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Case in Point

McKesson sought to use direct marketing to drive sales of medical supplies. It enlisted West Cary Group (WCG) to provide a turnkey approach—creation of strategy, list recommendations, creative, campaign management, print and customer experience, including inbound phone and web.

Client Company Info

McKesson Corporation, currently ranked 15th on the FORTUNE 500, is a health care services and information technology company dedicated to helping its customers deliver high-quality health care by reducing costs, streamlining processes, and improving the quality and safety of patient care. McKesson has been in continuous operation for more than 175 years, making it the longest-operating company in health care today. Over the course of its history, McKesson has grown by providing pharmaceutical and medical-surgical supply management across the spectrum of care; health care information technology for hospitals, physicians, homecare and payors; hospital and retail pharmacy automation; and services for manufacturers and payors designed to improve outcomes for patients.

Challenge

To begin, WCG internalized the expectations of the client and set clear goals:

• Drive new sales leads through direct mail
• Reinforce the McKesson brand

In order to reach these goals, WCG gathered data and insights about McKesson’s current customers and prospects.

Solution

Interviews with McKesson employees throughout the value chain (marketing, sales and operations) were conducted. These sessions led to a solid understanding of the McKesson process and provided data to create a profile of the “highest-value” customers. In this case, the target audience was small- and medium-sized long-term health care facilities in the Mid-Atlantic region.

In addition, a strong value proposition was constructed that differentiated McKesson Medical from its competitors. McKesson was positioned as the “consultative medical supply company” that, in addition to commodity supplies, provided free business consulting services. The core benefit was that business managers could spend less time worrying about managing supplies and constantly researching the regulatory environment, and more time focusing on business growth and caring for patients.

WCG designed a direct mail strategy optimized for the highest possible response. Key levers in its effectiveness were outer envelope format, letter copy, and the inserts and package components included in the DM package.

The communications solution included:

• Multiple options for the DM outer envelope
• Personalization of materials through digital printing technology
• Premium and Insert Design (calendar, buckslip, etc.)
• A mini website designed to convert inquiries into sales
• Call center telephone scripting and management

WCG managed the entire campaign process, including printing of creative elements, application of postage and launch into the mail stream. WCG also consulted with McKesson on the customer experience created when prospects responded to a direct marketing piece, including scripting for call centers and web design for those prospects who chose to respond through online channels. Finally, WCG managed direct marketing list selection and maintenance, and mail merging.

Outcome

WCG managed the analytics that determined the campaign’s performance. While actual figures are confidential, WCG’s campaign generated a better-than-industry-average gross response rate.

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