The secret to the success of the Storm system wasn’t just that it packed storage phosphor, fluorescence, and chemifluorescence imaging into a single box. When the product came out, no one was clamoring for a multi-mode imaging system. What made the product sell like crazy was our presentation of Storm as a transition platform.
Lab directors had been telling us for a while that they wanted to “move the lab away from radiation.” Trouble was, for detection and quantification of DNA and protein, nothing was as good as radiation. The non-radioactive chemistries were still somewhat experimental, and discontinuing the use of radioisotopes in the lab just wasn’t a practical option for anyone.
The Storm system let them have their cake and eat it, too. It was a giant, aggressive-looking instrument that barely fit on the bench. In buying one, lab directors could make an extremely visible investment in “moving the lab away from radiation” without actually giving it up. And, with the alternative excitation and detection modes on board, they could experiment with the non-radioactive kits that were coming out from Molecular Dynamics, and other suppliers, and adopt them at their own pace.
I provided concept and copy for the Storm brochure. Rick Bolen did the studio photos, and Tompertdesign did design, layout, illustrations, and production. Paul Falworth coordinated everything.
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