FCBCURE: 2023

FCBCURE, an IPG Health company

5 Sylvan Way Parsippany, NJ 07054 

973-451-2400 • [email protected] • fcbcure.com

Quick Facts

Accounts

• Account wins: 3
• Active business clients: 12

Brands by 2022 sales

• Brand-product accounts held: 25
• $50 million-$100 million: 3
• $100 million-$500 million: 8
• $500 million-$1 billion: 6
• $1 billion or more: 3
• Products not yet approved/launched: 5

Services mix

• HCP: 65%
• DTP: 35%

Client roster

• Abbvie
• AstraZeneca
• Amicus
• Bayer
• Bristol Myers Squibb 
• Cerevel
• ChemoCentryx
• Heron Therapeutics
• Kite Pharmaceuticals
• Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp 
• Novartis
• Shionogi

“Fueled by our mission of being a Cure for Ordinary, FCBCURE is always searching for the new, the surprising, and the unexpected that can inspire forward momentum for our brands, our clients, and our agency,” leadership states.  

Recent accomplishments

We catapulted onto the creative award scene for the very first time in 2022, garnering multiple awards and accolades — as well as several other finalist recognitions – for work in both HCP and DTC categories,” executives say. “In addition to earning industry recognition for our creative solutions, we were represented behind the scenes in the jury rooms at two of the most prestigious award shows in our industry: Jacqui Sutton, associate creative director of copy, carried the banner for FCBCURE at the Clio Health Awards, while Debra Polkes, creative partner and co-managing director, represented CURE at The One Show.” 

“It was very gratifying to see FCBCURE on the roster of award-winning IPG Health agencies this year,” Polkes says. “It energized everyone and true to our mission, inspired forward momentum.” 

According to the leadership team, the agency’s forward momentum was seen also in the expansion of its client roster. FCBCURE was named AOR for Cerevel Therapeutics, setting the stage to bring to market an important new advancement in schizophrenia. The agency also added Chemocentryx, where executives say its rare disease expertise shined. And, building on its longstanding relationship with Merck, the agency added two hospital-based products. 

“Growth also came from the value we bring to our clients every day,” managers say. “We became US HCP AOR for AstraZeneca’s asthma product. Then, we quickly expanded the assignment to include Global HCP and social media assignments. On the oncology side, we expanded our relationships with Novartis and Kite Pharmaceuticals.

According to Tanya Weschke, director of new business operations, “In 2022 FCBCURE was fueled by a mixture of both organic and new growth, which was driven by our ability to consistently deliver unexpected solutions that drive impact for our clients’ brands.” 

In 2022, the agency also added several key additions to its senior leadership team: Dave Rogan, group creative director, who joined from CDM NY; Jim Summers, group creative director, who came from Digitas Health; and Marina Paul, Ph.D., director, medical affairs who came from Grey. “Each of them is a proven leader who is great for our clients – and, just as important, great for our people,” managers attest. 

Structure and services

The agency continues to “dial-up our commitment to creating dynamic and hyper-personalized customer experiences, steeped in behavioral data and insight,” executives say. According to Dave Stolzer, group director, engagement, “Our aspiration as a department is to create unexpected brand experiences by uncovering the moments that influence customer decisions.”

Managers state to that end, the agency’s engagement strategy department “is an all-star team of individual experts from every aspect of reaching our clients’ audiences: search intent, generative AI, omnichannel activation, social strategy, and customer analytics. With this potent lineup of brain power infused into our day-to-day client teams, our brands are able to create content that connects on every level. The goal is for quality communications to overpower quantity with authentic, relevant experiences that are delivered with precision and agility.” 

“To take full advantage of our dynamic engagement expertise, we also optimized our internal engagements between departments,” the leadership team says. “Our experience design, technology, strategy, and creative teams work together to ensure unexpected solutions for our clients. Outside CURE’s walls, our team is also plugged into a network of additional experts from all over the IPG Health universe.” 

Adds Stolzer, “We’re constantly utilizing our diverse pool of talent, range of capabilities, and expertise in our network to better serve clients and partners.” 

As far as its return-to-office approach goes, executives say the agency continues to lean into IPG Health’s philosophy of flexibility, accountability, and trust. “Unlike other agencies and networks, we trust our employees to work with their teams to figure out what works best for themselves, their families, and their clients,” managers state.

 Future plans

In an industry that is constantly evolving, our team has an authentic drive and ability to stay one step ahead of marketplace and client needs,” agency leaders say. 

According to executives, FCBCURE is in the business of being the best problem solvers for clients. “It’s rare that a problem is black and white,” says Tammy Fischer, group president. “In fact, nearly every problem has multiple dimensions. So, we approach every situation looking for the solution that’s the most actionable and authentic. That’s how we create impact.” 

“At FCBCURE, we aim to create a new level of partnership that fosters an environment where our clients have the confidence to take risks again – to look for the unexpected solution that lets their brands and their businesses shine,” agency leaders proclaim. “We embrace a spirit where ‘no you can’t’ becomes ‘how can we?’ because we believe every small win matters – and small wins are the building blocks of major victories.” 

 Philanthropy/citizenship

At FCBCURE, we strive to help provide the cure for the ordinary problems facing our professional and local communities,” the leadership attests.

In what executives describe as one of the agency’s proudest moments this year, two of its leaders spoke on a panel during the “Women Who Create” Make Moves virtual summit. Sutton and Eugenia De Risio, VP, strategic planning, shared their experiences navigating the challenges of managing teams in the remote setting, and the value of honoring boundaries. 

Close to home, FCBCURE did its part to help its neighbors in New Jersey. “We raised money and cooled down at the same time in the name of sending local, underprivileged children to summer camp with a ‘Summer Camp Dunk Tank’ fundraiser,” executives say. “When a nationwide baby formula shortage hit, we lent a hand to restock local pantries.”

For the holidays, the agency’s annual Thanksgiving Fundraiser raised enough money to purchase almost 100 turkeys for local families. “Our agency really came together for an important cause, and it made celebrating possible for more people. It was a constructive thing that we’ll keep doing,” says Jess Schaur, VP of human resources.

The agency also engaged in other activities that built on IPG Health’s EDI+You strategy, which formalizes FCBCURE’s longstanding commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion and creates systemic change across the four core pillars of its business – Our People, Our Culture, Our Creative Solutions and Our Impact. 

In an example of this kind of activity, Sutton participated in a conversation in MUSE by Clio on the topic of healthcare equity and creating better pathways into pharma advertising for people of color. “Diversity in advertising goes beyond simply casting people of color,” Sutton says. “We have to be the ones telling the story, so that the representation on-camera or in the ad is told authentically.”