HYC Health: 2016

HYC Health

142 East Ontario Street, 13th Floor

Chicago, IL 60611

Telephone: 312.274.3573

E-mail: [email protected]

Website: HYCHealth.com

 

 

Accounts

Account wins            3

Active business clients       7

 

Services Mix

Professional advertising                       25%

DTC                                                            25%

DTP                                                            25%

Customer engagement                          25%

 

 

HYC Health emerged onto the healthcare communications scene with a singular goal: to reduce the distance between agency engagement and brand outcome, according to executives. Driving the agency toward that goal is Managing Director Susan Flinn Cobian, an industry veteran with a lifetime of diverse healthcare experience and, executives say, a knack for getting deep into the minds of clients. “We’ve all heard the saying ‘you can be fast or you can be good—you can’t be both,’” Cobian says. “We live in a ‘need it yesterday’ world, and clients no longer want to pay for expensive, top-heavy agencies that take months to develop a brand plan. We wanted to find a way to be smarter AND faster, without compromising quality. In a nutshell, we solve client business challenges smarter, faster, and better than many outdated agency models.”

According to agency leaders, beyond the science of healthcare advertising, exceptional creative is necessary to create emotional responses and drive behavior. Award-winning Creative Director Rich Angelini, whom Cobian has known and worked beside for more than 15 years, says the HYC Health approach to creative is focused on customer engagement.

“When it comes to creative development, what we do particularly well is to tell the story – we engage people on a more personal level, whether it be doctor, patient or caregiver,” Angelini says. “Beyond simply creating a concept out of the core brand claim, our curiosity drives us to find the information that customers really need to know. The more creative lenses one uses, the more diverse and surprising the creative offering.”

Supporting this ambitious undertaking is HYC Health’s parent company, Myelin Communications, which executives say is a “unique” network of companies specializing in health and financial services.

While big networks have historically had a reputation of being more restrictive than supportive, “Myelin was purposely created and built to make certain that each and every company we acquire offers synergistic opportunities to current and future clients,” says Rich Levy, CEO. “We like to think of ourselves as a ‘releasing’ company as opposed to a holding company. Our clients – and the employees who service them – benefit from a vast network of global talent, developed and nurtured over the past three decades. This allows us to bring the right expert to every project, delivering results faster.”

 

This year’s accomplishments

Although a relatively new name in the healthcare agency world, HYC Health is part of another Chicago agency, HY Connect, a full-service, integrated advertising agency, headed up by Dave Sheehan, president. Executives say it is one of America’s fastest growing advertising agencies, with clients ranging from large financial services companies such as MB Financial to restaurant giants Baker’s Square and Village Inn to CPG companies, including Wahl. HY Connect offers a full suite of integrated services that include digital, creative, brand strategy, broadcast, paid and social media, SEO/SEM, and research. “The launch of HYC Health demonstrates their commitment to growth in the healthcare industry and directly reflects significant new business wins in 2015 that include Roche Diagnostics International, Indiana University Health Plans, and Emisphere Technologies,” executives say. “Due to this growth, headcount in the Chicago office increased 34 percent, with exceptional talent joining the team from all over the country.”

According to agency leaders, HYC Health’s laser focus on customer service is integral to ensuring excellent work is delivered with optimal efficiency for every client. In 2015, the HYC Health team developed a new branded women’s health program targeting OBGYNs and launched the new Roche Point of Care division. This was followed by the development of a campaign dramatizing the importance of biologically relevant HTS data for the LightCycler 1536 and the global launch of the CoaguChek Pro II System, as “the new bold standard for coagulation monitoring at the point of care,” executives say. The Customer Experience division also tasked the team with revamping their entire customer outreach program, which include more than 25 events.

Successes were not limited to Roche, executives say. A direct response campaign for Indiana University Health, “Same Day Appointments,” delivered a 6 percent increase in customer base year over year, grew primary care share, and delivered a 6-to-1 return on investment. The “In the Know” campaign for Indiana University Health Plans resulted in application rates that were 30 percent over goal. And for Advocate Health Care, the “Stories of the Girls” campaign resulted in a 337 percent increase in mammography appointments over the previous year.

2015 was also an exciting year for HYC Health’s parent company, Myelin Communications, executives say. The company continued to fuel growth by teaming up with firms that enable deeper, richer, and more comprehensive service offerings. According to Levy, “We acquire companies because of the culture, talent, and experience within the continuum of healthcare that they have. We then make sure that once we bring them into Myelin, we don’t try to change any of the ingredients that have made them so successful.” 

 

Structure and services

“HYC Health offers clients extremely senior-level thinking and creative without the large bureaucratic structure. Each and every client is assured of having very senior, experienced leadership involved in his or her day-to-day business,” Cobian says. A case in point is the recent addition of healthcare strategy expert Pat Pappageorge, who joined HYC Health in late 2015.

Focused on exceeding customer expectations, Pappageorge says, “We listen intently, understand the dynamics at play, and quickly distill the essence of what motivates customers as well as what will engage them – and then we deliver what they can’t get elsewhere.”

 

Future plans

According to executives, HYC Health is dedicated to continuing on its trajectory of outperforming clients’ goals and objectives. They have stated their commitment to growing their partnerships with existing clients as well as building relationships with clients new to HYC Health. Cobian says, “We’ve had two years of rapid growth but this is just the beginning for us. We’re constantly adding resources and talent to ensure we’re equipped to service every client as if they were our only client.”

 

Philanthropy/citizenship

“We very much encourage each and every one of our employees to pursue and participate in charitable activities that are important to them and bring benefits to the community and or cause,” Levy says.

Executives say HYC in particular has a long history of pro bono work, serving as the agency of record for the American Cancer Society’s Gala Ball, its single largest fundraising event each year as well as the Advocate Heart Ball. For each of these, HYC developed the theme, look, and feel, invitations, and other collateral to support each event. The agency also supports many community organizations through charitable donations each year. These include Urban Initiatives, which gives children the opportunity to learn about health, character and teamwork through soccer. And in 2015, Team HYC  participated in the American Heart Association’s annual Heart Walk, raising more than $25,000 for AHA.

“HYC Health: Agile. Insightful. Savvy,” executives say.