Integrated Marketing campaign for ZOOM Nitro Product Refresh
RESPONSIBILITIES
Project management, competitive research, print vendor communication, stakeholder alignment, wireframing, branding, visual design, photography, illustration, proofreading, press check
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
HME was introducing an AI-powered drive-thru analytics platform that brought computer vision and operational intelligence to an industry that had little exposure to this type of technology. The challenge wasn't just launching a new product—it was helping customers understand an entirely new way of managing restaurant performance.
An unfamiliar product category: AI-powered video analytics and computer vision were new concepts for many QSR operators, making it difficult to quickly communicate what the product did and why it mattered.
Complex capabilities needed simplification: The platform monitored drive-thru lanes, mobile order pickup, and pull-forward parking while identifying operational bottlenecks. Presenting these technical capabilities in a way that was easy to understand required translating data-heavy features into customer-focused benefits.
A coordinated launch across every channel: The product needed to launch simultaneously across print, digital, sales, and social media with consistent messaging, visuals, and positioning despite an aggressive production timeline.
Solution
To introduce the product successfully, I led the creative strategy and execution of a fully integrated 360° marketing campaign that transformed complex AI technology into a clear, customer-focused story.
Developed the product narrative: Partnered with Product Management to understand the technology, then collaborated with Sales leadership to define the product positioning, messaging, value proposition, and sales story around operational efficiency and revenue growth.
Translated technical concepts into visual storytelling: Created concepts that simplified AI-powered analytics into intuitive visuals, making it easy for restaurant operators to understand how the platform identified bottlenecks and improved drive-thru performance.
Led the creative execution across every touchpoint: Concepted and art directed the launch campaign, beginning with a print advertisement and sponsored article for QSR Magazine. Directed and photographed the imagery used to support the campaign before expanding the creative into brochures, sell sheets, flyers, landing pages, email marketing, presentation decks, and social media assets.
Delivered a cohesive omnichannel launch: Ensured consistent branding, messaging, and visual identity across digital marketing, sales collateral, SEO, SEM, and social media, providing customers with a unified experience regardless of how they encountered the product.
IMPACT
The integrated launch successfully introduced a completely new AI-powered product category to the QSR industry by making complex technology approachable, relevant, and easy to understand.
Established a clear market position: Unified messaging and visual storytelling helped differentiate the platform while communicating its value in terms of operational efficiency, faster service, and increased revenue—not technical specifications.
Enabled the sales team with a consistent story: Sales representatives were equipped with a comprehensive suite of marketing and sales collateral that simplified product demonstrations and reinforced a consistent value proposition across every customer touchpoint.
Delivered a successful omnichannel product launch: Executed a cohesive 360° campaign spanning print, digital, web, email, social media, and sales presentations, ensuring customers experienced a consistent brand regardless of channel.
Created a scalable marketing foundation: The messaging framework and visual system established during launch became the basis for future product marketing, allowing the company to continue promoting the platform with consistency as the product evolved.
More Pixels, Less Paragraphs
The print ad and sponsored article were the first deliverables in the campaign due to the publication's two-month production lead time. This accelerated timeline required us to quickly define a compelling market message that introduced a new AI-powered technology to the QSR industry while establishing a visual style that clearly communicated its value.
The product brochure expanded the visual language established in the campaign by incorporating custom illustrations and icons to reinforce key features and benefits. To further improve clarity, I introduced annotated callouts on software screenshots that highlighted specific functionality, ensuring customers could easily connect the product's claims with what they would actually see and experience.
I extended the campaign's messaging and visual system across a webpage, email campaign, quick start guide, and sell sheet, ensuring a consistent experience across every customer touchpoint. The same design language was applied to social media, sales presentations, conference exhibits, and other marketing assets, creating a cohesive product launch that reinforced the brand at every stage of the customer journey.