case study
PHOTOS: Live Marketing Inc.
Tech-Enabled Storytelling
Swisslog Healthcare leaves its massive packaging and dispensing machine at the office and opts for a lighter, more cost-friendly digital activation to demonstrate the system in action. By Ben Barclay
Product demo
Subject: Swisslog Healthcare
Show: 2018 American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition Size: 50-by-50 feet Challenge: Hauling its massive PillPick Automated Packaging and Dispensing System to the show floor was cost-prohibitive and ineffective. Swisslog had to find a better way to introduce attendees to its product. Solution: The company opted for a feather-weight digital activation that highlighted key aspects of its machine, demonstrated the instrument's capabilities, and primed attendees for deeper conversations with staffers. Creative/Production Agency: Live Marketing Inc., www.livemarketing.com Swisslog had traditionally hauled portions of its PillPick system to show floors, as bringing the entire system was never a viable option due to budget constraints and logistical challenges. Still, transporting mere sections of the machine remained costly, and that investment in shipping and drayage wasn't reaping the desired rewards. Realizing that an incomplete PillPick ate up too much real estate, lacked visual appeal, and failed to demonstrate the entirety of the machine's capabilities, Swisslog felt it was time for a shift in strategy heading into the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Midyear Clinical Meeting and Exhibition in Anaheim, CA. A key part of that new strategy involved shedding some pounds – and costs – by leaving the entire PillPick system at home and finding another way to educate attending pharmacists, administrators, and other executives about the product's deliverables. This new approach would need to help the company acquire at least as many leads as it had the previous year while saving money in the process. After brainstorming various options, Swisslog decided it could best achieve its education and lead-count goals via an engaging tech experience. Swisslog marketers envisioned using a combination of digital messaging and video content to give attendees a thorough-but-brief synopsis of the machine's features so that afterward product specialists could spend their time engaged in deeper dives with interested prospects. Additionally, the company wanted to incorporate a cause-marketing element – a vital lure at health-care exhibitions due to the industry's stringent giveaway restrictions. To determine what type of technology would best suit its needs, Swisslog turned to Live Marketing Inc., an experiential-marketing agency specializing in digital interactives. "Swisslog approached us knowing it needed to do something with a tech focus that was different than it had ever done before," says Anne Trompeter, principal and executive creative strategist for Live Marketing. "But it needed to be smart about the investment and provide a good experience for visitors as well." A Dose of Digital The key to success for Live Marketing was to prescribe the right technology for Swisslog's objectives. "Creating any effective technical experience means considering influencing factors such as the physical space, the client's messaging objectives, the technical sophistication of the audience, and the budget, to name a few," Trompeter says. "We identify what technology will best achieve the most effective storytelling for the client on the trade show floor." Once the interactive strategy was formulated, Swisslog focused on its narrative. "The storytelling sweet spot is broadly six to nine minutes," Trompeter says. "This amount of time is typically enough to convey your story but not overwhelm attendees with too much information – or take so much of their time that they are disinclined to spend additional time in the booth talking to a company sales rep. The goal of these experiences is to provide a brief and engaging touch with the brand, share the story in a digitally dynamic way, and generate excitement to learn more." Swisslog determined it could provide a detailed narrative of the PillPick's deliverables within that time frame by dividing its story into five separate video "chapters," each ranging from one to one-and-a-half minutes in length. Attendees would begin at chapter one of the story and work their way through the sequential segments, each of which could be accessed by aiming tablet devices at certain triggers that Swisslog embedded in a large silicone-edge graphic (SEG) of the PillPick machine. Administering the Cure As attendees approached Swisslog's 50-by-50-foot booth, they were no doubt intrigued by the company's other health-care automation offerings spread around the perimeter of the exhibit. But the clear and obvious rallying point was the back wall where, in place of a dimensional PillPick display, a 24-by-16-foot fabric graphic of the supersized machine was placed over BeMatrix-brand extrusions and backlit with LEDs to create an alluring glow. Visitors first checked in at a kiosk near the right side of the activation, where staffers administered "medication" in the form of small prescription bags containing pill-shaped candies bundled on a proprietary PickRing™ to illustrate how the PillPick system conveniently organizes patient prescriptions. When attendees swung by for the on-brand treat, staffers encouraged them to engage in the interactive experience and sweetened the deal by explaining that for each person who completed the activation, Swisslog would donate one children's book to Reach Out and Read Colorado, an organization that provides books to children in pediatric care. Once visitors agreed to participate, staffers scanned their badges, set them up with any of 15 available Microsoft Surface Pro 10.6-inch tablets and a set of branded earbuds (which they could keep), and ushered them to the left side of the PillPick image. Staffers provided a brief explanation about how to proceed through the experience, pointing out that the large graphic featured five numbered hexagonal "triggers." Once visitors understood, they put in their new earbuds and began the activation by pointing their tablets' cameras at the trigger labeled "Step 1: Start Here." The tablets' app recognized the marker and initiated a brief overview about the benefits of the PillPick machine using a combination of video and narration. After the video launched, attendees could move their tablets around without affecting the content, meaning they didn't have to stand with outstretched arms the entire time – another benefit of eschewing AR, which would require users to keep their camera trained on one spot to layer digital content on the physical graphic. What's more, the provided earbuds ensured attendees weren't distracted by nearby conversations or fellow participants. Again, callout text underscored key messages and complemented narrated video of the PillPick. Chapter three highlighted how the system automatically dispenses patient-specific medication on a PickRing, and chapter four covered how the machine increases efficiency and patient safety. The final marker shared research showing that 83 percent of pharmacy technicians have reduced or eliminated picking errors with the PillPick, pointed out that waiting staffers could direct participants to a product specialist for a more in-depth discussion, and touted Swisslog's book donation. After users worked their way down the mural from left to right, which took between eight and 10 minutes, a nearby staffer collected their tablets and qualified prospects, asking if they wanted to learn more about PillPick's capabilities. Swisslog reps connected promising leads with nearby specialists, who answered more probing questions and offered comprehensive information to the primed visitors. "We were thrilled," says Emmi Martini, a solutions marketing manager for Swisslog. "The wall was constantly busy. It brought great traffic flow and energy into the booth and achieved all of our communication objectives for the PillPick. Not only did it save costs, but it also freed staffers' time, as attendees already had a good understanding of the PillPick when they engaged a rep for more info." The powerful lure of Swisslog's tech-infused graphic led to a bevy of badge scans, and by the close of the show the company had surpassed its lead goal by more than 25 percent – proving the digital interactive element was just what the doctor ordered. E
Tech Support
With so many high-tech options available – e.g., digital interactives, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR) – it's not always easy to know which is the right fit for your program. Here, Anne Trompeter, principal and executive creative strategist for Live Marketing Inc., provides a list of topics to factor into your decision-making. Costs Consider your budget. The costs for developing an interactive media engagement can start as low as $35,000, while AR programs typically begin at around $50,000. VR and MR activations often cost at least $75,000 to produce. Throughput Most well-done digital interactive experiences are going to increase booth traffic, but not at the same throughput. Ask yourself, "Am I looking to maximize the number of visitors in the experience, or am I targeting fewer?" VR and MR engagements, which require fitting attendees with headsets and giving an orientation, tend to consume more time than tablet interactives and AR activations. Also, attendees are typically seated for VR experiences, and it's a challenge to have more than four to six seats dedicated to the engagement at any given time in a booth. That means longer wait times and line-management issues. Tablet interactives and AR experiences can be significantly quicker than VR and MR and allow more attendees to participate at one time. Ease of Use VR and MR require more wrangling on the front end. While VR and MR headsets are becoming more common, many attendees still require a brief tutorial on how to use them. This is especially true if the engagement requires a joystick. Tablet and AR activations use technologies such as smartphones and iPads that most attendees are comfortable with, so they often result in "grab-and-go" engagements.
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