’d encourage you to reach out to my colleague Tim Brewer, who recently presented on this topic at the PMRC meeting. Tim’s deep expertise in this area, spanning from survey design to regulatory alignment, makes him a tremendous resource for any brand team interested in developing compliant, non-clinical claims.
Survey data can do more than inform strategy -- it can build belief.
When designed with care, it becomes the bridge between insight and influence -- helping brands tell their stories in ways that resonate, responsibly
