Infuse Medical is a seven-year-old Salt Lake City-based full-service digital agency that’s doing some very cool app-development work for some very big clients, including Medtronic, Carefusion, J&J-DePuy Synthes, Roche and Siemens.
“More than half of our overall work is app development, and 95% of the apps we create are digital sales aids,” says president, CEO and founding partner Jordan Erickson. Medtronic is a long-time client, and the agency has created groundbreaking apps for the company, including ones that simulate spinal surgeries.
Erickson says gamification elements are often integrated in apps. Game engines embedded in apps give sales reps the ability to demonstrate things like stent placement, and provide scoring elements that give physicians real-time feedback on things like selecting correct stent sizes and placing them correctly.
“[These types of apps] invite opportunity for the HCP and the rep to have a conversation about product differentiation and about how a procedure can be perfected,” Erickson adds.
The agency won work from 27 clients last year—all but three were brand-new relationships. Revenue was up between 5% and 10% (in the $5 million range).
New clients included LifeLine Sciences, two Carefusion divisions, Otsuka, Auxilium, J&J-DePuy Synthes, Abiomed, BioMarin, Roche, Siemens, Teleflex, Atrium Medical, GenMarkDX and EOS Imaging.
“It was a strong year,” Erickson says. “We’re experiencing the maturing of mobile marketing, and I think with that there’s increased complexity, especially for device and diagnostic companies.”
Eight new employees joined last year (bringing the total to 44), including new COO Melody Sweatman.
Keeping up with demand was the biggest challenge last year. “Mobile is here to stay,” Erickson says. “There’s a big focus now on mobile app management, as these apps integrate into other platforms. The custom mobile app is not just supporting sales—it is the sales process in every way.”
The agency developed an app management platform called EtherDCP that connects sales managers, marketing managers and IT people to what’s happening on sales calls. “There’s always been a chasm of darkness between automated marketing platforms and how content is being consumed at the sales force level,” Erickson explains. “Everything entered into the CRM was anecdotal. We’re now mapping content back to major enterprise marketing automation platforms and CRMs so everyone gets a picture of what’s going on in one-to-one sales calls.”
Last year, Infuse launched its SunshineSync Mobile App to streamline the compliance process for clients. It captures the transfer of value between rep and physician at the time of exchange and includes a dispute resolution mechanism.
“Dispute resolutions can be very costly—it will be one of the biggest challenges the industry faces,” Erickson says. “Manufacturers will realize they have to start thinking about physicians’ reputations, and the rep is the closest conduit to the physician. If reps don’t come with something that looks out for a doctor’s reputation, there will be problems.”
From the July 01, 2014 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media