The Right Time to Act

It's the end of the year.

Several important legislative decisions loom, and Congress is notoriously gridlocked. But if lawmakers don't act soon, your entire industry suffers an excise tax by default.

This was the dilemma the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) brought to Adfero to solve: 2017 was ending, and with it the two-year medical device tax suspension. Despite bipartisan opposition to the tax, Congress struggled to either repeal it or extend its postponement by the suspension deadline.

So, we got to work and within weeks successfully launched a creative, compelling and persuasive campaign that included T.V. spots alongside digital display and pre-roll ads. We were able to move swiftly, using high quality stock footage, compelling voiceover and text on screen to tell the story of how the medical device tax was really a tax on American's quality of life.

We ensured that policymakers, staff and influencers in D.C. saw the video by promoting on a variety of channels. Our goal was to raise the sense of urgency for Congress by tying its inaction to levying the "football with grandkids/learning to walk again/going back to work" tax on unsuspecting Americans.

Adfero's nimble and flexible approach allowed AdvaMed to react quickly to congressional dysfunction and prompted much needed action. In early 2018, Congress felt enough pressure to include an extension of the medical device tax suspension in its continuing resolution - mere days before the tax was to take effect.