From Congress Floor to Zoom: Recruiting 30 Vascular Physicians for Message Testing
In-person interviews shaped the language; remote follow-ups validated it.
A manufacturer preparing a lower-profile version of a balloon-expandable covered stent graft wanted to know which words and headlines would most motivate physicians treating aortoiliac occlusive disease.
The target sample was physicians who see at least 40 patients a year with aortoiliac or iliac artery disease and perform at least 10 endovascular procedures. The specialty mix aimed for roughly 70% vascular surgeons, 20% interventional cardiologists, and 10% interventional radiologists.
The research ran in two phases, with interviews of about 45 minutes conducted in English:
Phase 1: 13 interviews in person at the SVS meeting in Boston, exploring physician language and initial message ideas
Phase 2: 17 interviews by Zoom, validating six themes from phase one and testing headline components
The final sample was 30: 15 in the US and 15 in Europe, across Germany, Italy and the UK. By specialty, 24 were vascular surgeons, three interventional radiologists and three interventional cardiologists, close to the target mix.
Moving to Zoom for the second phase made it possible to add European physicians without another trip to a congress and to test refined messages soon after the first round.
The phased approach also picked up useful nuance. Physicians welcomed the idea of an improved device, yet some reacted against wording that implied the current version fell short. The meaning was right; the tone needed work.
