3. Show Who You Are – MC2: Pure Energy

How The Accelerating Adoption Of Mobile Technology Will Enable And Challenge MedTech Marketers

May 17, 2013 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

Are you using mobile technology to reach and influence decision makers today? You should be. Photo courtesy Welch Allyn, Inc.
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Increasing access to mobile technology is on the verge of forever transforming the way healthcare professionals assess, diagnose, treat, and manage their patients’ illnesses inside and outside the hospital. In the same way, 24 x 7 real-time access to information about products, technologies, and services that can help facilitate that transformation has already fundamentally changed the way medical marketers reach and influence clinical decision makers. If you're not already using mobile technology in your … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 3. Show Who You Are, Uncategorized Tagged With: Digital Marketing, mobile marketing

Changing MedTech Marketing Realities: Why Telling Meaningful Stories Is More Important Than Ever

May 15, 2013 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

Remember the good old days in medical marketing when the key to getting your technology adopted by a hospital was simply finding a vocal, committed clinical champion with the juice to get you a trial just by saying "I want it"? That's when you could get by with a clinical and technical sell that focused on how your product made life easier for the clinician or better for the patient. Period. With healthcare reform, the rise of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs), the proliferation of Integrated Delivery Networks … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: Medical Device, Medical technology, messaging

Reassuring Customers After Data Hacking: How Vudu Did It Right And What We Can Learn From It

April 10, 2013 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

I just got an e-mail (see below) from the CTO of on-line movie streaming service Vudu telling me that thieves broke into their Silicon Valley offices recently and made off with computer hard drives containing customer data. My immediate reaction was "yikes!" but then I read on. Unlike a lot of notices that I get on an all too regular basis from banks and retail outlets, this wasn't an impersonal message about an undisclosed "security event" that led to a compromise of customer data. I was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Digital Marketing, Marketing Best Practices

Getting The Mix Right. Balancing Emotional and Clinical Messaging In MedTech Marketing

April 8, 2013 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

When marketing to clinicians, it’s easy to think that since they're scientists all they really need are the hard-core clinical and technical details about our product. After all, they are going to make their buying decisions based solely on rational and scientific facts, right? The short answer is no. I wrote earlier that by failing to make an emotional connection before diving into the technical/clinical sell, we run the risk of having our messages fall on deaf ears and our marketing efforts fall flat as a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 3. Show Who You Are, Uncategorized Tagged With: Integrated Marketing, Medical Device, Medical technology, messaging

The Circle of Life, Brand Development Style

March 27, 2013 By Tom McCall 9 Comments

Like so many elements of marketing, the process of developing and articulating a differentiated brand is an ongoing one. Done right, it's a continual cycle of discovery, definition, communication, and evolution. At ICU Medical, we broke the process down into four easy to understand steps, each with its own set of strategies, objectives, and tactics that ultimately led to what we believe to be a sustainable brand that fits who we are today and has flexibility to extend to where we want to go tomorrow. In a … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1. Know Who You Are, 2. Be Who You Are, 3. Show Who You Are, 4. Grow Who You Are Tagged With: advertising, branding, business, Marketing, Marketing Best Practices, technology

Making Human Connections. Why You Should Always Strive to Simply Communicate Complex Value

February 26, 2013 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

The basic premise of this blog is that the best way to communicate a complex value proposition, to market a complex product, or to position a complex organization is to do it as simply as possible, but no simpler. For technology-driven organizations, this can be a challenging concept. But, as the cover story of the current issue of the AMA’s Marketing News magazine points out, the results are worth it. “More B-to-B marketers are finding that cutting through the technical talk to communicate in more human terms … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1. Know Who You Are, 2. Be Who You Are, 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: messaging, Simplicity

Attention MedTech Marketers: Don’t Tell Me How Your Product Works Before You Tell Me Why I Should Care.

January 30, 2013 By Tom McCall 2 Comments

Don't wasting any time detailing HOW your product works before clearly establishing WHY customers should care.

When you’ve been part of a team that has spent years developing a breakthrough new medical technology, there’s a unique sense of pride and accomplishment that comes when it’s time to launch it into the marketplace. And as a marketer, this is your time to shine. A product launch is the time to show what a difference your product will make in the world. How it will improve the quality of care. How it will empower clinicians to excel. How it will impact patient lives. Don’t blow it by boring people to death … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: Medical technology, product launches

How to Keep Trade Show Marketing From Becoming As Irrelevant As The World’s Fair

January 8, 2013 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

There was a time not so long ago where the World’s Fair was the only place you could go to see the wonders of the modern world dazzlingly displayed in one place. Promising futuristic glimpses into the creativity, culture, and commerce of lands near and far, the World’s Fair drew millions of visitors to great cities in Europe, Asia, and the Americas for more than a century. And then, as technology and mass media exposure made the world a smaller place and the exotic “wonders” of the world became well-known and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: Change, Integrated Marketing, Trade Show Marketing

