When Hollywood created a buzz for a new film last year, the publicity gave a rare jumpstart to media interest in a new device for anesthesiologists. "Desperate Measures," starring Andy Garcia and Michael Keaton, features the BIS (Bispectral Index) Monitor in a pivotal plot scene and provided a timely backdrop for rolling out a VNR campaign.
Although there had been high trade and consumer media coverage for the device starting in Fall 1997, the movie's January release put a new and exciting twist on news coverage, focusing on the device's recovery benefits for patients who undergo surgery.
Developed by Aspect Medical Systems, Natick, Mass., the monitor is the first FDA-approved product to gauge consciousness under anesthesia, correcting the tendency to over- or under-medicate patients during surgery. It is Aspect's only product.
The media relations campaign, launched by Fischer & Partners (F&P), Marina del Rey, Calif., struck the right balance, generating trade, then consumer media coverage.
This is a key strategy in the agency's communications programs for healthcare clients - first do the "meat and potatoes" work of establishing credibility among physicians and medical organizations, then create a consumer splash to reach a broader audience.
Without this communications priority, consumer efforts can backfire, alienating and offending core audiences like physicians, hospitals and associations, says Sandra Bougeon, F&P's SVP and chief strategy officer in the medical devices and technology group.
The consumer campaign, which included a VNR and other media efforts, generated more than 20 million impressions regionally and 150 million nationally, a remarkable outcome. It also earned an award of excellence from a regional chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators.
The 1998 integrated campaign, incorporating internal and external PR, trade advertising and production, cost in the ballpark of $1 million.
Controversial Media Hook
Despite the PR focus on the monitor's patient recovery benefits, the hook generating the most consumer media interest was the controversial issue of intraoperative awareness - when patients are unintentionally brought to consciousness during surgery. It's a rare occurrence, but it became the angle consumer media outlets like Time, "20/20" and the "Oprah Winfrey Show" gravitated to. A patient who had suffered an incident of waking up in mid-surgery had already waged a well-publicized advocacy effort on the problem.
While F&P anticipated this media focus, the timing threw the PR team off and sidetracked the campaign's focus. Time ignited the consumer coverage in late 1997, shortly after a major trade show for the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) and at a time when F&P was focusing on the trade phase of the campaign.
In response, F&P tweaked the campaign, bringing balance back to the issue with medical experts who provided context and product positioning messages, highlighting how the BIS Monitor helps anesthesiologists avoid under-medicating patients. Aspect positioned itself as the company coming to the rescue with its new device. "We had to manage this [issue] or it would have managed us," says Lorie Fiber, an F&P account supervisor.
The controversy also became a springboard PR opportunity for Aspect's customers - hospitals and other healthcare providers - to leverage the national attention into high-profile local PR opportunities. Hospitals were given turnkey PR tools, including press releases and VNR/b-roll footage, to help them position their facilities as cutting edge healthcare leaders in the community. These materials also allowed the hospitals to use the controversy to develop leadership positions on key issues like patient care and cutting edge technology, says Nassib Chamoun, Aspect's president and CEO.
The Clinical Launch Pad
To establish long-term marketing credibility, it's essential to have access to a wealth of clinical information when building a communications program for a new medical product.
Aspect spent nine years and millions of dollars to develop the monitor technology prior to FDA approval in 1996. By the time it came to market in 1997, its promotional arsenal included 5,000 patients who participated in clinical trials and more than 200 peer-reviewed articles in medical journals. This wealth of ammunition is rare for a new healthcare company and became a major PR benefit, says Bougeon. Due to the breadth of clinical information, the media relations campaign could:
- Position the monitor as a revolutionary anesthesiology device and back the claim up with extensive clinical validity.
- Generate respect and credibility from the medical community who base most of their decisions and perceptions on empirical data.
- Evolve to a second tier of awareness that focuses on positive qualitative outcomes involving patient results and economic savings.
The clinical emphasis also helps to convince a broad range of healthcare decision-makers - doctors, nurses, hospital administrators and managed care executives - that have to buy into new medical products, says Chamoun.
So far, the $8,900 monitor which costs at least $15 per patient use, is in use by more than 260 hospitals nationwide, 16 percent of which are among the top teaching healthcare facilities. The campaign is helping to generate sales results among top-tier teaching hospitals "that define standards of care," says Chamoun. And F&P PR work is so well regarded by Aspect that in less than two years it has graduated to becoming its full marcom partner. (F&P, Sandra Bougeon, Lorie Fiber, 310/577-7870; Aspect, Nassib Chamoun, 508/653-0603)
Fischer & Partners
Headquarters: Marina del Rey, CA
Founded: 1994
# Employees: 20
Clients: Ernst & Young LLP National Health Care Practice, Fuji Medical Systems, Thermo Cardiosystems
Focus: Healthcare marcom, media relations, corporate communications, investor relations and corporate branding