How Evoco Used GTM Signals to Create Demand for a Category That Didn’t Exist Yet
See how Evoco used GTM signals, buyer intent data, and category creation strategies to win OEM pilots and healthcare proof-of-concepts.
FAQ
Why is category creation difficult in B2B marketing?
Category creation is challenging because buyers often don't recognise the category or allocate budget for it. Companies must identify emerging demand before formal buying processes begin.
How did Evoco create demand without relying on traditional outbound?
Evoco used signal-based GTM to identify organisations already experiencing challenges related to emotional intelligence, patient engagement, and personalised experiences.
What GTM signals were most valuable for automotive OEMs?
Vehicle platform announcements, software-defined vehicle initiatives, HMI refresh programmes, leadership changes, and CES-related innovation signals proved highly effective.
What GTM signals were most valuable for healthcare systems?
Patient experience initiatives, digital health expansion programmes, innovation lab investments, and leadership discussions around loneliness and nurse burden were strong signals.
What results did Evoco achieve using signal-based GTM?
Evoco increased qualified meetings by 4.1×, achieved 58% conversion on hot-signal accounts, signed OEM pilots, and launched healthcare proof-of-concepts.
TLDR: Evoco used signal-based GTM to identify organisations already moving toward emotionally intelligent experiences, resulting in a 4.1× increase in qualified meetings and 58% conversion on hot-signal accounts.
Most Outbound Works When Buyers Already Understand the Category
Evoco didn’t have that advantage.
They weren’t selling another chatbot, another voice assistant, or another healthcare AI tool.
They had built an emotion-aware voice companion platform that could detect and adapt to human emotional states in real time.
Which meant the challenge wasn’t just pipeline generation.
It was category creation.
And category creation breaks traditional outbound.
Because buyers rarely wake up searching for a product category they don’t fully recognise yet.
The Biggest GTM Mistake Category-Creating Startups Make
Most early-stage companies assume pipeline problems are caused by insufficient outreach.
So they increase:
• outbound volume
• ad spend
• SDR activity
• conference networking
But category creation is rarely a volume problem.
It's usually a timing problem.
They Stopped Selling Features and Started Tracking Organisational Momentum
Instead of building static prospect lists, getGTM.ai designed a signal intelligence system across two enterprise markets:
Automotive OEMs
Healthcare systems
The objective wasn't just identifying potential customers.
It was identifying which organisations were already moving toward emotionally intelligent experiences before they formally entered a buying process.
Automotive OEMs Were Already Moving Toward Emotional In-Cabin Experiences
The automotive market was quietly shifting toward:
software-defined vehicles
personalised cabin experiences
driver wellness
emotional UX
connected services ecosystems
Most companies saw these as product trends.
Evoco treated them as GTM signals.
Platform Architecture Announcements Became Buying Signals
EV platform launches
software-defined vehicle initiatives
HMI refresh programmes
connected services announcements
investor communications from OEMs
These transitions create rare windows where OEMs actively evaluate voice systems, emotional interaction layers, and next-generation AI interfaces.
Healthcare Had a Completely Different Trigger System
Healthcare required a different GTM motion.
Different buyers.
Different incentives.
Different organisational pressures.
But the same principle applied:
Track internal momentum before active buying begins.
Patient Experience Initiatives Became a GTM Entry Point
HCAHPS reporting
patient experience programmes
hospital transformation initiatives
care innovation announcements
Public Discussion Around Loneliness and Nurse Burden Became High-Intent Signals
patient loneliness
anxiety
emotional care gaps
nurse workload
patient engagement challenges
The Outreach Worked Because It Entered Existing Conversations
Evoco didn't try to educate the market through generic outbound.
Instead, every message referenced:
an active transformation initiative
a leadership priority
a platform transition
a visible operational challenge
The signal created contextual relevance.
Then They Layered Lookalike Intelligence on Top
Signals identify timing.
But timing alone doesn't create ICP precision.
So getGTM.ai built separate automotive and healthcare lookalike models and mapped more than 1,600 high-fit accounts.
Why the System Worked
Most outbound assumes buyers already understand the category.
But category creation rarely works that way.
Evoco succeeded because the GTM motion focused on:
detecting organisational momentum
identifying future-facing initiatives
entering conversations before formal demand existed
The Outcome
qualified meetings increased 4.1×
hot-signal outreach converted at 58%
two OEM pilots were signed
three healthcare proof-of-concepts launched
Evoco stopped trying to manufacture demand artificially.
They started identifying organisations where demand was already emerging beneath the surface.
And that's what made category creation commercially viable.