MRI assists with the medical care of over 200 million patients every year. Efficient scanning has traditionally involved a compromise between scan time and image quality. As demand for MRI persistently increases and radiology departments face greater burdens, an urgent market need emerged to more quickly and reliably obtain exceptionally clear images that can inform confident decisions.

AIR™Recon DL was a breakthrough for MRI and for GE Healthcare, which launched the software in 2020 as their most significant innovation in 20 years. However, the product launch coincided with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and struggled to make the desired impact.

The brief asked for a relaunch to disrupt the market, creating mass awareness of AIR™Recon DL, reaching beyond the existing customer base, and achieving large-scale lead generation. At the heart of the relaunch campaign (including a live web event and social media content) was the exciting promotional documentary, UNMISSABLE.

The MRI scanning space is flooded by a ‘sea of same’ visuals and creative codes, focused on the idea of man-as-machine, before-and-after comparisons and neural network representation.

Moreover, companies were failing to address customer scepticism around the usefulness and reliability of AI, and their fears of being replaced by it.

Therefore, our idea was simple: Imaging you cannot miss – a must-see film for a must-have product. The film aimed to tackle barriers to artificial intelligence adoption in MRI by creating branded content of genuine value, bridging the gap between the conversations the industry and the audience wish to have.

At the root of our strategy was a simple yet effective concept – FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) – through which we overcame the sentiment around the original AIR™Recon DL launch to create an unmissable viewing experience that motivated MRI audiences to engage with the product.

CUT THROUGH: Our strategy tapped into human nature, creatively deploying a piece of infotainment which stood out among category conventions and which audiences wouldn’t want to miss.

ACTUAL INTELLIGENCE, NOT ARTIFICIAL: To keep the audience invested in the conversation about AI, we needed to build connection and offer personal benefits that were both rational/functional and emotional.

BRIDGE THE ENGAGEMENT GAP: FOMO had to be employed in a sophisticated way. With an audience primed by lockdown, we stimulated urgency and excitement. The call to action made them feel privileged to receive a break from daily routines, while offering meaningful, relevant content.

The prestige, excitement and style of must-see film premieres were brought into the world of healthcare. Universally recognised visual codes and language drove hype around a branded film produced in a ‘Netflix documentary’ style. The film delivered relevant cut-through content that resonated with our audience.

• The 20-minute cinematic documentary-style film included testimonials from 28 customers, filmed in 12 countries across 4 continents (during the pandemic)

• For a strong, intelligent, empathetic voice to engage audiences and align with the cinematic approach, we secured the talents and star quality of Gillian Anderson as narrator

• Fascinating animated sequences enhanced emotive messages and demystified complex information

• The contemporary documentary style allowed us to address practical issues about AI (functional benefits), while sharing customer experiences of impact on practice (emotional benefits)

• Narrated and filmed in English, we made available subtitles in 16 languages, maximising reach to key audiences and beyond

GE leadership stated that ‘UNMISSABLE’ was ‘the best production that GE Healthcare have ever done’, making immediate impact:

• >50k international visits to the event microsite hosting the film, in less than 3 months

• >11.2k total film views; 4k views in the first 20 hours; 10k in the first 3 weeks

• First sale recorded 10 minutes after launch: testament to the disruptive power of creativity to influence behaviour

The number of unique visitors not currently registered as GE customers recorded a significant impact, demonstrating the ability to reach and attract potential new customers.

‘The salesforce are going crazy!’ – The client’s response when asked about the capitalisation performance of the campaign. Sales have effectively increased ten fold vs. the previous year, with over 1600 hospitals from around the world purchasing the product and 2 million patients undergoing exams using the technology.