Natrel Communications: 2017
Natrel Communications Inc.
119 Cherry Hill Road
Parsippany, NJ 07054
Telephone: 973-292-8400
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: natrelusa.com
Accounts
Account wins 8
Active business clients 9
Brands by 2016 sales
Brand-product accounts held 14
Less than $25 million 6
$25 million to $50 million 3
$50 million to $100 million 2
$100 million to $500 million 1
$1 billion or more 2
Services Mix
Digital 45%
Professional 35%
Convention & Meeting 10%
Patient 5%
Relationship Marketing 5%
Client Roster
Bayer
Boehringer Ingelheim
Fleet
Leo Pharma
NeoGenomics
PG Chambers
PharmaDerm
In December of 2016, staff gathered in the agency’s kitchen to celebrate the launch of natrel’s rebranding, each person holding a natrel-branded balloon. After a collective shout of “3…2…1”, the sound of balloons bursting in air – and lots of laughter – filled the room, executives say. This moment capped off a week-long series of what General Manager Nicole Hyland described as “experiential brand teasers” – sights, sounds, tastes, and even smells around the agency designed to pique curiosity and generate excitement about the new branding.
According to agency leaders, while marking a new beginning, the celebration also signaled the end of a year in which natrel faced the impact of changing trends in the healthcare industry.
“Although we continued our success in winning new business, there were corporate decisions unrelated to our performance, such as company acquisitions and refocused audience targeting, that brought several long-term successful relationships to an end,” Hyland says.
Agency leaders say the changing dynamics of the industry led natrel to take a deep look inward during its rebranding initiative, making sure that its business model continued to reflect the needs of current and future clients. One thing is certain, Hyland noted, “we will continue to help our clients approach their challenges the way we approach ours – with imagination and optimism.”
The Year’s Accomplishments
The rebranding of natrel was an evolution, not a revolution, agency leaders say. Two years ago, the agency introduced “Bilateral Branding,” a proprietary branding process that ensures product differentiation by appealing to both sides of the brain – the rational analytic side and the emotional, instinctual side. The introductory campaign focused on using the power of emotion as a marketing tool by defining the brand’s personality, or “soul.”
Now that the original premise about the power of emotion is well proven through many new business wins, the agency wanted to share the full story of its unique branding philosophy and core values. So, Hyland notes, “we challenged an internal multi-disciplined team to create the new branding, using our own Bilateral Branding process, from insight development through execution.”
The result: a December launch of the rebranded natrel on natrelhealth.com. The new branding will be mirrored in everything about natrel, from self-promotion to internal agency décor to the look, feel, and sound of all agency communications. It also provides a real-life case study that shows prospective clients how natrel lives by its own principles, executives say.
While the rebranding process was under way, agency leaders say Bilateral Branding continued to help the agency post new business wins for the year, both globally and domestically. These wins included a corporate branding assignment for NeoGenomics, a global franchise branding assignment for Boehringer Ingelheim (the agency already works on Pradaxa), and an agency of record assignment for Enstilar and Taclonex, from Leo Pharma.
natrel also marked 2016 with new office space, or, more precisely, an expansion and total redesign of its existing space. The airy, broadly open environment encourages collaboration while providing for private meetings and quiet working spaces in the numerous “huddle and bubble rooms.” There are also stand-up work stations, including laptop-equipped treadmills, executives say.
Structures & Services
natrel continues to maintain its independence in an industry of ever-growing agency networks, executives say. Founder David Nakamura explains, “Independence is a philosophy to us. It means providing better value, more personalized service. It means consistent access to senior talent – we only have an “A” team. If you select a network, you are one brand in a crowd. Here every brand is of key importance to all of us.”
Enhancing the management structure of the agency was the promotion of Tamra Micco from senior VP, director of client services, to executive VP, managing director of client services. Micco now supervises both the client services team and the project managers. This step acknowledges the broad skill set of Micco, who won a 2016 PM360 Elite Mentor Award impotens behandling. Says Hyland, “Tamra combines the steel-trap mind of an efficiency expert with business savvy, negotiating skills, and ‘the Tamra effect’ – a gift for mentoring.”
Future Plans
Agency leaders are planning to expand natrel’s medical and strategy department to include a full medical education unit. The first step was to start laying groundwork for future staffing of the unit by establishing natrel’s MedStrat Apprenticeship. This program for fourth-year PharmD students engages them over a six-week period in the day-to-day business of the agency’s pharma clients. Students will be immersed in the world of medical and scientific strategy, according to the program’s originator and preceptor, Joel Jacob, M.D., VP, medical and scientific strategist. “Our goal is to open up opportunities, to broaden career possibilities beyond the traditional pharmacy and hospital setting,” Dr. Jacob says. “Our Med/Strat group is a perfect example of this…we’re a mix of MD and PhD degrees…all with a common passion for science!” The first “class” begins later this year, as part of the University of the Sciences Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience program.
Philanthropy/Citizenship
Individual and corporate philanthropy continues to thrive at natrel, according to its executives. “This year could be called the year of the child, as the agency participated in collecting food for underprivileged children on their summer break, gathering back-to-school supplies for kids in need, and collecting gently worn shoes for the Soles for Souls project,” management says.
A more unusual example exemplifies the concept that curiosity and caring can be passed on to the next generation, according to natrel leadership. The agency provided support for a mission undertaken by Hyland’s 16-year-old son, Ben Hyland. Under the guidance of his grandfather, a retired general surgeon, Ben joined his second Society of Philippine Surgeons’ mission to an impoverished area of the Philippines. He worked side by side with volunteer surgeons and nurses in caring for people with little previous access to medical care. Agency leaders say it was a life-changing experience for him, and a role modeling experience for all.
