Vyv Technology
Marketing a New Class of Antimicrobial Light3
Scope
Brand Management
Content Creation
Graphic Design
Marketing
Presentation Design
Social Media
Website Design
Team
The Vyv Team
Citibank
Duke University
Middleby Corp.
MJM Marine
RF Binder
SportsDissected
Vyv is a healthtech company harnessing the power of light to create a cleaner world. They have patented antimicrobial LED technology which kills bacteria, fungi, yeast, and mold without the use of ultraviolet light. Because it operates in the visible spectrum, Vyv technology can be used continuously around people with none of the damaging effects of UV. In other words, you can make a space cleaner and healthier by flipping a light switch.
I recognized that Vyv makes a radical promise, and this kind of category-creating innovation does not fit neatly into existing mental models. Understanding this tension became the key to solving the brand and marketing challenges ahead.
Reframing the Problem
When a product changes the rules of a market category, the biggest obstacle isn’t the competition. It’s teaching the customer something new. This is especially true in the lighting industry, where progress is incremental and trust is built through specification standards and long-standing vendor relationships.
So, when Vyv introduced an LED that emits non-UV light that also kills germs, there was no language or precedent for it. We would need to reframe how people thought about antimicrobial lighting.
I observed that Vyv’s groundbreaking LED technology came in rather ordinary forms—common commercial ceiling fixtures.
The idea was to put the technology in a common E26 screw-in light bulb.
Below are slides from a pitch deck to be presented by Vyv’s founder and CEO.
From Evaluation to Participation
I also looked at the product’s dual-mode feature. One mode offers illuminating white light that continuously kills germs. The second mode activates Enhanced Antimicrobial™ Mode for even deeper cleaning.
Scientific proof and case studies can always be shared further down the funnel. By sidestepping technical explanations up front and graphically showing the two modes, the audience can move towards a new mental space.
Cognitive ease is created by presenting two options: white light for everyday clean, purple for deep clean.
The goal was to shift the audience’s mindset from evaluation (“Do I believe this?”) to participation (“How would I use this? Where could I use this?”).
Vyv got their start in hospitals, but earned traction in the athletics space, with professional sports teams adopting the technology along with renowned research schools with top-tier athletic programs.By drawing out that the light has a dual mode, and BOTH modes kill germs fungus odor
I built on that momentum by creating branded content and campaigns to tell that simple, relatable story: if light can clean a locker room, imagine what it can do elsewhere. This framing was one strategy to make the technology’s various applications easier to understand.
Social Media
I saw an opportunity on LinkedIn, a channel Vyv and many in the lighting industry weren’t fully leveraging. I created content for Vyv as well as branded templates our partners could co-brand and use themselves. The industry isn’t known for its social media presence, but when you give people the right tools and make it easier to participate, you can unlock surprising levels of engagement.When you give people the right tools and make it easier to participate, you can unlock surprising levels of engagement.
AIA Accredited Course
Collaborating with Vyv’s microbiologists, engineers, and sales teams, I created the company’s first AIA-accredited course to get the technology in front of new a new audience and to educate the specifiers. The challenge was balancing scientific rigor with clear, application-focused guidance.
What AIA Courses Are
AIA-accredited courses are continuing education sessions architects, interior designers, and lighting specifiers take to maintain their licensure. They’re one of the key ways designers learn about new materials, systems, and emerging technologies.
Why They Matter
AIA courses are trusted. In order to receive AIA accreditation, the content must be objective and non-promotional. Architecure, interior design, and lighting firms use them to stay current, deepen technical understanding, and make better specification decisions.
This AIA course put Vyv’s technology into a format architects and specifiers already value.
So, even though logos and overt marketing was not allowed, developing this course allowed us to educate the market, build credibility, and frame antimicrobial lighting within the design conversation long before a sales pitch.