Bringing an Australian Company to the US
“In re-branding our global company as Ellex, CoActive’s personal relationships with writers and editors were instrumental in influencing industry press to hear our story. CoActive’s follow-up resulted in wide press coverage that was effective in establishing Ellex as a premium brand in ophthalmology.”
History: For nearly two decades, Australian-based Ellex manufactured co-branded laser systems for some of the largest ophthalmic companies in the world. By 2006, under the direction of its new CEO, Ellex was ready to become a stand-alone player in the ophthalmic laser industry, addressing a $200 million market. Ellex ended its OEM agreements, aligned its Australian R&D powerhouse with its US sales subsidiary and established its corporate headquarters in San Francisco, CA. They also hired CoActive to tell their story.
Challenge: CoActive was charged with re-introducing a 20-year old company with a new mission – to become the number one ophthalmic laser manufacturer within five years. The first challenge was to elicit excitement and interest among the business and trade press as well as industry and financial analysts. Another challenge was to bring together two separate companies, Laserex in the US and Ellex in Australia, branding them both as Ellex for the first time.
Solution: Starting with its corporate move to San Francisco, CoActive introduced Ellex to San Francisco Bay Area reporters, analysts and investors to establish an initial corporate presence. Next, CoActive arranged a coming-out party at the 2006 American Society of Cataract & Refractive Surgery meeting where the CEO shared his vision with industry press and analysts. Finally, CoActive worked with Ellex to introduce an exciting new product pipeline to the physician community to demonstrate that the new Ellex would deliver exciting and innovative technologies with the expertise to support them.
Results: Ellex received an initial sweep of news coverage within San Francisco Bay Area newspapers and business journals, followed by in-depth coverage in the industry trade publications that speak directly to the company’s core customer base. Continued branding and outreach efforts have helped Ellex become the number three player in the ophthalmic laser industry and double company revenues in just two years, from $200 million (AUD) to $400 million (AUD)
