HealthWork

1285 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10019

Telephone
212-459-5000
Website
healthworkny.com

Quick Facts
Accounts
Account wins 5
Active business clients 7

Brands by 2018 sales
Brand-product accounts held 9

FINALIST
Best consumer campaign – TV/Radio

 

2018 represented the eighth year that HealthWork has been at work, and marked a year in which the joint venture between consumer giant BBDO and healthcare innovators CDM began to expand in important and new ways, according to agency leaders.
“Because HealthWork isn’t an agency, but rather a collaboration, we measure success a little differently than others might,” says Denise Henry, Associate Partner and Managing Director of HealthWork. “We measure our growth and success on business performance, for sure. But we also measure it in how we’re challenging each other, in the ‘firsts’ we inspire each other to take on, in the teams we build together, and in the number of clients we inspire to think differently. That’s how HealthWork works.”

Recent accomplishments

Last year was one in which HealthWork grew in strong ways, say leaders of the joint venture. “HealthWork expanded globally, collaboratively, and creatively last year,” Henry says. “So, we grew in ways that aren’t just revenue-driven, but ways that are also meaningful to the healthy growth of this partnership.”
The leadership team says this growth is because HealthWork continues to be a fundamentally different idea in healthcare marketing – and one that more clients than ever sparked to in 2018. Says Kirsten Flanik, President of BBDO New York, “HealthWork is unlike any other offering in healthcare marketing today. It recognizes that clients trying to market to consumers or the combination of consumers and HCPs face a difficult choice: do they go with a great consumer shop that does groundbreaking work, but doesn’t understand the nuances and restrictions of healthcare? Or do they go with a healthcare shop that ‘gets it,’ but can’t do work that is truly innovative? HealthWork removes this false choice by combining the strengths of BBDO and CDM in a seamless and fully integrated way.”
The dedication to building this different idea in healthcare resulted in some strong new business wins in 2018. “We expanded our relationship with two blue-chip clients, notching a new brand from Genentech and three important new business wins with Pfizer in the vaccines and rare disease spaces. These wins give us new ways to flex the power of this partnership and bring new creativity to these categories,” says Chris Palmer, President of CDM New York.
Success is not just showing up in new business wins, Henry says, but in the global expansion of the partnership. “We’ve taken the HealthWork idea to four new markets: Paris, Barcelona, London, and San Francisco. Some of these launches occurred where we didn’t even have clients yet. But, in those places where we didn’t have clients, now we do. That just goes to show how strong the chemistry is between these agencies – and how strong this idea is to our clients.”
The partnership also received strong creative recognition during 2018, with wins at MM&M, the Global Awards, and the Telly Awards. “Just as important, we thrive on the recognition our clients give us,” Henry says. “Our work for Allergan’s Vraylar been noted as driving a dramatic lift in share since its launch in February 2018. It’s moving work, but it’s also moving business.”

STRUCTURE AND SERVICES

HealthWork prides itself on being able to bring new competencies into the healthcare space – particularly by tapping into the cutting-edge digital and data capabilities of BBDO, agency leaders say.
“Imagine surrounding a healthcare brand not only with deep scientific and clinical understanding, but also being able to bring the same social creativity and brand activation power that fuels brands like Snickers, AT&T, and Barbie,” Henry explains. “That’s what this partnership makes possible. Medical and Scientific Affairs, HCP analytics, consumer behavioral data, comms planning, and influencer marketing – this partnership combines all of these disciplines and more in on-demand ways for our clients and makes magic possible.”

FUTURE PLANS

2019 will be a year of continued expansion for the partnership “in every way possible,” HealthWork leaders say.
“We plan on bringing the HealthWork model to even more markets – and to expand into new healthcare markets as well,” Palmer says. “We believe that oncology is an area that could really benefit from a fresh creative voice, so we’re highly focused there.”
Henry says, “We’re also committed to bringing new platforms into the healthcare space. Not many healthcare clients have ventured into addressable content or dynamic creative optimization, but we are deeply into these platforms with BBDO’s consumer brands, and have already created a point of view on how healthcare clients can leverage these models as well.”

PHILANTHROPY/CITIZENSHIP

As one might expect, given the nature of the BBDO/CDM partnership, the agencies behind the joint venture help out with each other’s philanthropic endeavors. HealthWork is a core contributor to Pharmapalooza, the healthcare ad industry battle of the bands that supports the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore, as well as the American Heart Association, both of which are long-term passions of CDM. In addition, HealthWork makes strong, yearlong contributions to the American Red Cross, the primary philanthropic cause of BBDO. “Like everything we do, we find ways we can collaborate in giving back to the community,” Palmer says. “It’s just one more way this partnership is truly special.” medadnews