GSW: 2019
GSW
500 Olde Worthington Road
Westerville, OH 43082
Telephone
614-848-4848
Website
gsw-w.com
Quick Facts
Accounts
Account wins 41
Active business clients 48
Brands by 2018 sales
Brand-product accounts held 99
Services mix
Advertising
Marketing communications
Strategic/customer insight planning
Market research and development
Branding and brand strategy
Media strategy and communications planning
Direct marketing
Digital, interactive, closed-loop marketing
Mobile and wireless applications
Social media strategy/engagement
Medical/scientific insight and communications
Syndicated content/communication creation
WINNER
most creative agency
best consumer campaign – web
FINALIST
Most admired agency
Best consumer campaign – print
Best experiential campaign
Best interactive physician campaign
Best medical device campaign
Best self-promotion campaign
2018 was a year of extreme growth for GSW,” agency executives say. “More clients than ever relied on us to help create stories of positive impact for so many healthcare brands. And as a Syneos Health company, GSW continues to provide a distinct advantage over competitors based on our diverse portfolio of offerings and our ability to deliver integrated services. In the end, this year marked one more in which GSW was true to our Speak People philosophy to uncover real human truths and insights to build memorable creative conversations that activate people and, ultimately, brands.”
Recent accomplishments
In January 2018, the fusion of GSW with sister agency Palio was announced, which management says brought “amazing” talent together, as well as driving scale for East Coast operations in New York City and expanding West Coast biopharma and medtech offerings in Los Angeles. The full advertising suite now operates under the singular GSW brand. “The fusion also signified an opportunity to refresh our brand, resulting in updated branding for the master identity including a new logo, colors, and font,” agency executives says. “The new look better matches who we are and who we will continue to be – an advertising powerhouse fueled by incredible talent and insights and the resources required to meet our customers’ dynamic needs.”
According to agency leadership, the momentum continued with GSW being named Agency of the Year in the 2018 Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards sponsored by Modern Healthcare and sister publication Ad Age. The win capped off a victorious awards season, which showcased GSW’s creative strength across all platforms.
“This winning streak is fueled by our incredible talent and our insights-driven approach to crafting impactful stories,” says Sonja Foster-Storch, President of advertising for Syneos Health. “We share these awards with our client partners who believe in our ability to create great work that truly matters and impacts patients’ lives. We don’t create work to win awards – we win awards for our great work.”
2018 was also the year GSW produced the agency’s inaugural Super Bowl commercial. GSW partnered with St. Elizabeth Healthcare to unveil a 60-second commercial after the second quarter of Super Bowl LII. The “I’m Right Here” campaign consisted of three commercials of varying lengths, which also ran during the Winter Olympics.
GSW continued to invest heavily in technology including leveraging predictive analytics “to inform everything from commercialization strategy to messaging and channel mix optimization with our clients,” management says. “Our approach allows us to create intelligent models that enable clients to de-risk the brand-building process by virtually war gaming decisions in record time without having to invest a single dollar outside of the modeling effort. Together with clients, Syneos Health and GSW are taking a holistic view of entire marketing ecosystems by combining client data with proprietary Syneos Health data.”
“Technology is actively changing the human health experience,” says Kim Johnson, President of GSW-New York and LA. “That’s why we channel it into every brand experience we create. Our clients always expect us to be future proofing and on top of whatever comes next. To be a leader in the space, you have to be willing to invest in technology as well as time for your employees to explore, generate ideas, and get them in front of clients to build business.”
According to agency leaders, by year’s end, GSW secured more than 40 account wins and expanded relationships with key clients, as well as additions in the dermatology, CNS, neurology, cardiovascular, ophthalmology, liver disease, oncology, and medical device spaces. GSW saw significant growth in DTC work and its sixth year of consecutive growth in the agency’s managed markets business while expanding the list of managed market clients to include two new top 10 pharma companies.
