Centron: 2022

Centron

32 Old Slip, 32nd Floor, New York, NY 10005
646-722-8900 • [email protected] • centronnyc.com

QUICK FACTS

Accounts
Account wins 3
Active business clients 6

Brands by 2021 sales
Brand-product accounts held 6
$25 million or less 2
$25 million-$50 million 1
Products not yet approved/launched 3

Services Mix
Rare disease/oncoloy 100%
– HCP 60%
– Patient 40%

Client Roster
Apellis
Bristol Myers Squibb
KalVista
Partner Therapeutics
Taysha Gene Therapies
TG Therapeutics

 

Sometimes, the simple path can involve a few twists and turns. While Centron was fortunate to have seamlessly transitioned to a remote setting, the agency was faced with new and unexpected challenges in 2021.

“In December 2020, Ovid Therapeutics, a significant new business win, did not meet its Phase III endpoint in Angelman syndrome – which was first and foremost a devastating loss for the Angelman syndrome community,” says Celine Vita, president. “It also meant starting the year with a different outlook and continued focus on growing our partnerships and expanding our new business efforts. It was a moment where we practiced our promise as an agency to focus on the simple path and led with clarity.”

Throughout 2021, Centron continued to prioritize its culture and values, especially diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). “We believe DEI is not an extracurricular activity and must be part of who we are as an agency and culture. As such, we continued building on a strong foundation, evolved our approach throughout the year, and our commitment was well-received in our annual agency survey results,” says Vita.

Recent Accomplishments

In addition to bringing a few challenges, 2021 also brought several agency achievements, including a fully integrated launch of Empaveli for Apellis. “From a creative perspective, this launch couldn’t have been more aligned with our creative vision,” says Carolyn O’Neill, chief creative officer. “We never stop striving to find ways to create meaningful and authentic experiences. We achieved this by creating new types of engagements – such as the “Home Suite Home” program, helping patients integrate self-infused treatment into the home – and by elevating production craft in a remote environment.” The impact of the launch work was recognized on multiple fronts, from patient posts on social media to two Gold 2021 APEX awards for the unbranded Understanding PNH campaign, at understandingpnh.com.

Management says Centron was successful in its new business efforts in 2021, adding TG Therapeutics, KalVista, and Taysha Patient Affairs to its client roster. “We had a high pitch conversion rate,” Vita notes. “And even the few pitches that didn’t go our way received extremely positive feedback, and our engagement generated recommendations and referrals that led to additional opportunities.”

Recently, the agency also helped shape the brand identity for its parent network, supporting the transformation of HealthSTAR Communications to Propel Health. “Propel Health is more than a re-brand,” Vita says. “The network has a new vision: to create exponentially meaningful brand experiences and relationships through communications, innovative engagements, and proprietary technologies. This is a new direction forward, and there’s a lot of momentum within the network.”

Structure and services

As every agency in the industry, Centron experienced talent migration. “In the new context we all live in, we understand, appreciate, and support that people are re-imagining their careers and path forward. This was the case with Meredith Pugh, chief strategy and growth officer, who chose to leave the agency last spring and align her career focus with her personal aspirations,” Vita says. “We’ve embraced change as an opportunity to continue to shape our offering and bring in new talent aligned with our future direction.”

Notable in 2022 were the promotions of Emily Kitzinger to senior VP, client services lead and Tracey Van Kempen to senior VP, medical strategy director. “Emily and Tracey are unique talents in the industry,” Vita says. “Their ability to bring creative flair, personal spunk, and strategic acumen to their respective disciplines is unmatched.”

A key hire in 2021 was Sarah Butler as VP, delivery and project management. “We are thrilled to have Sarah’s poly-talented experience and have restructured to reflect a vision of integrated and exquisite project delivery,” Vita says. “Sarah oversees the PM, tech, and studio teams and has brought a new lens to how we deliver work across channels for our clients.”

Future Plans

Moving forward, the agency will continue to focus on optimal, integrated delivery and to hire and develop talent with deep digital fluency and creativity. “How and where our customers experience brands have shifted,” O’Neill says. “It doesn’t matter how creative your big brand idea is if your customer experience falls short at the point of engagement. For maximum impact – or even just a minimal click – every touchpoint has to be informed by deep customer insight and have the right alchemy of strategy, content, and UX design. There’s also unlimited opportunities for creativity to live within a platform or channel.”

Vita also notes that the agency continues to be engaged in early commercial stages, and the nature of those partnerships are evolving. “We have had the opportunity to support strategic direction in early commercial development, support assets and portfolios two or three years from launch, and go deep into insight mining with patient and families. Engaging with rare disease communities is particularly rewarding for our teams.”

In 2022, Centron leaders say they plan to focus on growth and diversification of the client base to mitigate the impact of a volatile biotech sector, which has been seen and felt over the past year.

Philanthropy/Citizenship

At the heart of Centron’s purpose is a commitment to achieving the highest good for patient communities. Centron leaders say this common objective fuels all the agency’s brand efforts and is reflected in its ongoing commitment to support and amplify awareness of rare diseases and high unmet medical needs.

In 2021, this extended to pro bono work for the branding and launch of Diana’s Fibroid Foundation, a non-profit organization advancing education and research of the potential for rare malignancies associated with uterine fibroids.

For the second year in a row, Centron marked the holiday season with “Holiday Highest Good,” making a donation in the name of each employee to a charitable organization of her or his choice. Each employee was invited to select from a group of organizations aligned with agency values and commitment to DEI. In total, the agency supported seven organizations with a focus ranging from food scarcity to child welfare to civil liberties.