In a keynote interview covering medtech innovation, strategy, industry headwinds and advanced technologies, DeviceTalks Editorial Director Tom Salemi asked Tornos about the origin’s of ZB’s “You’ll be back” partnership.
“I am so conflicted right now, because I’m tempted to tell you the true story,” he said.
It started at a dinner in Hollywood with some celebrities and a friend of his who manages talent. Someone asked him who his ideal celebrity spokesperson would be, and he threw out the former California governor’s name and an idea for the campaign: “Terminate your pain today with Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
“Somebody said to me, ‘Well, I happen to know Arnold Schwarzenegger. Would you like to meet the governor?'” Tornos said.
“I was having a conversation about what we do,” Tornos said. “I was having a conversation about creating a movement about movement. I was having a conversation about [the] governor being a partner with us in terminating pain around the world. I was talking about the purpose of the company. I was talking about all these things.”
“At the end, he said, ‘You speak very fast. … But I like the way you think,'” Tornos recalled.
“I don’t need the money,” Schwarzenegger later continued. “What I do need is to make sure that we do something that is meaningful.”
“That’s a hybrid between the real story and the not-so-real story, but it’s probably 98% accurate,” Tornos said. “We knew it had to center on awareness. And you can’t find somebody better, bigger, bolder, or more authentic than Arnold Schwarzenegger to work in this campaign. This gentleman — a 77-year-old guy — truly wants to make a difference. … He does not need Zimmer Biomet to make a living, but he wants to be relevant, and relevant he is.”
And that’s the story, perhaps with a few omissions and a few true lies.
“The true story I’ll tell you over some drinks,” Tornos told Salemi.
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