Why Good Enough Isn’t And Never Will Be

December 21, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

“We believe mediocrity should be rooted out, then trampled, beaten and ground into submission like the shameless trash that it is. How about you?” I have had that pithy statement framed and hanging in my office(s) for the past 15 years or so. It comes from an ad concept that was developed for and pitched to Kodak Professional Imaging when I managed that account for an East Coast ad agency in the mid 90s. Kodak didn’t buy the concept. They went for something safer. Less edgy. Mediocre. Now they’re … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: Marketing Best Practices

Motivate Through Emotion, Persuade by Reason

December 1, 2012 By Tom McCall 2 Comments

If you are marketing a product or service to doctors and nurses, it’s easy to think that these highly trained scientists choose what to buy based on logical thinking and carefully reasoned decision-making. Especially when it comes to such a complex and critical category like medical technology. And hopefully, in large measure they do. But there’s more to it than that. While clinical buying decisions may be driven by reason, motivation to take action in the first place is most often driven by emotion. By … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2. Be Who You Are, 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: emotion, Medical technology, messaging

Tell Me a Story. Why Medical Technology Marketing Doesn’t Have To Be Lifeless

November 28, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

Dr. Diana K. Lopez, the inspiration behind the Diana Hazardous Drug Compounding System. A story of tragedy leading to innovation.

Those of us who work in medical technology marketing are a pretty lucky bunch. We get to bring products and technologies to market that make a real difference in the lives of real people. Products that help doctors and nurses provide better care. Products that improve efficiencies and reduce the cost of care. Products that save lives. So why is it that so much medical technology marketing is lifeless drivel when we have such a powerful story to tell? I think some of it has to do with the long, involved, and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Marketing, Medical Device, Simplicity

4 Steps To Take When Your Sales Force “Doesn’t Get It”

November 20, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

As marketers, we spend a great deal of time and money developing brands and positioning products in such a way as to differentiate ourselves from our competitors and motivate customers and prospects to take action. We agonize over the details of each ingredient in the marketing mix, every link in the value-delivery chain, to make sure we turn interest into action. Global branding into gross margin. Sales promotions into sales leads. And when we’ve done our jobs well, those sales leads turn into honest-to-goodness … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2. Be Who You Are, 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Marketing, Sales Force Alignment

Cold Calling in the Age of Digital Networking. Enough Already!

November 9, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

As an ex ad agency guy, I know how difficult it is to drum up new business in an exceptionally competitive marketplace. I've been the guy who picks up the phone and tries to get through to the marketing decision maker with the message about how our services can help make their life easier, propel their business to new heights, or solve that unsolveable problem. Hated it! And the fact is, I don't remember a single cold call that ever turned into a meaningful assignment. But when I made the jump to the client … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: Digital Marketing, Digital Networking

Now, What Was It You Wanted to Sell Me?

October 12, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

I love that ad! It was created in the 1950s, but the message it sends is every bit as valid today. Don’t try to sell to me until you’ve built a relationship with me. Unfortunately, too many companies try to do just that. They may be successful in their existing niche, but when they try to expand beyond their base, their efforts fall flat. There are tons of examples I could cite, but one that sticks in my mind is a company I worked with that had been successfully selling into the clinical marketplace for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1. Know Who You Are, 3. Show Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Medical Device, Medical technology, messaging

Keeping it Simple is Harder than it Seems

October 10, 2012 By Tom McCall Leave a Comment

Albert Einstein once said: “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Simplicity is a powerful differentiator. That’s why I decided to focus this blog on the four simple principles I believe are essential for building a successful brand. Whether you are running an established business or launching a start-up, the keys to branding and business success are the same. Simply put, you need to: > Know Who You Are > Be Who You Are > Show Who You Are > Grow Who … [Read more...]

Filed Under: 1. Know Who You Are, 2. Be Who You Are, 3. Show Who You Are, 4. Grow Who You Are Tagged With: branding, Marketing, Self Awareness, Simplicity

How The Accelerating Adoption Of Mobile Technology Will Enable And Challenge MedTech Marketers

Changing MedTech Marketing Realities: Why Telling Meaningful Stories Is More Important Than Ever

Reassuring Customers After Data Hacking: How Vudu Did It Right And What We Can Learn From It

Getting The Mix Right. Balancing Emotional and Clinical Messaging In MedTech Marketing

The Circle of Life, Brand Development Style

Making Human Connections. Why You Should Always Strive to Simply Communicate Complex Value

Attention MedTech Marketers: Don’t Tell Me How Your Product Works Before You Tell Me Why I Should Care.

How to Keep Trade Show Marketing From Becoming As Irrelevant As The World’s Fair

Why Good Enough Isn’t And Never Will Be

Motivate Through Emotion, Persuade by Reason

Tell Me a Story. Why Medical Technology Marketing Doesn’t Have To Be Lifeless

4 Steps To Take When Your Sales Force “Doesn’t Get It”

Cold Calling in the Age of Digital Networking. Enough Already!

Now, What Was It You Wanted to Sell Me?

Keeping it Simple is Harder than it Seems

Building Brands that Build Business

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