When deciding how you will spend your limited training and marketing dollars for new medical products, generating a return on your investment should factor highly in the process. It’s important to spend those funds where you will get the biggest “bang for the buck.” Medical animation and multimedia projects offer versatility in training and marketing, while garnering accolades from employees and customers alike.

The next time you’re at a trade show, viewing a product training CD-ROM, or looking at a competitor’s web site, notice how a well-produced medical animation or multimedia project can educate while eliciting a “WOW” response from viewers. I stress “well-produced” because there is a tremendous variation in the quality of product among animation companies. When working with an animation vendor, make sure that their animators have at least a Master’s degree in Science or Art, specifically from an accredited graduate-level medical illustration program. These programs include Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, the Medical College of Georgia, the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and the University of Toronto.

Whether it’s 2D or 3D, medical animations and multimedia can quickly and concisely explain complex products, procedures and/or surgical techniques. In the world of training, research shows these tools accelerate learning. And when marketing products to prospects, animations and multimedia elevate the perception of your product, while differentiating its superior attributes, cleanly and visually.

Besides these obvious reasons in support of medical animation and multimedia, repurposing or increasing the shelf life through alternative uses will enhance returns significantly. Often the same project finds itself being used as a trade show attractor, a sales tool for sales representatives, a teaching tool for professionals, and a marketing tool for customers, all with minimal additional costs.

If you use the distributor representative model of distribution, your products are continually fighting for a fair share of the representatives’ mindshare. With other product lines offered and different levels of understanding required to sell these products, distributor reps often choose to sell the products that are easiest to understand and explain. Medical animations and multimedia are extremely useful tools for training and educating your distributor reps on your product’s features and benefits, thereby increasing the likelihood of successful sales.

If you are new to the world of animation, start small and scale fast. Choose a product, technique or other subject matter that, through the use of medical animation and multimedia, will have a significant return on investment and is not cost prohibitive to produce. Choosing a small project to start off is a great way to generate enthusiasm within your company and create additional funding opportunities for larger, more complex initiatives.