EOS | HD Creative Lifecycle
RESPONSIBILITIES
Project management, competitive research, brainstorming, stakeholder alignment, wireframing, branding, visual design, photography, photo manipulation, illustration, vendor management, QA
Overview
HME (HM Electronics, Inc.) is a global leader in quick-service restaurant (QSR) technology. For more than 50 years, the company has pioneered drive-thru communications, evolving from the industry's first wireless headset system into a portfolio of connected hardware and enterprise SaaS solutions.
Problem
Following the successful launch of HME's ION | IQ drive-thru headset system, the EOS | HD platform introduced a next-generation audio technology with significantly improved sound quality. The challenge was communicating that value to a broad audience.
Technical terminology created confusion: The product's core feature, wideband audio, was an industry term unfamiliar to most restaurant operators and decision-makers.
The key differentiator lacked clarity: Without a simple way to explain the technology, customers were unlikely to recognize one of the product's most valuable benefits.
Marketing needed a stronger story: The launch required messaging and visuals that could quickly communicate the improvement while making the technology feel approachable, credible, and memorable.
Solution
To make the product's biggest differentiator easy for customers to understand, I developed a communication strategy that translated a complex technical feature into a compelling brand experience.
Repositioned the technology: Researched consumer electronics messaging and proposed renaming wideband audio to HD Audio, using familiar terminology to instantly communicate superior sound quality. The concept received immediate stakeholder approval and became the foundation of the product's messaging.
Created a distinctive visual system: Designed a custom sound wave motif that became a recognizable brand element across packaging, marketing collateral, trade show graphics, and digital campaigns. Supported the messaging with data visualizations that made technical performance more accessible and credible.
Designed an interactive product experience: Collaborated with the product manager and engineering team to create an interactive demo that allowed users to compare analog, digital, and HD Audio with the click of a button. The experience became the centerpiece of the product launch, was featured in every trade show booth, and was later adapted into an online experience that served as the primary campaign call-to-action.
Impact
Powered HME's most successful product launch: EOS | HD became the highest-performing product in the company's history, establishing a new benchmark for future product launches.
Expanded global market leadership: Adopted in more than 140 countries through HME's global dealer network, helping increase the company's global market share to over 80%.
Accelerated customer conversion: Replaced legacy headset systems from both HME and competing manufacturers, driving widespread upgrades across the quick service restaurant (QSR) industry.
Earned adoption by leading restaurant brands: Became the exclusive headset system for Starbucks and In-N-Out locations and the preferred solution recommended by the corporate offices of McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, and other leading QSR brands.
Strengthened HME's competitive position: The product's success significantly increased competitive pressure in the market, contributing to the exit of one competing headset manufacturer.
More Pixels, Less Paragraphs
Designing the print ad for QSR Magazine required distilling the product's key benefits into a concise, compelling message. That messaging became the foundation of the integrated marketing campaign and was carried across web, email, trade shows, and other customer touchpoints.
The product brochure built upon the messaging established in the print ad and served as the campaign's primary source of creative assets. Photography, illustrations, branding, and product content were repurposed across web, direct mail, email, trade shows, and other customer touchpoints to create a cohesive, integrated campaign.
Every campaign call-to-action led prospects to the product page, where an interactive demo allowed them to compare analog, digital, and HD Audio firsthand. The video features HME's Vice President of Sales walking through the experience, which became the centerpiece of the campaign. It helped prospects understand the product's biggest differentiator while giving sales teams a compelling tool to nurture leads throughout the buying journey.
Direct mail postcards and in-box inserts expanded the campaign's reach, delivering consistent messaging through additional customer touchpoints.
Additional sales collateral, including spec sheets and infographics, used complementary branding to educate prospects and support lead nurturing throughout the marketing funnel.
Email marketing enabled more targeted messaging, including promotional offers and trade-in pricing tailored to specific campaigns and customer audiences.
After repeatedly hearing sales reps describe the headset as "like speaking face-to-face," I recognized an opportunity to build the campaign around that message. I proposed the concept, developed a rough script and storyboard for our copywriter, and, once approved, partnered with the marketing team to cast and film the video at a local restaurant. To extend its reach, I worked with a production vendor to create video mailer postcards that the sales team used to engage high-value prospect accounts.
Building on the visual style established for the video mailer, I partnered with a video production vendor to create two explainer videos for the product. I led the creative direction through script writing, storyboarding, and collaboration with the vendor, marketing team, and stakeholders. The videos expanded the campaign across email, social media, display advertising, and other digital channels.
As HME exhibited at nearly one trade show every week across the U.S., I designed trade show experiences of every scale, from tabletop displays and 10' × 10' booths to immersive 30' × 50' exhibits that showcased the brand and EOS | HD system.
As competitors shifted their messaging to question the quality and durability of EOS | HD, I partnered with the engineering and product teams to create a sales brochure that addressed common objections with verified performance data. The piece equipped the sales team with a clear, evidence-based resource for building customer confidence during the buying process.
Rather than remaining static, the campaign messaging evolved throughout the product's lifecycle to align with the changing priorities of major QSR brands. This iterative approach kept the creative relevant, strengthened customer engagement, and supported continued product adoption over time.