Humancare: 2023

Humancare, an IPG Health company

100 West 33rd Street, New York, NY 10001  

917-346-1860 • [email protected] • humancarehc.com

Quick Facts

Accounts

• Account wins: 8

Brands by 2022 sales

• $25 million or less: 2
• $100 million-$500 million: 1
• $1 billion or more: 3
• Products not yet approved/launched: 5

Services mix

• HCP: 50%
• DTC: 50%

Client roster

• AbbVie
• Alexion
• Boehringer Ingelheim
• Bristol Myers Squibb
• GenMab
• Janssen
• Madrigal Pharmaceuticals
• Relief Therapeutics

Imagine an agency purpose-built to the needs of the innovators in healthcare,” says the leadership team at Humancare. “An agency with entrepreneurial energy. Plus, all the resources and expertise of the world’s largest global healthcare marketing network. Lean. Nimble. Inventive. Hungry. Equally adept at HCP, DTC, and DTP, and any other acronyms that don’t exist yet but will.

“An agency born of the understanding that beneath the labels of physician, caregiver, or patient, we are all human – that special .01 percent of life on earth that dreams, feels, inspires, and above all, cares. Because when you keep human at the center of everything you do, something changes. Insights speak to heart as well as head. Data takes on a face. And advertising becomes advocacy. 

“That’s Humancare. “

Recent accomplishments

Humancare was launched in June 2022 and leaders say by the end of the year, had already seen dramatic growth.   

“We started as stewards of mega-blockbuster brands in the oncology space and soon-to-be blockbuster brands in the immunology space,” says Managing Director Greg Lao. “The power of our distinctive model was quickly confirmed,” he adds, “as we grew to include six new clients and eight new brand assignments.” 

“We’re building something built for today’s world. Something modern, progressive – we represent the way things are trending right now,” adds Lauren Cohen, managing director/creative who joined the agency from BBDO New York in September 2022. “Patients, consumers, and HCPs are closer than ever before – and our superhuman power is that we’re uniquely poised at the intersection of the conversation. Well versed and equally strong across DTC and HCP. As people become more active in their healthcare, the more you have to infuse humanity. Our objective is to live up to our name – find nuggets of empathy and relevance in everything we do.” 

Leaders say Humancare worked on some of the most highly anticipated launches of 2022 in immunology and oncology, and now partners with clients across therapeutic categories from metabolics and rare disease to CNS. 

While the agency’s unique structure has been one key to success, Lao and Cohen also credit the Humancare culture and mindset.  

“Our mission is our name, when you keep human at the center of everything you do, you do things differently,” Cohen says. 

According to Lao, “At Humancare, we don’t merely reach audiences, we connect with individuals – in meaningful, relatable, fundamentally human ways. That combination of human and caring is something we never forget. How could we? It’s in all of our email addresses.” 

Structure and services

Humancare is a collection of individuals specifically selected from the IPG Health network and broader healthcare communications universe for their unique hybrid skill sets and depth of knowledge, according to managers. “Our team is able to deliver comprehensive integrated communications across all channels and tactics. Our tools and processes are designed to build brands around people, not just products.” 

Cohen leads the Humancare creative department, overseeing work across all clients and brands. Executives say with more than 25 years of experience across consumer advertising, DTC, and HCP, she has created exceptional work across the full spectrum of contemporary advertising, from soft drinks and Superbowl commercials to rare disease campaigns.  

 Lao brings 37 years of business and marketing acumen and a passion for building brands to his role leading the agency with Cohen. Executives say Lao embodies the Humancare approach, melding immense expertise and understanding of the healthcare space with human-centered leadership that inspires loyalty among staff and clients alike.  

 Group President Tammy Fischer, a long-standing IPG Health leader, is described as a hands-on leader with a proven track record of building, modernizing, and integrating agency services. Fischer says she spearheaded the birth of Humancare with a relentless passion to create a unique agency that  “speaks the simple truth. Complexity marginalizes people, and we will not let that continue. Health has changed around the world and Humancare is changing with it.

“When it comes to our RTO approach, we continue 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.”

Future plans

We head into 2023 with serious momentum, with exciting new business opportunities and the prospect of further growth from current clients, as well as major, transformative launches before we even finish our first full year in business,” executives say. 

The agency expects its healthy growth to continue in 2023 and intends to manage it by carefully choosing the brands and companies with whom they partner, with a focus on organizations that share their human-centric vision.

According to the agency leadership team, “true omnichannel implementation and delivery” is another key area of focus. 

“Humancare teams have already helped pioneer many first-in-pharma innovations in this space. We’re focused on helping our partners fully realize the potential of this vital avenue. We’ve been immensely gratified by the response to our human-centric philosophy and the impact it has had in everything from new business success, to the work we produce, to creating a powerful sense of community in a largely remote work environment.” 

In 2023, the agency will be moving into new office space, as well as adding staff and new client partners, the leadership team says. “We’re eager to show what’s possible when you keep human at the center of everything you do.  Because for us, it’s more than healthcare. It’s Humancare.”

Philanthropy/citizenship

As one would expect, we have a strong commitment to improving the human condition,” leaders state. In 2022, Humancare undertook initiatives to provide support during the infant formula crisis. 

“We also lent our support to non-human friends, devoting time and funding to the Humane Society of New York,” executives say. “One of our first initiatives in 2023 is an innovative pro-bono effort in the young women’s healthcare space.

“From the work we create to the ways we create it, Humancare embraces diversity and inclusion. Patients, consumers and HCPs see themselves in the work we create every day. We’re proud to implement IPG Health’s first-in-industry, proprietary framework, inQ [Inclusion Intelligence Quotient]to help create inclusive experiences throughout our work, leading to more authentic and meaningful interactions for our audience.”