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I N T E R A C T I V E
Bringing Your Products to Life
Why Scientific Instrument and Medical Device Manufacturers are
Exploiting 3D Interactive Technology for Marketing and Sales
Faced with uncertain funding and ever-increasing expenses, laboratories and hospitals are more prudent
than ever regarding the products they purchase. As such, marketing and sales professionals in the sci-
entific instrument and medical device markets must clearly communicate their product differentiation
and functionality at every touch-point, including where prospects often first encounter their goods—at
tradeshows, on websites and during sales presentations.
Unfortunately, what is true for almost any industry is that products for events and sales meetings have
become more expensive to acquire, demonstrate, provision, package, ship, power, maintain, and manage.
But the challenge is exacerbated in cases where products are highly intricate and delicate, and frequently
excessively large, as many scientific instruments and medical devices are. Therefore, these products are
increasingly scarce, and are far more expensive to transport.
One inherent problem with attending more How much do exhibitors spend
shows is that products need to be made available, to reach a potential
shipped, setup, and used. In an ideal world, market- customer?*
ing departments would have unlimited access to Exhibitors spend
whatever products they need, whenever they need an average of $113
for each potential
them. In reality, cost and logistics to access and customer who
utilize these products can be prohibitive. enters an exhibit,
and an average of
$197 for potential
customers who
To showcase how great costs can be, one company actually speak to a
spent $12,000 to power its high-end equipment at staff member.
a single show. Shipping can easily reach $40,000, * Note: “Potential cus-
tomers” are attendees
and drayage—the cost of moving the equipment who express an interest
on and off the floor—can run as high as $20,000. in an exhibiting company’s
product type and with
There are of course additional expenses to take into whom the company has a
good chance of making contact.
consideration, such as the cost of the equipment
Demos Departed
Another obstacle for scientific instrument and medical device
manufacturers is the fact that products aren’t always readily
available for tradeshow use. In fact, borrowing products for
an event—either final or prototype—has become increas-
ingly difficult, to the point where some marketing teams are
forced to purchase products from Sales, just to gain access to
them. Because so many instruments and devices are difficult
to demonstrate in a real-world environment, customers must
often rely on the testimonial of sales associates or other refer-
ences. Although shells of products are often showcased, their value is diminished. Hospitals, laboratories,
and educational institutions are far more concerned with a product’s functionality and operation, than its
physical presence or appearance.
Then, there’s the scenario where products could be demonstrated, but the risk of damage is too great. It’s
no wonder engineering, operations, manufacturing, and sales teams are reluctant to relinquish their prod-
ucts; using a product at a tradeshow subjects it to potential damage during shipment or use, rendering
the product potentially unusable, with the possibility of incurring downstream replacement costs. Beyond
the cost, the delicate nature of such instruments and devices—which often capture precise measure-
ments or micro-particles—can be easily thrown out of calibration in the hands of a novice user.
Let us not forget about the many times the marketing department must deal with missed opportunities
as a result of being left empty-handed when no prototype (or even exterior shell) of a new product was
available to show.
Competition Abounds
According to Trade Show Trends Report, an average of 43% of
booth visitors plan to buy an exhibitor’s product or service within
the 12 months following the show. The number suggests that By presenting products
buyers attend shows with a direct intent to purchase. While this is
in ways that let these
good news for the exhibiting manufacturer, they’re not alone on
the show floor; competitors are vying for those same dollars. The
audiences control their
need for exhibitors to break through the clutter is greater than own user experience, an
ever; read the full Exhibitor Online report at http://www.exhibito- emotional response is
ronline.com/exhibitormagazine/article.asp?ID=532. kindled as prospects be-
gin to better understand
It stands to reason that mere presence is no longer sufficient to and appreciate how the
satisfy a scientific instrument or medical device buyer visiting a product can impact their
booth. Only by creating an experience that captures the prospect’s research and their work.
attention, engages them directly, and empowers them to interact
with the products themselves, can marketers achieve a memo-
rable product experience. By presenting products in ways that let
these audiences control their own user experience, an emotional response is kindled as prospects begin
to better understand and appreciate how the product can impact their research and their work.
Network of Knowledge
While these industry-specific challenges referenced above center on cost-containment and product
availability, obstacles also abound surrounding product expertise. While no doubt booths are likely to be
staffed with knowledgeable personnel, can the personnel support all the traffic coming in and out of a
booth? Are they educated on every product and feature? Tied up in sales pitches with prospective custom-
ers, even the most knowledgeable staff may not be able to break away to help others who are perusing the
products and information on their own.
