Intouch Solutions Inc.: 2016
Intouch Solutions Inc.
7045 College Blvd. Suite 300
Overland Park, KS 66211
Phone: 913-317-9700
Facsimile: 913-317-8110
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: intouchsol.com
Accounts
Account wins 32
Active business clients 42
Brand products by 2015 sales
Brand product accounts held 138
Services Mix
Digital/mobile 80%
— HCP- 50%
— DTC- 50%
Other/multi-channel 20%
Client Roster
Alexion Pharmaceuticals
Alkermes
Amgen
Aratana Therapeutics
Arbor Pharmaceuticals
Astellas Pharma US
AstraZeneca
Avanir Pharmaceuticals
AveXis
Baxalta
Bayer Animal Health
Bayer HealthCare Consumer Care
Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals
Biogen
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals
Bristol-Myers Squibb
CareFusion
Celgene
Chiesi USA
Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America
Dendreon
Eisai
Forest Laboratories
Galderma Laboratories
Genentech
Genzyme
Gilead Sciences
Given Imaging
Lundbeck
Ipsen Pharmaceuticals
Janssen Pharmaceuticals
Livongo Health
Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals
Merck & Co.
Nivalis Therapeutics
Novartis
Novocure
NPS Pharmaceuticals
Optimer Pharmaceuticals
Pfizer
Regeneron Pharmaceuticals
Salix Pharmaceuticals
Sanofi
Sanofi Pasteur
Shire
Teva Canada
Teva Latin America
Teva Pharmaceutical Industries
Undisclosed pharma company
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International
Valeritas
Vein Clinics of America
WE CARE
When Intouch Solutions’ agency leadership was asked about the year’s accomplishments, they summed it up like this: “high growth, high-tech, and high science.”
The year’s accomplishments
There was plenty of evidence of the agency’s continued growth. The independent firm celebrated reaching a major milestone of more than $100 million in billings. It also added 86 employees, representing an impressive 43% growth in staff in just three years.
The New York office moved from 6th Avenue to take the entire 10th floor of 469 7th Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. According to executives, the move came in response to rapid expansion fueled by the acquisition of several major new pharma clients.
“Our New York office is really exploding,” says Intouch CEO Faruk Capan. “We’ve been very pleased with the success and expansion of that location.”
The agency’s Chicago office on Michigan Avenue also finalized plans to add a floor in 2016.
In addition to expanding its physical footprint, Intouch expanded its legacy of technology expertise. The agency renewed certification in hosting and implementation of Sitecore solutions. Intouch also became one of a few agencies globally to achieve Veeva Systems’ Level 4 certification status, the maximum certification an agency can receive. These enhanced affiliations were forged in response to Intouch clients’ growing need for dynamic marketing systems.
“We’ve seen a shift toward more data-driven, multichannel systems and the automation and personalization these solutions provide,” Capan says.
The agency was also hired to integrate client programs with modern high-tech devices, including wearables, such as Fitbit, and home assistants, such as the Amazon Echo. And Intouch continued to expand its Allora cloud-based content distribution platform with cross-device capabilities for Web, Android, Windows, and iOS devices. Agency leaders explained these and other advances are driving efficiencies and speeding up development across projects.
“Executives say “high science” represents the clientele the agency is attracting these days. While staying true to its roots in digital-centric healthcare marketing, Intouch recognizes the healthcare industry is changing rapidly. In addition to wins from major pharma brands, new business in surgical robotics and also gene therapy (AveXis) expanded the agency’s portfolio to reflect 21st century healthcare.
“The definition of treatment is evolving, and it’s merging with technology,” Capan says. “We’re creating mobile apps that will someday be prescribed as therapies. We’re marketing a treatment program, Livongo Health, that emphasizes tech, information and human support over just medication.”
Intouch was awarded eight new accounts as digital agency of record, including several pre-launch assignments. The agency also saw the expansion of work in consumer healthcare products and aesthetics. Intouch earned more than 40 awards for client work in creativity, innovation, and social media in 2015, including awards for clients Novartis, Galderma, and Teva, among others.
The agency strengthened senior leadership with the addition of senior VPs Kristi Veitch, Brady Walcott, and Dirk Reinhardt. Veitch came to the agency from VML to lead Intouch’s human resources department. Walcott guides major business development efforts. Reinhardt now heads up Intouch strategic planning services.
Several young Intouch up-and-comers were nationally recognized for their accomplishments this year. Medical Marketing and Media named social media manager Andrew Grojean “Young Marketer of the Year.” And Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak and his wife Janet awarded Lindsey Poulter, associate implementation developer, with a scholarship in information systems.
Structure and services
As healthcare, marketing, and technology continue to evolve, Intouch Solutions has consciously advanced its service offering to meet industry needs.
In late 2015, Intouch Solutions expanded market access capabilities to establish a formal division. The new group and enhanced services address the growing need for clients to reach market access and healthcare b2b stakeholders, executives say. The full-service solution is embedded across Intouch locations but is based out of the firm’s New York office.
Intouch also evolved its programmatic media buying services to a full center of excellence — including an in-house, pharma-specialized trading desk — one of very few in the industry. The expanded offering means the agency can now manage complex media campaigns from start to finish, completely in-house.
“Programmatic capabilities empower us to tighten targeting, align creative, manage brand-safety, increase cross-campaign transparency, and be more cost-efficient with client media budgets. It’s all in-house, and with a layer of pharma expertise on top,” Capan says.
Also in 2015, Intouch fully deployed its proprietary multichannel marketing process, INTUNE. Executives say Intouch applied INTUNE to its own strategic planning process and plans to roll out a major new self-promotion campaign in 2016. Intouch also recently established a data science discipline to help wrangle INTUNE’s big data and complement the agency’s aptitude for analytics.
Future plans
Agency leaders say there is no sign Intouch is slowing down. The agency achieved 160 percent growth over the past five years, sustaining an “impressive” 30 percent growth average.
“We reached $100 million, which is definitely a major milestone,” Capan says. “But we’re still growing, evolving and innovating. We’re still having fun. And there’s still so much more to do.”
Executives attribute much of the agency’s success to lengthy, strong client relationships. Leadership says client loyalty has long been a hallmark of the agency’s success – even when some clients occasionally stray.
“We have had some clients look at other options, such as large consulting firms,” Capan says. “They thought they needed something different. But the business comes back. And, of course, we welcome them with open arms.”
Philanthropy/citizenship
Intouch associates say they love helping their communities and often go above and beyond to help those in need.
In Kansas City, associates participated in Philanthropy Week, ultimately filling 12 plastic tubs, eight oversized boxes, and multiple bags with canned goods, household supplies, clothing, toys, books, and more than 1,000 crayons. Donations were delivered to Children’s Mercy Hospital and three area Ronald McDonald Houses, along with a $10,000 check for each organization. Nearly four dozen Intouch associates volunteered their time at Children’s Mercy Hospital, Ronald McDonald House, and KC Pet Project, a no-kill animal shelter serving the Kansas City area.
The Chicago office collected clothing and hygiene items for a local women’s shelter/program, raised money for No Kid Hungry, collected back-to-school items for an after-school tutoring program, sponsored, and participated in several 5Ks and a stair climb, and collected nonperishable food items for the Chicago Food Depository.
