CultHealth: 2023

CultHealth

261 Fifth Avenue, Suite 701, New York, NY 10016 

646-430-9933 • culthealth.com

Quick Facts

Accounts

• Account wins: 1
• Active business clients: 7

Brands by 2022 sales

• Brand-product accounts held: 18
• $25 million-$50 million: 2
• $50 million-$100 million: 3
• $100 million-$500 million: 6
• $500 million-$1 billion: 2
• $1 billion or more: 3
• Products not yet approved/launched: 2

Services mix

• HCP advertising 60:%
• DTC/DTP advertising: 40%

Client roster

• AbbVie 
• AstraZeneca
• Clovis Oncology
• Novo Nordisk
• Servier
• Supernus
• Veru

Winner

• Agency on the Rise

Finalist

• Best Consumer TV/Radio Campaign
• Best Launch

Culture is often cliché – but in the case of CultHealth, culture extends far beyond its walls and transcends into our national psyche,” says the leadership at CultHealth. They point out how the ‘Oh, Oh, Oh, OZEMPIC!’ campaign helped the brand soar to the top of the market, as the fastest diabetes drug to reach well over $1 billion in sales. At the time of the campaign’s launch, it had the highest tested score in Ipsos history. 

According to executives, reaching this status is an aspiration for many competitors, but this record-setting success is just the tip of the iceberg for the 11-year-old agency. “And more clients now want ‘in’ than ever before,” leaders say.

In becoming part of Indegene, managers say CultHealth is embarking on even more forward-thinking initiatives and is primed for continued growth in an ever-evolving industry. “Because of this solid foundation and the Indegene edge, CultHealth is now sitting on the precipice of the newest wave of marketing innovation  – with a talented team that can’t wait for what’s next.”    

Recent accomplishments

In enumerating the agency’s many achievements, leaders point out how as a partner to Novo Nordisk for the past decade, CultHealth launched several new diabetes broadcast campaigns in 2022, including the “Ozempic Tri-Zone” and “Down with Rybelsus.” As AOR for AbbVie’s migraine portfolio, CultHealth created “Qulipta Can,” and in only six months post-launch, Qulipta reached the top CGRP migraine prevention brand for NBRx. The agency’s professional roster includes Servier’s Tibsovo, indicated for acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and bile duct cancer, and will expand to vorasidenib for low-grade glioma. 

Executives say the leadership team has also expanded significantly. Joining the agency as president was Laurence Richards, who executives say has ushered in a new era for CultHealth, bringing vast experience that will help best organize and scale a growing agency. 

Marie Jones,  senior VP, director of client services, also joined in 2022. “With a wealth of expertise beyond core brand promotion, Jones is helping to guide the account services team through this period of expanded service offerings,” managers say.

And most recently, taking the helm of the creative department, David Stemler joined as chief creative officer, after holding similar roles at CDM and The Bloc. According to Stemler, he is “thrilled to start at such an exciting time and will inspire the creative team to reach even greater heights.”

CultHealth managers say the agency was an early adopter of the hybrid working model. Recently leadership jumped at the opportunity to move and redesign their office space to accommodate this new style, with the agency’s custom office, in the magnificent Art Deco building on Fifth Avenue, being part of the culture. As Jeff Rothstein, CEO, puts it: “Cult creativity is collaborative by nature, so we redesigned the concept of the office and made it about a space to foster creativity.” 

Agency leadership say they eliminated personal offices and built more common areas for collaboration. They claim that the space is so inviting, employees want to go there to work together; they enjoy their surroundings. Rothstein adds, “We can’t forget the beer on tap in the kitchen. That’s enjoyable, too.”  

Structure and services

CultHealth was founded in 2011 under its parent company, Cult360, and was based on the principle of integrated, 360-degree communication. “While it began as a consumer agency with some of the best-tested campaigns previously mentioned, CultHealth has continued to expand its offerings and HCP-focused business,” executives say. “In fact, the HCP work surpassed its DTC business in total billings last year by 20 percent – a substantial shift, considering the agency’s origins. Now, CultHealth is primed for the marketing of tomorrow, while staying true to the promise of the ‘cult brand following.’”

According to Rothstein, “Today, there are a lot of technologies available to marketers. But when you’re developing brands, one of the most important aspects is authenticity. The challenge is that technology isn’t inherently authentic. AI, for instance, is the opposite of authentic; by definition, it’s artificial. In coming together with Indegene, we’re taking an approach that champions human creativity and pairing it with technology in service of authentic brand development.

“What Indegene also allows us to do is offer best-in-class global omnichannel activation, informed by proprietary data IP with a level of insight that isn’t available for purchase. It’s unparalleled. You simply cannot buy two decades worth of individual level engagement data; it doesn’t exist anywhere – except here.” 

Richards adds, “While we’ve always been digitally focused, we’ve continued to expand toward digital-first communications – and this has been augmented through Indegene’s offerings. For instance, we added an analytics division prior to the acquisition, and it’s been enriched with Indegene’s advanced analytics capabilities. And now, as a global technology company, we can offer around-the-clock development timelines, producing digital work faster and with greater efficiencies.” 

Future plans

Moving forward, CultHealth is focused on the fully integrated patient experience, executives say, adding that the agency will continue working with its core base of clients but will begin to serve new and established biopharmaceutical companies with end-to-end commercialization needs. “We’re working with our Indegene colleagues to identify specific aspects of the full commercialization chain, focusing on significant unmet needs,” Rothstein says. “And we’re developing full product suites to address those needs across the spectrum of commercialization services.” 

The idea behind this focus is to optimize launches for customers, while enhancing the experience for every person with a health concern, Rothstein says. “Along with HCP/DTC capabilities that are ‘future-ready,’ we can help our clients transition every aspect of their business into this new reality.” 

According to executives, market access has been an area targeted for the agency’s strategic expansion. “Indegene’s ownership of the premiere PRMA team, Medical Marketing Economics (MME), has accelerated that aspiration, now providing the opportunity for CultHealth to apply its unique creative vision to market access pull-through communications,” the leadership team says. 

Philanthropy/citizenship

For CultHealth, diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) “are integral to everything,” leaders say, pointing out that the agency has been working on pro bono initiatives to encourage diversity for years. Rothstein is a founding board member of Momentum and Value for People of Color – an organization dedicated to mentorship and promoting DE&I. CultHealth has also worked extensively with First Candle, focusing on SIDS awareness, and the Melanoma Research Foundation. 

“These sorts of philanthropic efforts are highly valued and personal at CultHealth, where the culture and initiatives are authentic – just like the brands,” Rothstein says.