Giant Creative Strategy LLC: 2016
Giant Creative Strategy LLC
1700 Montgomery Street, Suite 485
San Francisco, CA 94111
Phone: 415-655-5200
Facsimile: 415-655-5201
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: giantagency.com
Accounts
Account wins 7
Active business clients 17
Brands by 2015 sales
Brand product accounts held 22
Services Mix
Professional and consumer healthcare communications 100%
Client Roster
Abbott
Actelion Pharmaceuticals US
Amgen
Astellas/Medivation
AstraZeneca
Baxalta
BioMarin
Boston Scientific
Cancer Research Institute
Depomed
Edwards LifeSciences
Genentech
HBA
InterMune
Merz
Novo Nordisk
Onyx Pharmaceuticals
Roche
Thoratec/St. Jude
According to agency leaders, 2015 was as a year of transition and refocus for Giant. The agency had its third biggest year since forming in 2002, but saw its first ever revenue decline. To meet these challenges, Giant streamlined its organization, welcomed new talent and clients, strengthened existing relationships, added new capabilities, and successfully repositioned as a true cross-channel engagement agency, executives say.
“Standing strong as the largest independent in the West, Giant’s expanded footprint in Philadelphia now makes it easier for more clients to benefit from Giant thinking,” executives say.
The year’s accomplishments
In April, agency co-founder Larry Wolheim retired after a four-decade career. Later in the year, Giant co-founder Stephen Mullens (who had been commuting to San Francisco from Albuquerque for 13 years) left Giant to focus his time and attentions to his family. And long-time agency Principal Mike Sperling left the agency to focus on other personal and professional pursuits. Co-founder Steven Gold assumed the CEO position, and continues to lead the agency, along with Adam Gelling, who was named president in early 2016, along with a deep bench of executive level account, strategy, creative, technology, and operations talent.
While the end of 2014 and early 2015 saw a loss of business due to M&A activity and shifts in brand direction, according to executives the agency rebounded nicely in the second half of the year. “Going into 2016, Giant is proud to have Abbott, Actelion, Amgen, Baxalta, BioMarin, Boston Scientific, Cancer Research Institute, Edwards, Genentech, Merz, Neutrogena, Novo Nordisk, Roche, and Thoratec/St. Jude Medical among their roster of client partners,” executives say.
According to agency leaders, Giant worked on a variety of launches, relaunches, and cross channel campaigns in 2015. Giant also fortified its oncology portfolio in 2015. The agency was named digital AOR for Baxalta’s oncology division and leukemia compound, Oncaspar. And Giant developed an award-winning DSE campaign for BioMarin and talzoparib in breast cancer. Giant saw significant growth with Amgen’s oncology business unit in 2015 as the agency continued to lead through integration and a focus on real-time, actionable analytics. Giant now partners with eight different Amgen oncology brands in a variety of capacities.
Giant also grew its portfolio of specialty orphan drugs for rare diseases in 2015. Already a long-term partner with Actelion and its PAH portfolio, Giant renewed a partnership with former client BioMarin in 2015 and was awarded assignments for cerliponase alfa and Vimizim.
2015 was also a busy year for Giant’s medical device clients, executives say. Led by Senior VP Business Unit Lead Amber Rogers, Giant spearheaded strategic and creative efforts for the Phase II launch of the Sapien 3 transcatheter heart valve in the EU and the launch of Sapien 3 in the United States for Edwards LifeSciences. Additionally, Giant was awarded and began work as AOR for the launch of a therapy awareness campaign for referring physicians. Giant led strategy, design and execution for several key conferences including EuroPCR and TCT and continued to play a key role as a strategic partner in the development of positioning, branding and messaging for new pipeline products. Executives say for Thoratec, Giant led the charge for the highly successful launch of the HeartMate III ventricular assist device.
In 2015, Giant continued working with Genentech on several high-profile initiatives. The agency developed a host of materials as AOR for the stroke therapy Activase, and partnered with the medical affairs group to develop a multichannel campaign highlighting the company’s history and future as an innovator in respiratory medicine, executives say.
According to agency leaders, in 2015 Giant took center stage in regard to the evolution of the healthcare industry, multichannel marketing, branding, and user-centric design. Thought leadership events included: a keynote at VMWare on Design of the User Experience in Healthcare and a sold-out event with RockHealth and XXinHealth on ReDesigning Healthcare. Several Giant executives took the stage at industry events on the topics of patient communities in cancer immunotherapy, as well as at events in partnership with Veeva. Giant sponsored and led workshops with the HBA on Using Storytelling to Strengthen a Brand’s Impact. Executives say Giant ended the year with a successful hackathon at TEDMED for the Novartis Digital Acceleration Lab, a new global entity with the mission of identifying and leveraging broader industry partnerships dedicated to advancement of patient outcomes.
Giant added talent across all departments and all areas of expertise in 2015. Notable additions to the Giant senior leadership team include: Larry Caringi, director, new business development; Kyle Ingham, VP, management supervisor; Kelle Martin, controller; Jeffery Nemy, chief financial officer; and Brian Soldo, senior UX lead. The agency also promoted Kristine Ellis, Vanya Akraboff, Janet Vennari, Van Eiseman, and V.A. Lopes to the senior VP level.
Giant work was recognized by many industry award shows in 2015, including The Globals, the Rx Club, MM&M, and Webby’s.
Structure and services
According to its leaders, Giant has been unique in its ability to bring best-in class strategy and creative to all facets of healthcare marketing – whether brand or digital AOR, targeting HCP and patient audiences. In 2015, Giant continued its evolution by defining future AOR best practices through an expanded focus on cross-channel, customer engagement with the goal of building and sustaining adoption across audience journeys, executives say.
“Through a continuous and deep immersion in varied data sources creating insight-driven measurement reports, Giant continuously enhances communications to enhance efficiencies and drive customer engagement,” executives say. “By grounding the process in analytics and innovation, Giant informs and engages every link in the communications chain, and flawlessly executes bigger and better ideas.”
Future plans
Giant is forecasting double-digit growth in 2016, and expects that growth to come from both new and existing client partnerships, according to agency leaders.
“A key differentiator and a core component of Giant’s growth is marketing innovation,” executives say. “Where many agencies have focus on technology as the innovation deliverable, Giant has put together a team of innovative thinkers, med-sci minds, strategists, creatives, and data experts to focus on ideas and thinking that break the marketing mold no matter the medium. The proof-of-concept was solidly demonstrated in 2015, and as the agency moves into 2016 they are expanding the responsibilities of this team to cover each and every Giant client and new business opportunity.”
Philanthropy/citizenship
Giant has always made it a priority to give back to organizations close to its staff and clients, agency leaders say. The agency is a proud supporter of multiple charities, and active with a host of national and local organizations, including One Warm Coat, Family Giving Tree, SF Firefighters, The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Give Forward, and Make-a-wish.
