Cannes Lions
FINGERPAINT, Saratoga Springs / ANGIODYNAMICS / 2021
Overview
Entries
Credits
Background
Peripheral atherectomies are complicated procedures, and doctors never really know what they’re going to encounter when they go in. To prepare for any eventuality, they’re forced to keep a suite of devices on hand, ramping up cost, complexity, and stress levels. Our client—Angiodynamics—had developed a game-changing device, a single tool with the features to handle whatever complexities arise in-vessel. The space is saturated with devices all fit for different purposes, but one thing unites them—they all look, feel, and advertise themselves like power tools. We quickly realized that because we were a single tool that can handle anything, we beat them on technology. If we stood out and made a clear, compelling case, we’d win the market.
Idea
As the old saying goes, when others zig, zag. Rather than follow the crowd with our name and campaign, we broke the mold. Instead of a mash-up of tech words and glamour shots of the device, we developed a brand and campaign that focused on a promise to doctors: No matter what you encounter, this device is the one tool you need. We partnered with a globally renowned CGI company to deliver the first in a series of hero visuals that led our tactics, immediately paying off the promise of Auryon the second a physician interacts with our campaign. We personified lesions as creatures that hide in the vessel, each focused on a different issue, ranging from stubbornness to complexity. In doing so, we immediately put daylight between ourselves and the competition.
Strategy
The peripheral atherectomy space is crowded, led by major players like Philips. All of the devices offer different strengths and weaknesses, forcing physicians to keep multiple in their office for different situations. They all market themselves the same way—as tech-focused power tools. The audience is niche, with a target list of fewer than 12,000 surgeons. We knew that to break through, we’d have to do something different visually. Instead of following the tech theme, we ran towards something more abstract and visually driven. The strength of the Auryon System is simple: Whatever you encounter in a vessel, this is the single tool that can handle it all. Allying this simple message to striking visuals, we simultaneously broke through the noise and elevated ourselves above the competition.
Execution
Over a period of 3 months, we partnered with one of the top CGI companies in the world to concept and create the hero visuals. Once ready, we launched a suite of marketing materials, both rep-delivered and nonpersonal promotion, digitally and in print. Social media and banner buys drove to a website where interested doctors could request a rep demo. From there, the sales force finished the job, detailing the product with materials we created.
Outcome
Despite being a niche audience, the results were startling. There were over 15,700 unique website visitors, with 3,000 of them engaging with content we considered KPIs. Most importantly, there have been over 3,400 procedures carried out using Auryon in 3 quarters, with quarter over quarter sales doubling.