Tash Beecher of Syneos Health on Channeling Life Experiences Into Creative Work

Plus: Her optimistic tenacity and work on Forxiga

Tash Beecher is creative director at Syneos Health. She has been in the creative comms industry as a writer, editor, radio presenter and marketeer for almost 20 years. Her goal in creativity—and in life—is to elevate the lesser-told stories in the world, because she believes everyone deserves to sparkle. Tash is a member of WACL, an ECD at Pocc,and creative co-director at the LGBTQ+ advocacy group Outvertising.

Muse caught up with Tash to discuss her career journey, using AI in healthcare creativity and how she defines “when the world zigs, zag.”

How you first got interested in health and marketing (or indeed, health marketing).

I’ve always done lots of things and activities at the same time. I actually studied pharmacy—my plan initially was to be a pharmacist by day and write for the New Scientist publication by night. Science was amazing to me, and it troubled me that it was always so misunderstood, so I endeavored to share the magic of it to people who didn’t “get it.” I guess I always had these two separate sides of my brain which I didn’t know at that point could be combined in a career.

My journey whilst still studying included a medical writing internship founding the science and technology section of the university magazine and working two part time jobs—one of which was as a lab technician in peptide synthesis. After my degree, I worked as a science editor, where a conversation with a random stranger in an elevator alerted me to health advertising. And over seven years, I went through further experiences, working in super technical environments, as a medical affairs manager, a radio presenter, a PR manager, the list goes on. Almost two decades later I lead an entire creative department with Steve, my creative partner.

One of your favorite projects you’ve ever worked on.

It has to be the most fun work I ever did that never actually became finalized for reasons outside of my agency at the time’s control. It was maybe 10 years ago. My then creative partner and I made a warehouse into a “gut space” for a probiotic client and filmed the scenes for an ad. We leaned on techniques used in theatrical set design, and choreographed actors in colored morph suits to represent five different gut issues. We even made a cannon that shot out diarrhea, made from sponge bits. We called it the “shit cannon.” It was more than the video—based on very real patient insight this would have been a fully integrated campaign that parsed humor with the pain sufferers felt. Sadly, an in client at the final stage meant that the work was pulled.

A recent project you’re proud of.

The first one that comes to mind is for Astra Zeneca and their Forxiga product. We used sonic identity and sound design to interpret a seemingly surface-level scientific data point. We drove memorability in a big and bold way, partnering with sound design agency The Elements Music to tell a story to help our audience feel and understand how the product protects patients’ organs, in a way that surprised and delighted our client. 

With global backlash and DEI rollbacks, how can clients/agencies keep work engaging and diverse.

Double down on ensuring your teams and the experiences that they hold and channel into their work is diverse. Having access to unique and diverse viewpoints is the key to keeping creative engaging. As Barbara Noakes wrote in that astute Levi’s ad, “When the world zigs, zag.” And I strongly advise taking this to mean looking at creativity through an inclusive lens that smashes through the sea of sameness and mediocrity and deliver ROI.

Talk about the importance of channeling life experiences into creative work. 

The greatest creativity stems from humans participating in life experiences and channeling these different, interesting things into our work. We are real people, making health advertising for other real people. It’s the random things that make others relate, and our ability to translate those random things into a tangible story is at the heart of our creative industry. Homing in on, say, the face you remember experiencing when you got ill or gave some news to someone is what can make a doctor relate more to a detail aid—all of a sudden you’ve got a compelling creative idea around a possibly dry bit of data.

One thing about how health is evolving that you’re excited about.

Our opportunity to define how we use AI. Combining health and creativity using AI as a tool is a massive point of difference that will put us in great stead for the future—we already use data heavily day-to-day in health. And in creativity, using data to support our positions removes subjectivity and allows us to focus on delivering disruptive work. We use data to provide insight, to validate a creative idea, to measure the impact our work is making, to optimize for even greater results and to learn and build greater intelligence. In other words, data helps us reframe the conversation with our clients from “I think” to “I know.” That’s how you get braver clients and more creative work.

Your main strength as a marketer/creative.

Optimistic tenacity. It’s different from being stubborn, it’s almost like manifestation economics. It’s being so sure of a creative opportunity that I will stop at nothing until the collective sees it too, because that’s the only way to realize it.

Your biggest weakness.

Being an empath. I have to work really hard to be transactional about things, which is needed more than I’d like. I feel very strongly other people’s emotions. It’s both a superpower and a weakness, and one that makes me, I think, a good creative. 

Something people would find surprising about you.

I’m an avid birdwatcher, so I can be found out walking and enjoying nature. All of my tattoos are of birds. So I guess also that I’m a heavily tattooed individual—I’ve got one on my head!

What do you do on your day off.

What’s a day off?! Even on my days off I’m usually doing something and keeping my brain occupied. As well as being a birdwatcher, I’m also a runner, so I’m usually training for something. I’m currently training for another ultramarathon and for a sprint triathlon. Generally though, in order to unwind I have to force myself to not think, usually by getting lost in something monotonous that shuts everything else out. Fixed gear cycling, running, playing guitar.