Studies demonstrate that people have a very short attention span for sales pitches, videos, and other
traditional sales/marketing media. However, when engaged in a dialogue or demonstration, a person’s
attention span increases dramatically. Furthermore, knowledge retention is significantly enhanced when
the customer is directly involved in the sales process. This helps the customer make better buying deci-
sions, which leads to higher satisfaction and enhances customer loyalty. Interactivity is the key to keeping
customers engaged and captivated while increasing their knowledge about your products.
Technology Prevails
While the requirements stated above may seem out of reach, innovative technologies are paving the way
to new tradeshow experiences. In fact, today it is possible to show and demonstrate a breadth of instru-
ments regardless of space limitations, or the possible compromise of physical products or messaging. By
“virtually” showcasing scientific instruments and medical devices, products can be viewed from every
angle, manipulated to show features, and investigated to reveal the internal components to show how
a product actually works—something that can’t usually be done even with a physical product. Realistic
digital representation not only lets customers see how products operate, but reveals how they behave
and need to be maintained. What’s more, with such a presentation format comes the ability to seamlessly
integrate consistent product information, messaging and branding. The Kaon v-OSK® was designed for this
specific purpose.
The Kaon v-OSK, a large-format, high-definition (HD) appliance with an integrated optical touch screen,
built in computer and high performance graphics package, can equip your tradeshow or event with a full
range of virtual products. Easily accessible and fully interactive, product demonstrations engage prospec-
tive customers with those product features, benefits and advantage that are of greatest interest to them.
The Kaon v-OSK delivers a consistent and compelling customer experience to inspire, educate and per-
suade—all within a very small footprint. Additionally, due to the natural and intuitive nature of touch
screen systems such as ATM’s, airline and hotel check-in stations, and retail kiosks, people quickly identify
with the simple, yet engaging, user interaction environment of the Kaon v-OSK.
The availability of virtual product models on the Kaon v-OSK makes it possible to attend the wider variety
of events now on the schedule and to showcase all necessary products at each. The fact that the appli-
ance is a flat-panel display makes it simple to incorporate into a booth experience, either in a stand-alone
environment or integrated into a wall display. Given its small footprint, it is practical in smaller venues as
well as larger booths, and because it is a compact system, it is inexpensive to ship and carries lower dray-
age costs.
Taking advantage of the Kaon v-OSK technology is not limited to a cost-saving exercise. To be sure, prod-
uct acquisition costs are reduced or eliminated; shipping and drayage costs are dramatically diminished;
fewer personnel are required for product installation and dismantling—all resulting in a dramatically lower
expense for these events. But an additional set of benefits is accrued by the sales and marketing process
as well.
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“The Galileo Echo virtual product demonstration has been enormously suc-
cessful,” according to Lane Andrews, Global Creative Director of Immucor global
leader in providing automated instrument-reagent systems to the blood trans-
fusion industry. “Kaon’s virtual models have changed the way we’re presenting
our products profoundly, and the cost savings are dramatic.” He continued,
“The sales team gave a standing ovation when we first showed them the mod-
els, and our customers are now engaging far more with our products.”
Lane Andrews,
Global Creative Director of Immucor
Summary
Kaon’s virtual product models have been gaining recognition in tradeshow circles and on-
line. In June 2007, the Kaon v-OSK was recognized by the prestigious Massachusetts Infor-
mation and Technology Exchange (MITX) as the best “Interactive/Online Business” applica-
tion at its annual awards ceremony. It was also recognized with an international innovation
award by Trade Show Executive magazine in June, and Event Marketer magazine named
the Kaon v-OSK one of the “Top 10 technologies that are changing event marketing.”
It is now possible to have the “ideal” product experience at every tradeshow and sales
opportunity, big or small. Kaon’s innovations in technology development have made pos-
sible the use of virtual product models to deliver a compelling and engaging interactive
customer experience at any event venue. The resulting experience delivers a persuasive
and compelling product and company message—a necessity when working with such
complex products—in a manner that is easy to remember and relevant for each customer.
Because the need to ship every product is eliminated, tradeshow costs have been dramati-
cally reduced, as have the costs of attending incremental shows not previously accessible
to the marketing organization.
In short, more scientific instrument and medical devices are available, to more people, at
more venues, in a more compelling environment, and at lower costs.
For more information on how the Kaon v-OSK will bring your products to
life, call 978-823-0111 or “experience” it at www.kaon.com.