ANVIL CASE STUDY

Business Stategy
AnVil aimed to re-launch into the bioinformatics marketplace as an “in silico” drug discovery, services and technology company, and to differentiate itself from its software-oriented competition.

Positioning
Boston Communications helped position AnVil as the leader in predictive analytics, one of the most compelling trends in BioIT. While competitors offered data analytics, AnVil’s software delivered predictive analytics, helping pharmaceutical companies predict the likelihood of success for a new drug compound, and helping health care providers project the medical needs of their patient bases.

Leveraging the PR Channel
Boston Communications saw an opportunity to gain substantial media coverage and launched a full court press. Through interviews and CEO Roundtables, we introduced AnVil officers as expert sources to the editorial community. Within a year, AnVil went from negligible press to over 50 quality articles in all key targets, with major features in The Boston Globe, BioInform, Genome Technology, BioIT World and others.

Business Outcomes
Anvil became known as one of the pre-eminent bioinformatics companies. Anvil’s press coverage led directly to proposals from interested pharmas – and most importantly, to contracts. As its new positioning won over third-party influencers, Anvil won Best of Show Award at Bio-IT World Conference + Expo in 2003. It completed two rounds of venture capital funding, and won major deals with two large HMOs to analyze their patient bases.