As 2012 fades away and 2013 looms before us full of promise and potential, most media outlets are offering their “best of 2012” lists.  The Dunn Show is no exception!  I close out 2012 by taking a look at my favorite dental product marketing campaigns of the year.  The criteria for this list were very few and lenient.  In other words, this list is composed of my personal favorites, dental product marketing which caught my eye and attention during 2012. I can’t speak for the products themselves or the leads generated from these campaigns, but the marketing communications tactics were among my favorites.  So, here in alphabetical order, are my top dental product marketing campaigns of 2012:

3M ESPE’s True Definition Scanner:  In the last quarter of 2012, 3M ESPE launched their upgrade to the Lava COS digital impression scanner, the True Definition Scanner.  And they unveiled a completely integrated communications campaign to spread the word.  Employing print ads, social media, PR in the form of trade media articles & product spotlights, and a comprehensive product website, 3M ESPE did an outstanding job sharing the news of their latest high-tech product.  Especially noteworthy were their use of compelling video on the website and interest-based web advertising via ad servers.  Whether I was looking at industry publications, surfing social sites, looking at dental trade websites, or even looking at my other favorite blogs, I was sure to see the True Definition Scanner.

Carestream Dental’s CS9000 series 3D imaging:  Carestream did an excellent job in 2012 with corporate branding and separating the corporate identity from its Kodak roots.  Particularly masterful was the “3D Masterpieces” print ad campaign for the CS9000 series 3D imaging products.  This print campaign was bolstered by a stylish, yet functional company website which carefully carried through both the corporate and product-specific branding elements from the ad.  A steady stream of press releases, blog articles, and well-executed social marketing tactics rounded out this great campaign.  Carestream Dental came into its own in 2012, led by the CS9000 series 3D imaging campaign.

DentalEZ’s StarDental 430 handpiece:  The headline said it all, “An American Classic”.  This integrated campaign took a detour from the usual features and benefits we see in dental equipment ads.  Instead, it focused on the craftmanship and care that go into the production of this product, and right here in the good ol’ USA.  The primary components of the campaign were a striking print ad featuring an unusual (for dental) headline font & heartfelt copy and an excellent landing page with a sincere video of the actual production workers who make this “American Classic”.  Well done, DentalEZ.

Dentsply Caulk’s TPH3 restorative composite:  Dentsply Caulk entertained and informed in its TPH3 restorative composite campaign.  Using comic book inspired art & layout, the campaign showcased the adventures of heroic DDS Dan, a part-dentist, part-detective character.  Through this dentist/hero character, Dentsply Caulk told the story of the restorative composite material in an interesting and clever way.  Highlights of the campaign were the short animated clips showing the adventures of DDS Dan and the social media integration.  DDS Dan has his own Twitter handle and tweets from it regularly.  Kudos to Dentsply Caulk for this refreshing campaign.

NSK’s S-Max pico and Ti-Max series handpieces:  While many practitioners were already familiar with NSK handpieces due to their long-standing exclusive US distribution relationship with Brasseler, 2012 saw the company break from that arrangement and introduce NSK handpieces under its own brand.  The print ad campaign for two of their product lines stood out from the crowd mainly due to their headline treatment and parchment-inspired background art.  The S-Max pico ad featured a large, script-font Japanese character with a translation in smaller font underneath:  “(small)”.  The body copy supported the product claim of the world’s smallest head.  Similarly, the Ti-Max series ad featured a character translated to “(mighty)”.  The ads were simple, direct, and with minimum copy and graphic design relayed the story of Japanese engineering and innovation.  A QR code and streamlined website supported this beautiful print campaign.

Pentron’s Strada online portal:  Next on the list of my favorite dental product marketing campaigns of 2012 is not a product campaign at all.  Pentron boldly launched its Strada online information portal with a compelling print ad to support the new website.  An excellent use of the color orange and ample white space are what drew my eye to this ad.  The copy seals the deal.  Basically the ad tells the story of the company’s commitment to service and collaboration with the dental community for practical solutions.  The lack of imagery and sincere copy make this one a winner.

Schick’s 33 intraoral digital sensor:  Schick followed their tradition of 2-page spread print advertisements with a very good testimonial-based campaign in 2012.  That campaign provided an excellent foundation for the introduction of the Schick 33 intraoral digital sensor.  The ad featured close-up photos of dentists and headline testimonial copy.  Very direct, and for me, very effective.  To launch the Schick 33 sensor, the ad copy was modified accordingly, and an incentive offer for an in-office demo was added for a clear call to action.  The print ad was supported by an eye-catching footer banner on DentalCompare & Inside Dentistry and video testimonials on a visually appealing product website.

Honorable Mentions:  I couldn’t resist a couple of honorable mentions for this list.  First, the visual appeal of the moisture droplets, use of space, and direct headline copy (“Your Enemy.  Your Ally”) for Dentsply Caulk’s Prime & Bond NT print ad really caught my eye this past year.  Secondly, I’ve written about Brightsquid Dental before.  With no formal marketing campaign to speak of, their determined and engaging use of social media and blogging clearly won me over.

That wraps up my list of 2012’s best dental product marketing campaigns.  What were your favorite campaigns from the past year?  Leave me a comment or send me an email.  I love talking about dental marketing and look forward to hearing from you.

Author’s Note:  I have no financial or commercial interest in any companies, products,  or services mentioned in this article.  I simply like to learn and write about cool technologies, companies, and marketing in dentistry.