Harrison and Star: 2023

Harrison and Star

1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019  

212-727-1330 • [email protected] • harrisonandstar.com

Quick Facts

Accounts

• Active business clients: 20

Brands by 2020 sales

• Brand-product accounts held: 38

Services mix

• Healthcare professional: 80%
• DTP: 20%

Client roster

• AZ Diagnostics
• Beigene
• Bristol Myers Squibb
• Cardiovascular Research Foundation
• Daiichi Sankyo
• Eisai
• Foundation Medicine
• Genentech
• Gilead Sciences
• Jazz Pharmaceuticals
• Merck
• Merck/Eisai 
• Nektar
• Novocure
• Organon
• Pfizer
• Regeneron
• Santen
• Takeda
• Y-mAbs

Finalist

• Best Nonbranded Consumer Campaign

As with many agencies, 2022 was a year of change and growth for Harrison/Star, managers attest, with H/S leading new brands and indications to market, winning new business, and ushering in new leadership with CEO Jen O’Dwyer. “The future ahead is bright for us,” O’Dwyer says. “We’ve added some impressive new clients to our roster, expanded further into DTP, and made significant advances in the buildout of our unique digital offering –eXperience Labs.” 

Agency President Tara Erickson shares O’Dwyer’s optimism for the coming year. “2022 was an active year for us, with substantial accomplishments and growth,” Erickson says. “H/S partnered with our clients to bring four new brands/indication expansions to market. We delivered nine label updates and seven new campaigns into the world, one of which was recognized by the prestigious Lürzer’s Archive. We’re so proud of what we achieved in 2022, and we’re excited about our new CEO and the explosive activity already happening in 2023.”

Recent accomplishments

H/S leaders say the  agency experienced much success in 2022 with a healthy mix of new business wins and organic growth in existing clients across both HCP and patient audiences.  

Fall 2022 saw the agency’s Color of Health team collaborating with CIEN+ and client Genentech to launch the “Love Letters” campaign, in partnership with the American Cancer Society, StandUp2Cancer, and Optum through the Cancer Screen Week initiative. “This patient-facing initiative was developed to increase cancer screening rates among Black and Hispanic women in the N.Y. area and reduce healthcare disparities in an underserved community,” executives say. The campaign uses real letters from Black and Hispanic women written to a loved one affected by cancer to help create a personal, culturally meaningful connection and break through barriers to screening. Original portraits created by artists accompany the letters, magnifying the impact of these moving stories of love and loss.  

 “The impact of ‘Love Letters’ was felt quickly – with over 2.5 million social media impressions in the first six weeks after launch – and a segment highlighting the campaign airing on PIX-11 News, among a host of successful community events with thousands of engagements,” executives say.

Structure and services

In 2022, H/S powered its digital center of excellence with the creation of eXperience Labs (eXL), which executives say is a distinctive offering that utilizes data, digital, and insight-driven experiences to drive innovation for brand, HCPs, and patients. 

Led by Executive VP Paulette Robinson and a “first-in-class team,” eXL provides deep expertise across customer engagement planning and analytics, user experience, user interface design, social media, technical strategy/development, and innovation, executives say.

“I’m thrilled to partner with this remarkable team of experts to steer the thinking, strategic use of data, and relentless advocacy that leads to relevant, impactful, and groundbreaking solutions for our clients and patients everywhere,” Robinson says.

H/S Anywhere brought in new creative leadership with Michael Harr, Ph.D., at the helm. Agency managers maintain that with his extensive portfolio in oncology and rare disease and a creative energy grounded in deep scientific expertise, Harr was the perfect fit for H/S Anywhere. “We’re entering a new era of creativity by harnessing science and tech to solve some of the world’s most challenging problems,” Harr says. “H/S is all about making science more human to spark inclusivity and change across health care.” 

Future plans

According to the leadership team, while much of the world is bracing for a challenging 2023, for H/S, the strategy is going to be deliberate focus on the “right things” that move the needle for employees, clients, and communities the agency supports.  “We are an agency for good. And with that comes a heightened sense of responsibility to be advocates for the human spirit,” O’Dwyer says. “This focus will allow us to prioritize the right things and create greater impact for everyone.” 

2023 will set the course for an evolved H/S with a marked shift in strategic direction, leaders state. “We have an amazing opportunity ahead to continue to build on the strong brand that is H/S,” O’Dwyer says. “In the coming months, we will be unveiling a new agency vision that will further support the work done in 2022 to drive greater connection and shared purpose across the agency.” 

Adds Erickson, “We will continue to build on our growth within DTP as well as our commitment to inclusive marketing through Color of Health in partnership with CIEN+.”

Philanthropy/citizenship

H/S partnered with pro bono client Cardiovascular Research Foundation to bring a new consumer awareness campaign to life. Published in Lürzer’s Archive, the “Little Monsters” campaign sheds light on the prevalence of heart disease, the No. 1 cause of death for women in the United States, and the urgency of treating risk factors such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

“The ‘little monsters’ are metaphors for these silent risk factors, which left unchecked can grow into serious heart disease, a full-sized monster. When you see the arresting and intricately crafted images of a little female vampire or witch in these ads, you can’t help but pay attention,” says Daniel Jay, H/S executive creative director. “And that’s what’s desperately needed in this space, given how critical it is for women to treat risk factors early, before they take a dangerous turn.

“We were so moved by this opportunity to bring awareness to heart disease risk in women, and we look forward to more chances to bring awareness to other areas of health this year.”