Medical devices represent a major vertical market focus for Rainier’s advanced-materials society client, ASM International. For its fourth annual Materials and Processes for Medical Devices (MPMD) Conference & Exposition, ASM wanted to increase awareness of the many resources it provides to medical device developers.
Rainier’s PR plan focused on specific strategies designed to generate publicity before, during, and after the conference. This included a calculated outreach to Medical Device Daily, the newspaper of record for the high-tech medical technology industry.
Results: Six days of coverage in newspaper of record for medical technology industry
Medical Device Daily’s National Editor Jim Stommen, who ended up generating six days worth of stories totaling more than 5,000 words, said his coverage of ASM’s conference resulted directly from Rainier’s media outreach. “Rainier’s description led me to decide that coverage of the conference would be of interest to our audience,” said Stommen. “The largest segments of which are device industry executives, and those who invest in the sector.”
Tactics: Exclusive interview offer to key publication
As the medical device industry’s marquee publication, Medical Device Daily is read by executives, investors, attorneys, academics, scientists and government officials in the various medical technology markets. The influential paper keeps industry insiders alerted to vital information like new product developments, company news, regulatory activity, legislative actions, strategic alliances, sales and mergers, and market updates, making coverage in Medical Device Daily especially valuable for ASM.
Rainier’s strategy involved inviting the publication’s top editor, Jim Stommen, to the conference, and offering him an exclusive interview with Laura Marshall, ASM’s Director of Emerging Markets. The interview was scheduled prior to the event so Stommen could write a preview story.
At the event itself, the Medical Device Daily editor was granted full-access to plenary sessions, keynote speakers, exhibiting companies, and ASM executives. The result was a six-part series of front-page articles chronicling the conference. The comprehensive coverage gave ASM instant credibility and exposure to its key medical-device audiences.
“Rainier did a super job on the publicity for our medical device event and all of the related product activities,” said Marshall, who heads up the society’s efforts in the medical device field. “Medical Device Daily has a very high level readership, so the branding to a senior-level decision maker is extremely valuable to ASM to support our product/market expansion plans in medical devices. I was quite taken with the visibility that we received for the entire week.”
Goal: Continuing coverage for the future
While ASM was impressed with the results of PR efforts for the 2007 MPMD Conference & Exposition, Rainier doesn’t plan to stop there. Ideas for the 2008 conference include expanding outreach to attract more media to the event, arranging tours of companies in the conference area to give editors first-hand experiences, and arranging a “virtual” conference preview for members of the media who aren’t able to travel to the event but wish to cover it.
“After attending ASM’s conference, I realized that the subject matter was of such interest that we should add the MPMD meeting to our list of conferences that we strive to cover annually,” concluded Medical Device Daily’s Jim Stommen.
