Illumina New to NGS
Overcoming internal resistance to create a more welcoming (and award-winning) approach for an intimidating technology
THE CHALLENGE
Next-generation sequencing has revolutionized genomic research, opening up new applications and driving rising demand for NGS services. Illumina, the category leader, wanted to capitalize on that momentum by attracting researchers who were either new to NGS or hadn't yet incorporated it into their work.
The obstacle was twofold:
Externally, new-to-NGS researchers saw Illumina as an imposing company with high-end, intimidating solutions, and were reluctant to move beyond familiar methods like PCR, cell culture assays and microscopy.
Internally, Illumina's traditional top-down marketing approach wasn't built for this audience, and stakeholders weren't yet convinced it needed to be.
THE INSIGHT
Quantitative research gave us the evidence to make the case for change. Most new-to-NGS researchers already had some familiarity with NGS and typically associated it with Illumina. But their knowledge stopped there. Their biggest barriers were practical: they didn't know how to interpret large volumes of sequencing data, how to make the case for NGS within their labs, or simply how to get started.
That hesitation reframed the opportunity. Illumina didn't need to lead with the technical superiority of its instruments. It had the credibility and the resources to position itself as the most trusted guide for researchers ready to take their first step, if it was willing to meet them where they were. That was the strategic shift we needed internal stakeholders to get behind.
THE CREATIVE POSITION
FOR RESEARCHERS WHO ARE NEW TO NGS, ILLUMINA IS YOUR GATEWAY TO NGS, helping you seamlessly step into the world of massively parallel sequencing at ultra-high throughput, scalability and speed.
THE CAMPAIGN
The creative system was built to embody the strategic shift, and to demonstrate to internal stakeholders that a more welcoming approach could still be distinctly Illumina. A warm visual identity anchored by real researchers and accessible illustration replaced the technical imagery the company typically relied on. The tone moved from authoritative to inviting, signaling to new-to-NGS researchers that this was a company ready to meet them where they were.
The campaign extended across e-books, infographics, print, social ads and video, each format designed to address a specific barrier, whether that was understanding NGS data, building an internal case for adoption, or simply knowing where to begin.
RESULTS
The campaign earned Gold awards from both MARCOM and the Hermes Creative Awards in Strategic Communications: Integrated Marketing, recognition that reflected the creative quality and the strategic clarity behind it.
But the internal win was equally significant. By grounding the strategy in research and bringing stakeholders along from the outset, we helped Illumina do something its traditional approach hadn't allowed: speak directly and credibly to an audience it had never effectively reached, on that audience's own terms.
