Originally Published MX September/October 2005
ADVERTISING, DISTRIBUTION, & SALES
From Maverick Start-Up to Marketing Champ in Six Months|
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In early 2004, executives at Zonare Medical Systems Inc. (Mountain View, CA) faced the daunting challenge of launching a new company, a new technology, and a new product all in less than six months. It was the equivalent of David versus Goliath for Mark Miller, Zonare's vice president of sales and marketing, pitting a tiny start-up against the world's largest global companies.
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| Award-winning team members for the Zonare Medical Systems campaign (from left): Steve Johnson, Epic Brand Communications; Mark Miller, Zonare; Paul Shortley, Epic. Photo courtesy Medical Marketing Association. (click to enlarge) |
Zonare, developer of a technology called Zone Sonography—the first new ultrasound image-capture technology in 20 years—was a young company with limited marketing and sales resources. Miller had to find a way to make an impact at RSNA, the Radiological Society of North America's trade show and one of the largest such events in the world. There his company competed directly against GE Medical Systems, Siemens, and Philips Medical Systems—the big-three diagnostic imaging equipment companies—and their tremendous resources and strong brand equity.
He turned to Epic Brand Communications (Aliso Viejo, CA) for strategic partnership help. The fate of Zonare, a company with virtually nonexistent name recognition, depended on a successful product launch of Zone Sonography. In order to succeed, Miller and Epic knew they needed to develop positioning that would break the mold.
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| Epic Brand Communications' campaign for Zonare's new ultrasound image-capture technology exceeded its stated goals for awareness level and positive perception, according to postlaunch research. Photo courtesy Epic Brand Communications. (click to enlarge) |
They chose to position Zonare as an innovative maverick: only a truly unique organization could develop such a revolutionary technology. Tactical communications utilizing edgy, evocative imagery, far different from anything the diagnostic equipment industry had seen before, was introduced. The creative execution created buzz and excitement around the product launch. Postlaunch research determined that Zonare's awareness level and positive perception, and the qualified prospect leads that were generated, far exceeded the stated campaign goals. The results earned Miller a Medical Marketing Association award for 2005 Medical Marketer of the Year.
"With Epic as our partner," notes Miller, "the 'Everything Changes in the Zone' campaign positioned Zonare as that innovative maverick. Epic's sound strategic thinking and engaging creative execution went beyond anything this market had seen before. With little time to implement a marketing program, Epic's smart positioning of our company and breakthrough product introduction produced remarkable results."
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