A Love Letter to Life Science Trade Media

I love publishing.

I spent the first two decades of my professional career in life science trade media. They were wonderful years.

And so, when I decided to launch my own business, you would think a digitally proactive media business focused on a niche but growing life science sector (perhaps gene therapy or nucleotide-based therapeutics) would have been the most logical option.

However, the real highlights for me during those 20 years were often the result of working closely with clients on creative ideas to engage a target audience in an increasingly competitive space (and thus @Mondo Create was born)

But what if I had decided to launch a trade media business in 2026? First, I’d have to properly wake up to the fact that the traditional B2B publishing model has been torn up. Second, I’d need to welcome a future that genuinely focuses on building networked communities rather than just talking about it. Facilitating connections, helping ideas proliferate and evolve, and building a home (or nest!) for a passionate group of people not only sounds fun – it should be considered the future of B2B publishing.

If legacy publishers do not adapt, what happens?

In my view, in the wake of publishers scrambling to become “digital first”, a new and significant opportunity has emerged for forward-thinking life science companies.

The best companies already have their own high quality audiences (databases and social channels), the expert insight and knowledge, and the marketing clout to tap into new audiences.

Innovative companies can (and, I would argue, should!) develop their own media entity, run their own events, bring communities together, and provide valuable content (that does not always talk about them).

In other words, these life science companies are in an excellent position to take a firm grasp of their own destiny – without reliance on third parties and fluffy (or puffed-up) audience claims.

And perhaps it’s already happening. Some companies have started making the leap, others are hiring good people from trade media. I sincerely hope we start to see brands being brave with their creative effort and binding audiences to them.

The tsunami of AI slop was inevitable. The world needs people-led content, with a good story at its heart, now more than ever. Who will take the lead in life sciences – publishers or the companies they used to serve?

As the final print issue of The Medicine Maker (a media brand I founded in 2014) landed on my desk towards the end of December 2025, I was sad. I still love you trade media. And I sincerely hope that everyone in that space is able to keep pace with both technology and justifiably high expectations.

Richard

Richard Hodson is Founding Partner & Client Director at Mondo Create.

Human intelligence (Hi) is a series of thoughts, talks, essays and events for the changing world of life science marketing and communication.

It is shared only when there is something interesting to say.