AstraZeneca has rolled out its latest campaign aimed at emphasizing its scientific achievements, dubbed “What science can do.”

The campaign doesn’t market any particular product or therapeutic area, but rather seeks to highlight AstraZeneca’s overall scientific advancements and innovations – and its impact on patients.

The company wanted to play on its long-standing position focusing on science but also “refresh what it means,” according to Brendan McEvoy, head of AstraZeneca external communications.

“In the U.S. specifically, we are not as well known as some of the other [industry] players,” he said. “When we think about the impact we’re trying to have as an organization – on patients, society and the planet more broadly – we want to make sure people are aware of who we are.”

On its website, the campaign centers around the motto: “Change lives. That’s what our science can do.”

McEvoy noted that the campaign was born out of AstraZeneca’s efforts to reposition itself as a leader in science, health equity and sustainability coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“As we all know, the pharmaceutical sector tends to falter towards the bottom when it comes to awareness, trust and understanding,” he explained. “So we saw a big opportunity to make a splash by telling the story of who we are.”

The initial rollout of the campaign consists of several short videos that follow the experience of two patients, the first being Chloe, a cancer survivor in her 60s. The video follows Chloe as she gets a tattoo to signify her cancer journey.

The second film focuses on Nico, a kid who runs through the hallways at school to get to class – something he couldn’t do before he was treated for asthma. Text in the video states that “thanks to breakthroughs in our labs, more patients are finding the courage to break free.”

Both films are directed by Reed Morano, a filmmaker who’s perhaps most well-known for winning both an Emmy and Directors Guild Award for the drama series The Handmaid’s Tale.

Reed has a story of her own to tell: In a third “behind the scenes” video, she opens up about her own experience of being a cancer survivor.

“Being a cancer survivor definitely gives me perspective everyday,” she says in the video. “When I read the Chloe script, I was like, ‘Oh yeah, that’s actually something I’ve done. I had cancer, and I’ve gotten a cancer tattoo.’”

McEvoy noted that under Reed’s direction, the videos aim to “break through what you’re seeing out there in terms of pharma ads.”

“Because they are done in such a meticulous way, it almost feels like you’re stumbling upon a scene within a feature film or TV show,” he said. “And we’re hoping that grabs the attention of all of our audiences out there.”

The campaign, which launched this week, will be a multiyear one that builds upon the initial videos with new stories in other therapeutic areas, rare disease and cardiovascular.

The new campaign launched shortly after Enhertu, a metastatic breast cancer drug AstraZeneca developed alongside Daiichi Sankyo, rolled out its first direct-to-consumer campaign.

AstraZeneca brought in $45.8 billion in revenue in 2023, an increase of 6% from 2022 at constant exchange rates (CER) – despite seeing sales for its COVID-19 vaccine, Vaxzevria, fall by 99% last year.

The increase in revenue amid declining COVID sales was largely buoyed by the pharma’s cancer pipeline, which generated more than $17.1 billion in revenue last year.