Despite all these accomplishments, management says some of GSW’s proudest moments came from outside recognition, including winning Gold Video of the year (Eli Lilly, A Simple Plan); Bronze Video of the year, (St. Elizabeth Healthcare, I’m Right Here); Bronze Social Media campaign of the year, (St. Elizabeth Healthcare, I’m Right Here); and Bronze Print campaign of the year, (Hollister, Delivering Dignity) in the Healthcare Impact Awards; a Bronze London International Award for MiracleFeet; the Best Philanthropic Campaign Med Ad News Manny Award for MiracleFeet; having the MiracleFeet campaign published in Communications Arts Typography; Best Digital Initiative for Non Consumers for Amgen and GSW for Repatha Escape Room; and Best Professional Print Campaign for Endo Pharmaceuticals and GSW/Xiaflex at Medical Marketing & Media (MM&M) Awards.
Other awards were for Best Healthcare Professional Photography for Explorer’s Spirit for Celgene; Veterinary (HCP) Press Individual for Protect Your Newborns for Elanco Dairy Franchise/Vaccines at the Creative Floor Awards; and Most Innovative Strategies from PM360 magazine for The Firsthand Experience, for Endo.
GSW creatives received numerous industry accolades and were tapped for several prestigious domestic and international awards juries. Senior VP, Creative Directors Valerie Wagner and Adam Hessel were selected for the Clio Health jury; Nick Capanear was named to the Creative Floor jury and to the Luerzer’s Archive Grand Slam competition jury; and Todd Henwood was selected for both the Health & Wellness and Medical juries for the London International Awards.
“In 2018, our creative champions also landed top spots in the coveted Luerzer’s Archive Magazine rankings (ranking all U.S. agencies, not just healthcare agencies),” agency executives say. “GSW-NY was ranked 7th among all ad agencies, Nick and Adam were ranked in the top 10 for creative directors, and Ron Larson was ranked the No. 1 copywriter.
STRUCTURE AND SERVICES
We are a creative agency that connects data, products, insights, and creative communications that Speak People to make a difference in healthcare,” says Michael Austin, Managing Director, Creative and Technology. As a full-service agency, GSW is a one-stop shop for all advertising and marketing communications needs. The team includes experts in advertising, digital and closed-loop marketing, strategic insight, branding, communications planning, predictive modeling, market access strategies, media, and market research.
With offices in Columbus, Ohio (President Dan Smith and Executive Creative Director Marc Lineveldt); New York City and Los Angeles (Kim Johnson and Michael Austin, and Executive Creative Director for GSW-NY Nick Capanear); Toronto and Montreal (President Mark Jazvac and Executive Creative Director Todd Henwood); and Philadelphia (Executive Creative Director Sam Cannizzaro), management says GSW is led by a best-in-class team who has experience with a variety of stakeholders, such as healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, payers, and consumers.
GSW executives also tout both the agency’s own medical writing and managed markets teams, a difference that they say is evident in every output by the agency. During 2018, GSW established a Creative Consultancy vision for its managed markets work where the agency’s teams of strategists connect insights, data, and trends to motivate payer behavior. “Combining this expertise with our story-telling creative, we have the unique ability to show how a brand’s value extends far beyond the dollars and cents of a contract,” GSW leadership says.
FUTURE PLANS
As we continue to focus on the foundation that has made GSW great, we recognize that the pace of change in our industry is unprecedented,” agency executives say. “We are leading the way by thinking differently and staying one step ahead.”
“We couldn’t be more optimistic,” Jazvac says. “Our industry is changing, and so is GSW. We’re planting the seeds for future success. We’ll do so, however, by staying true to the values that have made us a leader for over 40 years.”
PHILANTHROPY/CITIZENSHIP
According to agency leaders, “At GSW, Greatness Starts Within. It’s our people who make the difference. Whether it’s volunteering at a local food bank, holiday toy drives, or biking dozens of miles to end cancer, our employees enthusiastically donate their time and energy.”
Management says a 2018 Passion Project standout involved the GSW team helping NYC Botanics tell their story about CBD oil as an alternative to traditional medicine. GSW received industry praise for the work, including being published in three consecutive issues of Luerzer’s Archive Magazine and an invitation to be included in the permanent collection of NYC museum’s Poster House.
“Our passion runs deep among employees’ veins at GSW,” Smith says. “While it is our goal to bring this passion to the more than 100 different brands we represent, GSW also pays homage to many local and national outreach efforts. This attitude is a hallmark of the agency and its people, making GSW stand apart in the healthcare advertising industry.”
