Cepheid diagnostic tests are well known and highly regarded for a range of illnesses. The goal of this campaign however, was to introduce Cepheid into the oncology space, which is a new vertical market for our company. In addition to communicating about our debut into the space, the campaign also needed to educate customers about the benefits of molecular diagnostics, the type of technology we use to run our tests. Our goal going into a new market where we had no brand presence, was to convey what our products do and why our solution matters. The campaign needed to sell not just Cepheid products, but also molecular technology.

Our creative process entailed assessing the oncology diagnostics landscape to help us understand the array of customer personas in oncology, from clinicians and pathologists to lab managers and patients. Armed with intensive market research about each of these segments, we were able to develop creative content that addressed the concerns and perspectives of each persona.

There are numerous positive attributes to our products and technology that we could promote, but our team wanted to distill the messaging down to one sentiment, one memorable idea that would make an impression and leave the audience with one thing to think about.

Ultimately, we were inspired by two familiar and established symbols – the iconic pink breast cancer ribbon and the blue ribbon that Cepheid had been using in a variety of other campaigns. Using the ribbon motif, we illustrated the connection between Cepheid and oncology throughout the campaign collateral.

The Cepheid cartridge, an integral component of our technology and our brand recognition, is featured in every “One Thing” piece, but we deliberately did not connect the ribbon to the cartridge because our tests do require interpretation by an oncologist. Our test enables and empowers clinicians to develop informed treatment plans for their patients.

The visual design was complemented by a “One Thing” tagline that we customized for each persona and wrote in the first person, e.g., for an oncologist, “The One Thing I Can Do …. Treat my patients sooner with fast and clear molecular test results,” or for a patient “One thing my doctor can do… Consider a treatment plan using non-invasive bladder cancer monitoring.”

Together, these elements convey one strong take away message: clinicians can use Cepheid molecular testing for the benefit of their patients.

The One Thing campaign was so well received it was expanded to include trade show booth designs, print ads, educational brochures, e-mail communications, and event posters and was used to reach a very broad audience that included both patients and medical professionals.