GSW, Powered by Syneos Health

500 Olde Worthington Road, Columbus, OH 43082
614-848-4848 • [email protected]

 

QUICK FACTS

Accounts
Account wins 28
Active business clients 53

Brands by 2021 sales
Brand-product accounts held 100

 

Services Mix

HCP 70%
DTC 30%

 

WINNER | Best Digital Physician Campaign
FINALIST | Best Professional Print Campaign

Client Roster

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Amgen
Amgen Canada
Astellas
AstraZeneca Canada
Bavarian Nordic
CoverMyMeds
CTI BioPharma
Eli Lilly
Gilead Sciences
Hollister
KMT Medical
Lundbeck
Merck
Roche Diagnostics
Roche Molecular
St Elizabeth Healthcare
Takeda Canada
Takeda Pharmaceuticals
VBI

 

WINNER

Best Digital Physician Campaign

FINALIST

Most Creative Agency
Best Professional Print Campaign

 

The year 2021 may have felt like a heavy case of déjà vu for some, but according to leaders at GSW, powered by Syneos Health, they could not help but feel a great deal of enthusiasm.

JD Cassidy, president, advertising, Syneos Health Advertising

“Our industry has rallied throughout this pandemic and I couldn’t be prouder to be a part of the healthcare community, delivering vital content to better inform and drive wellness decisions for individuals, families and communities,” says JD Cassidy, President, Advertising, Syneos Health North America.

Recent Accomplishments

“GSW’s momentum is undeniable – much of it attributed to its people,” agency managers say. In 2021, GSW announced the addition of several new top talents delivering insights-driven integrated communications, including Andrew Schirmer, President GSW-NY; Astrid Defries-Lansing, Executive VP, Executive Creative Director, GSW-NY; Christina Pantelias, Executive VP Strategy; Adrian Garcia, promoted to Executive VP, Managed Markets Strategy; and early in 2022, Lacey Jae, Executive VP, Executive Creative Director, GSW-LA.

“This new group of leaders includes some of the industry’s most creative minds, disrupters and change masters – skilled at breathing life into our customers’ innovations and our colleagues’ work – to make the strongest impact on the right audiences,” Cassidy says.

However, the people factor did not stop with leadership, management says, as GSW welcomed back 11 boomerangs, added 80 new hires and celebrated 65 internal promotions.

“Also, with a constant eye toward development, GSW launched an agency-wide Development Day where employees spent a half-day exploring the many offerings available for personal development and wellness throughout Syneos Health,” management says. “The company was also proud to launch SCALE (Syneos Communications Academy of Learning & Education) Core Competencies to ensure a regular cadence of programs and offerings targeted for our business.”

2021 also meant a brand refresh, positioning Syneos Health Communications at the Heart of Health.

“We are different,” says Head of Strategy Maria Tender. “As the only communications company that is part of a larger healthcare company, Syneos Health Communications had a unique opportunity to further unite our individual agency brands and inspire people so they know both what we do and why we do it. Syneos Health Communications houses our individual agency brands, but what we do as a collective is what drives our purpose. We give heart to healthcare communications, injecting them full of life, pace and purpose.”

GSW continued to see significant growth in its coveted managed markets business, including important client work in the COVID-19 space as well as large client gains in the Alzheimer’s space, management says.

“GSW Managed Markets held its position as a trusted partner and thought leader, connecting insights, data and trends to motivate payer behavior,” agency executives say. “In 2021, the team launched its second annual COVID-19 survey among payers, sharing new data and insights on the impact of the pandemic – important considerations for manufacturers in engaging with these organizations in this environment, and understanding the potential impact on formulary decision-making going into 2022.”

Leadership says a common thread of 2021 was GSW’s devotion to big creative ideas and technology, as evident in every client brand experience. “Some of our proudest moments came in the form of digital innovation, as we continued to advance the digital out of home offering with the latest AR & XR ‘hands free’ technologies for our clients,” GSW executives say. “We pivoted quickly to stand up a true, dedicated CX Practice to meet the needs of the modern healthcare consumer, amplified in a time of world crisis.”

According to the leadership team, GSW’s game-changing offering RepConnect (the viable solution to rep communication in this time of social distancing) continued to be a fan favorite among clients and was named one of PM360’s most innovative products of the year, as well as a panelist contender for SXSW 2022. “We also saw heavy demand for Kinetic, our modern customer engagement capability that makes fully integrated omnichannel solutions accessible to biopharmaceutical organizations and delivers the right message, to the right person, at the right moment to optimize performance.”

Management says by year’s end, GSW secured more than 44 new account wins across 12 therapeutic areas (with significant additions in cardiology, oncology, and rare disease), expanded relationships with key clients, and saw significant growth in DTC work and managed markets business. “Award recognition was the icing on top of an astounding year, including Med Ad News Manny Award Finalist nods for Best Consumer Campaign Print and Best Consumer Campaign Web; Two ADDYs; Three bronze CLIOs, two Creative Floor Awards, and GSW’s third-ever Emmy nomination.”

Structure and Services

GSW is a full-service communications agency “that goes beyond advertising to create personalized brand experiences with a focus in health and wellness. Our services include advertising, digital and closed-loop marketing, strategic insight, branding, communications planning, predictive modeling, market access strategies, media, and market research,” according to management.

“Powered by Syneos Health, GSW continues to provide a distinct advantage over competitors based on our diverse portfolio of offerings and our ability to deliver integrated services.”

“It’s a different model and construct from the other big global networks,” Cassidy says. “They’re predominantly in the advertising space, with healthcare as a category in the mix. Here, you have almost 25,000 people entirely focused in the health and wellness arena; the entire workforce is skilled and pedigreed in health. It’s the perfect place for me.”

GSW has offices in Columbus, Ohio; New York City; Los Angeles; and Toronto, and is led by a team of best-in-class marketers who have experience with a variety of stakeholders such as healthcare professionals, patients, caregivers, payers and consumers.

Future Plans

We have big aspirations and a commitment to deliver great work to our clients,” Cassidy says. “I couldn’t be more excited about the leadership we have in place, which is a terrific combination of long-timers and fresh perspectives. The agency leadership teams and myself are focused on developing our teams, committed to bringing forward all the expertise and capability Syneos Health has to offer, and to leading through an ongoing time of transformation.”

Cassidy adds, “I’m excited by the prospects I see and look forward to achieving great things together.”

Philanthropy/Citizenship

It’s the people throughout GSW and Syneos Health who make the difference,” agency leaders declare. “Their enthusiasm is contagious, as is evident in our ranking as No. 6 in the U.S. for most engaged and active employees on social.”

One initiative that saw continued growth in 2021 was the ongoing success of RISE (Realizing Inclusivity and Success through Equality). Led and created by employees, RISE’s shared goal is for everyone in the agency to have the same opportunities to grow and advance as the person sitting next to them.

“Today, RISE has grown from just a few founding members to dozens of active teams cultivating a sense of belonging for all employees across the Syneos Health network,” according to management. “Events are well attended, and the initiatives have further sparked open and thoughtful communication throughout the organization.”

Additionally, “As part of our ongoing commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion around the world, Syneos Health was proud to make donations to the following organizations selected by our Employee Resource Group: Black Emotional and Mental Health Collective (BEAM); in2scienceUK; Oxygen for India; The Trevor Project; Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen & Families Association (SSAFA); and Women Deliver. We are thankful for their contributions in making the world a safer and healthier place.”

With Edwards being launched against an established market leader in the mitral and tricuspid repair market, GSW had to take a different approach to help elevate the brand in a more meaningful way to drive depth and breadth of trial with interventional cardiologists and PASCAL.