Out of obscurity and into the spotlight for a CDMO with distinct capabilities

Making a pediatric dose from an approved adult drug takes specialized equipment, technologies and expertise. Halo Pharma’s new Pediatric Center of Excellence offered all three, but it wasn’t yet well known. Halo was sure that customers were out there—pharma sponsors looking for a contract development and manufacturing partner to help them navigate a complex regulatory landscape and bring safe pediatric drugs to market, quickly and cost-effectively. For those customers to find them, Halo needed to put themselves on the map. To do that, they came to Brandwidth Solutions.

Working closely with Halo’s team of experts, we planned an integrated campaign centered on an attention-grabbing theme: “Size Matters.” We homed in on the perfect opportunity to turn heads: the 2017 CPhI North America conference, where a captive audience of ideal prospects would see Halo’s message.

We equipped Halo with a press release that hit the wire the moment CPhI’s exhibit floor opened, and planned a full roster of editor meetings that Halo hosted at its all-new booth. Meanwhile, we ran a full-page ad in the show daily. We also updated Halo’s website to reflect its new capabilities, and launched an online advertising campaign that drove leads to a dedicated landing page featuring a case study and a gated white paper on pediatric capabilities.

The campaign’s distinctive ad and detailed press release caught the attention of attendees: pharma decision-makers headed to the Halo booth eager to discuss pediatric dosage projects.

“SIZE MATTERS” GOES BIG AT TRADE SHOW:

• 20 qualified leads at CPhI, generating 5 deals
• 5 additional opportunities in development at the time
• 6 media interviews, 100s of pickups on press release, 3 articles in trade magazines
• 40% of Halo’s total online page views came through the campaign landing page

One success generates another… and another

On the shoulders of this campaign’s success, Halo engaged us to shine the same bright spotlight on two more of their specialty areas: their fixed-dose combination products capabilities, and their development and manufacturing service for topicals.

We redeployed our successful integrated campaign formula, again using trade shows and industry publications to reach Halo’s target audience with meaningful—and memorable—messaging. As with our “Size Matters” campaign for their pediatrics offering, these subsequent efforts generated significant attention from trade publications and prospective customers. Just like that, Halo had gone from relatively little-known entity in these specialty areas to a well-established partner with recognized expertise.

To help them meet this influx of prospective customers with the right look—and to get the most from Halo’s limited year-end marketing budget—we also refreshed their company website with a new design and better messaging integration. The new site went live on time, on budget, and without any disruptions. Web traffic increased as a result, with visitors spending more time on the site and exploring deeper into its pages.

Customers weren’t the only ones with eyes on Halo

Halo’s increased visibility contributed to a significant business success story: in 2018, only a year after asking us to put them on the map, the company was acquired by Cambrex Corporation, a leading manufacturer of small molecule innovator and generic APIs.

Halo’s reputation for extensive, in-depth expertise and specialized capabilities—a reputation built in part on the shoulders of our public relations and marketing strategies—incentivized the deal with Cambrex, who explained the acquisition as “well-aligned with our commitment to providing best-in-class services.”