Company: PolyNovo North America, Carlsbad, CA
Company Description: PolyNovo is the developer of the world's first synthetic skin substitute for the management of wounds resulting from significant injuries. Its flagship product, NovoSorb BTM, has been granted FDA's Breakthrough Device Designation, prestigious grants, and has received several innovation awards. Most importantly, it has rapidly distributed its technology to physicians and patients in 36 countries.
Nomination Category: Marketing Organization / Professional Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Marketing Team of the Year
 Nomination Title: The PolyNovo marketing team
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated team's achievements since January 1 2022, OR written answers to the questions for this category? CHOOSE ONE:
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this first question: Briefly describe the nominated team: history and past performance (up to 200 words):
Total 200 words used.
At the start of 2022 was comprised of three people trying to manage a rapidly expanding yet frugal organization. The medical world was just starting to come out of COVID restrictions which had significantly limited traditional marketing, sales, and healthcare professional education efforts. The young team had been forced to be creative in supporting a sales team while trying to educate physicians on a technology that went against over 50 years of regenerative medicine, "Fully synthetic derived skin substitutes were NOT successful in regenerative medicine". These life-saving medical devices have been traditionally derived from biological sources, which are expensive, often the cost of a new car, for a single sheet. The organization lacked cohesive messaging and did not have a compelling story to tell, especially with regards to clinical data which is paramount for physicians to make informed decisions regarding severely injured patients. Digital campaigns were executed but a lack of a funnel meant prospective customers would arrive at a website home page and would then have to navigate to specific pages with the critical information they needed to make informed decisions. Sales training was just starting to be established and PolyNovo relied on outside funding.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this second question: Outline the nominee's achievements since the beginning of 2022 that you wish to bring to the judges' attention (up to 250 words):
Total 248 words used.
The marketing team regrouped with new direction by focusing on further penetrating key market segments, increasing awareness, establishing new positioning of clinical data, and creating educational programs to support clinicians. The team ramped from 0 in-person conferences in 2021, 61 in 2022, and to nearly 100 in 2023, all predominately managed by an individual shipping out of our small office before establishing a warehouse resource. The team established a clinical peer-to-peer program and executed over 40 clinician training events in FY23 alone while also establishing a formal sales training program. They led a cross-functional team to compile clinical data and tell a story with it, focusing on patients and not letting them become just a number, and also highlighting the clinician experience. Since its launch in April 2023, the Clinical Compendium brochure has had over 3,920 copies distributed and has described by our SVP of North America "This is the best piece of marketing collateral I have seen in my 35-year career". A messaging guide was established and used with revised digital advertising tactics which has increased impressions 372% FY22-over-FY23 and has generated 1.48M impressions since July 2023. All while reducing our bounce rate by 120% and increasing page views. For these accomplishments, the marketing won PolyNovo's most prestigious internal award in 2023. But most importantly, targeted market penetration increased 42%, YoY revenue grew 52% and PolyNovo's linear growth trajectory in 2023 grew 136% which means more patients impacted through education efforts and a disrupting technology.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this third question: Explain why the achievements you have highlighted are unique or significant. If possible compare the achievements to the performance of other players in your industry and/or to the nominee's past performance (up to 250 words):
Total 247 words used.
The team's latest programmatic campaign has outperformed industry standards (0.08%) by 525%. The team's efforts have been recognized internally for substantially having an impact on the business and by a third party, the Medical Device Network, for Marketing Engagement. The team had a significant impact on organizational performance and growth while also managing scaling themselves by increasing headcount by over 100%. PolyNovo has experienced one of the fastest growth rates in our market segment while being a fraction of the cost of our competitors, and not being over leveraged. This has allowed the global organization to support worldwide expansion. Only 11% of the world's population has access to a skin substitute. Despite pushback from analysts on why the organization isn't maximizing investment in the world's largest geographical market segment (the US), the CFO responds with, "Because PolyNovo puts patients first". And that has been this team's rallying cry. They have done more with less and done so with a "patient first mindset" that is truly unselfish, genuine, and inspiring. They have found amazing opportunities with the BBC, help provide awareness to award winning publications, and been champions in looking beyond the tragedies getting patients moving towards their best lives. But beyond hard work and dedication they have creatively collected clinical evidence, intertwined it with real patient and clinician stories from around the world, and become a leading voice in the healthcare space that innovation must provide better patient outcomes AND address the unbearable costs of healthcare.
- If you are providing written answers to the questions for this category, you must answer this fourth question: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination. (up to 250 words):
Total 178 words used.
Clinical Compendium - WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES OF WOUNDS AND INJURIES. Unfortunately, patients and their families become aware of PolyNovo during the potentially worst day of their lives and our clinician customers need to see the results the technology can offer in their hands. Provided is the print form, but also in existence is digital and website formats. Please use QR codes to see how the team has highlighted patient and clinical heroes. Please see the use of storytelling from PolyNovo's Journey, social utility through "grassroots" rate clinically independent publications, and large breadth of clinical data with support through patient and clinician testimonials.
February 2022 Mid-Year Report, FY2023 Annual Report - to provide evidence of claims of growth. Please see that revenue growth reported in $AUD and not $USD.
Links:
BBC Building Blocks - Patient story video on how a synthetic is contributing to the fight against the worldwide diabetes epidemic.
Faliha Patient Story - Patient testimonial from efforts in India.
Clinical Index Website Page - Provides clinicians with unfiltered access to the clinical data relating to PolyNovo's technology.
| Attachments/Videos/Links: |
|---|
|
