I was forced to interrupt my work in the middle of the afternoon... I perceived an uninterrupted stream of fantastic pictures... a kaleidoscopic play of colours.
That wasn’t a poet. Or a painter. Or even a rockstar.
That was Albert Hoffman. Swiss chemist. Discoverer of LSD. And the accidental lead in one of the strangest product launches in scientific history.
In Episode 2 of The Art of Marketing Science, Julian Stubbs and Dr. Robert England dive headfirst into a challenge every science marketer knows all too well: what do you do when you have a breakthrough innovation, but no market?
You’ll hear:
• The bizarre origin story of LSD’s first trip
• Real-world failures of early-stage science marketing
• The emotional drivers behind scientific purchasing decisions
• How to reposition a product when it lands in the wrong market
Listen to the full episode now on Spotify.
One Hell of a Ride (literally)
April 16, 1943. Albert Hoffman takes a small quantity of LSD. Then rides his bike home.
The journey - both physical and psychological - becomes legendary. Today it’s celebrated as Bicycle Day by psychonauts worldwide. Beyond surrealism lies a lesson: LSD was a powerful innovation, but it was without a clear purpose. And that’s where the problems began.
It was a marketing catastrophe.
Like many innovations in science, LSD was out of the lab before it had a story. And once it escaped, that story took on a life of its own. First, it was tested by the CIA - then it became the plaything of hippies, musicians, and psychedelic gurus.
And the original inventor? Hoffman was horrified.
No Market? No Problem! Think Again - Science Marketing Lessons from LSD
Hoffman’s story isn’t unique. As Julian and Rob point out, science history is littered with examples of technologies in search of a market:
Even the Beatles got a mention (again). Julian shared his surprise Beatles sighting, and Rob reminded us that Bowie wrote Space Oddity while tripping in a cinema watching 2001: A Space Odyssey. You can’t say this podcast doesn’t cover ground.
The Real Challenge: Unpredictable Adoption
One of the most fascinating segments? The experiment where LSD was administered to two different groups: athletes and artists. The athletes saw rainbow hallucinations. The artists... said it all looked normal.
The implication? People process the world differently. A product doesn’t hit everyone the same way, which makes early adoption wildly unpredictable - and potentially explosive. LSD found its first audience not in hospitals, but in subcultures. Once it was out, there was no pulling it back.
Marketers, take note: if you don’t shape the narrative, someone else will.
Crossing the Chasm - or falling into it
Rob and Julian revisit Geoffrey Moore’s Crossing the Chasm, a cornerstone of marketing and highly relevant to science and tech marketing. Early adopters love new tech. But they don’t stay loyal. They get bored. They move on.
So, how do you build a bridge to the mainstream?
Julian’s rebrand of LabWell to Personal Chemistry is a masterclass. It turned a forgettable biotech name into something magnetic - not just for customers, but for talent. As Rob puts it, the name made him curious enough to switch careers. That’s marketing.
From Abbey Road to Alienation: Lessons from Music
Just when you think the episode can’t stretch any further, it pivots to The Beatles.
Julian tells the story of how the Fab Four once turned down a guaranteed number one hit. Why? It wasn’t authentic. They didn’t want to be another chart-topping gimmick.
Rob counters with David Bowie’s decade-long struggle with obscurity. It wasn’t until he combined his core identity - alienation, storytelling, and theatricality - that Ziggy Stardust was born.
The takeaway? Great brands (and scientists) don’t chase trends. They discover what’s authentically theirs and amplify it.
Why Scientists Actually Buy
Even in science, emotion leads. Rob shares an anecdote about running value proposition workshops with engineers who insist they only care about function. Yet there they are, pens gleaming with the Montblanc logo. Ego. Status. Identity. It’s all there.
Scientists buy for many of the same reasons as anyone else:
Branding matters. Positioning matters. And emotional value often comes before practical benefit, especially early on.
Hoffman’s Problem Child
Albert Hoffman called LSD his Problem Child. A drug he hoped could heal, enlighten, and connect. Instead, it became a cultural lightning rod.
Yet decades later, his vision may not be entirely lost. Studies suggest psychedelics could help with depression, PTSD, and creativity. Tech bros are microdosing in Silicon Valley. Pharmaceutical giants are quietly circling.
And as Rob jokes, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds might soon become Elon in a Rocket to Mars.
The Big Takeaway for Science Marketers
Science marketing isn’t just about showcasing innovation. It’s about guiding it. Framing it. Positioning it in a way that connects to real, human motivations.
Hoffman wanted to create a therapeutic breakthrough. He got a global movement instead.
The message? Whether you’re launching a new sequencing tool or a chemical compound that scrambles perception, the same rule applies:
The story matters. And if you don’t tell it right, someone else will tell it for you.
Coming Up Next:
Episode 3 - KABOOM! How Alfred Nobel Sparked a Scientific Legacy
As always: stay wise, stay curious, and above all, stay human.