2e Creative: 2018
2e Creative Inc.
411 N. 10th Street, Suite 600
St. Louis, MO 63101
Telephone: 314-436-2323
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: 2ecreative.com
Accounts
Account wins 10
Active business clients 20
Brands by 2017 sales
Brand-product accounts held 30
$50 million-$100 million 5
$100 million-$500 million 10
$500 million-$1 billion 10
$1 billion or more 5
Services Mix
Medical advertising 40%
Advertising 30%
Interactive 30%
2017 was a pivotal year for 2e Creative, according to managers, who say the agency focused much of the year building infrastructure to absorb triple-digit growth experienced over the previous two years. Steve Roseman took up the mantle of chief operating officer in addition to chief financial officer; Melinda Love, former senior partner overseeing Omnicom’s creative team at FleishmanHillard, joined 2e to head up account services; Maggie Piasecki, an industry veteran in the B2B technology space, joined to provide insights into strategic planning; and Mary Habermaas was tapped to head up the agency’s technology practice, with experience in developing scalable and innovative solutions for clients.
The agency’s first-ever human resources director, Julie Breneman, was hired to enhance the employee benefits program, audit current systems and continue to build on the agency’s culture through enhanced employee review, mentorship, and training programs. “We have an awesome culture that continues to attract and cultivate the best talent across the country. It was time to invest in the right person so that we can continue to thrive,” says CEO Ross Toohey.
New business continued to flow in, agency management says, with several key wins in rare disease and women’s health. “Cornerstone clients continued to expand into new verticals while we added clients in wound care, genomic editing and technologies within the life sciences space,” Toohey says.
The agency also drew closer to the finish line on two acquisitions, which leaders say they intend to announce in the second quarter of 2018. The team finished off 2017 by winning the “Healthcare Agency of the Year” award from Medical Marketing & Media for a third consecutive year. “All in all, a great year. A year of internal investment and growth that will pay off for years to come,” Toohey says.
The agency categorizes its capabilities into four segments all centered around one thing: helping businesses grow, according to management. The first segment includes capabilities that clients leverage to make better business decisions with services, including: pre-launch consulting, strategy, data, and analytics. The second segment focuses on traditional promotional agency capabilities designed to help launch and maintain brands. The third group drives performance with teams through sales training and leadership development services. And the fourth segment contains services focused on empowering action and decision-making with technology.
“It’s not about us, how we want to organize and market our agency. It’s about our clients and what they need … what’s going to help them grow,” says Roseman, who oversees operations.
Some of the core services that 2e is known for are expanding with the addition of specialized staff. “For instance, we’ve always been good at naming, branding and launching new products, but now we’re providing business consulting services in the sales space,” Toohey says. “Not only how the products are presented in-market but how they logistically enter the market by working with sales teams and back-end systems to provide a sales funnel strategy.”
According to managers, another service that continues to grow is a product around mergers and acquisitions. Executives say 2e has a proven, measurable, turnkey solution for companies to migrate brand assets. “It can be a headache – and expensive if you don’t know what you’re doing,” Roseman says. “We custom-build a team around an assignment and make it easy and cost-effective for brands. We’re fast, efficient and make an onerous process simple.” Clients include Johnson & Johnson Vision, MilliporeSigma, Zimmer Biomet, and others.
The agency anticipates flat revenue performance through 2018, as new acquisitions are integrated. Executives say this will then set the stage for substantial growth again in 2019, as the new capabilities and value proposition come online. “I’m excited about what lies ahead. In addition to building out our core segments, we’ll continue to cherry-pick some of the best in the business as we grow,” Toohey says.
Community is very important to the culture at 2e, agency leaders say. Several years ago, the company formed an employee group dubbed “2CReW” where programs involving community – inside and outside of 2e – are born. Internal programs range from fun activities such as “Family Game Nights” and yoga classes at the agency to more practical CPR training and self-defense programs, all free for employees. External programs range from the professional – supporting the local TEDX Gateway Arch initiative by promoting the inaugural event surrounding health care – to community based initiatives, “too numerous to mention here,” executives say.
“One of our most prized programs has grown significantly,” agency leaders say. “Several years ago, 2e launched a charity competition to collect socks for donation to area homeless shelters. In 2017, the SockIt2e Drive extended beyond 2e to include more than 10 regional agencies and produced several thousand socks for area homeless, one of the most requested clothing items for those in need.”
