Emotion in Medtech Marketing, Just Not the Type You Expect

Your initial thought here may be that I’m going to talk about how important it is for your company to include a heart-wrenching tale of a patient on the brink who was saved by your device.?

That’s what emotional connections mean, right??

Sometimes.

But not all the time.

I recently?interviewed Jantzen Cole, the former VP of Marketing for Artelon (recently purchased by Stryker for those keeping score), and he had this to say about marketing in medtech:?

I have started to recognize that while we're all generally behind a product, what moves people to a product more often than not is some type of emotion, some sort of connection. And me as a consumer, I don't connect well to inanimate objects, but I do connect well to people. So a lot of my shifts and changes began with the question, what makes me feel, what makes people feel?

I certainly don't want to leave the product completely out of the conversation, but allow the product to be a supportive tool, a useful tool that accentuates and enhances skill sets with the surgeon and the tenacity of the patient.

Case in Point

Here are some real examples culled from?LinkedIn:

If you’ve ever been hiking or trail running, you feel this immediately. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve rolled an ankle or nearly fallen on my face while not paying close enough attention on a hill like this.?

Here’s another example.

Jeff isn’t a professional football player. He’s an accountant, but Jeff got injured, too.?

It’s not just the pros who want to be able to regain their full mobility. The video goes on to show just how well Jeff has recovered, but everyone has some fun along the way.

What about Surgeons?

It’s easier to play with emotion when you’re talking to patients, but what about the people who would actually use the product as a part of their job?

Artelon shared several videos of interviews with surgeons where they specifically asked, what worried you or made you nervous about using Artelon’s product for the first time?

And surgeons gave their candid answers.?

These kinds of conversations are the ones that normally happen when the brand isn’t involved, but companies can be more direct in addressing the doubts of their customers.?

Who Are the Heroes Here, Anyway?

Let me share one more quote with you before we wrap up for the week:?

If you really want to get factual about it, the most highly variable parts of most med devices are the surgeon and the patient.

And so it is kind of true that those two are the heroes, right??

Same device. I've seen it not be a very good device, but in a very gifted person's hands, do fantastic. Also seen a great device in hands that are untrained or not as experienced, not do so well.?

So also just from a truth standpoint, I felt like the truth was that a great physician with my product gives great results as long as the patient also is a great patient, is compliant, plays their part, and has a good mentality... So when I started the stack rank responsibility for success, frankly, I felt like we did come in third.

I can feel leadership tensing up over this conversation point.?

Of course, surgeons and patients are critical in the success of any product, but companies don’t want to put across the idea that their product doesn’t matter.?

And this is where surgeon / physician training is so critical. You want to create that more unified experience for the patient, but Jantzen’s comment should challenge companies to a level of humility.?

Medtech is there to support the physician and the patient, and we can reinforce that with education, training, marketing campaigns, and in a whole lot of other ways, too.?

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Quick note: I posted this article as a fan of effective marketing. We did not advise Jantzen Cole or Artelon in these marketing efforts.

Featured image from iStockphoto. Used via paid license.