McCann Health: 2021

McCann Health

622 Third Avenue

New York, NY, 10017

E-mail 

[email protected]

Website 

mccannhealth.com

 

2021 MANNY AWARDS FINALIST

Most Admired Agency

Network of the Year

 

“COVID-19 has been a paradigm shift in the way we live our lives and in every aspect of our industry,” says McCann Health Global CEO John Cahill. “From the dramatic pivot to all things digital and virtual, to the change in ‘where of care,’ and the emergence of new venues for health delivery like telehealth and pharmacies. The silver linings are clear though – the rise of scientific authority, an empathy mandate and the acceleration of digital tools and technologies. These play into our strengths – McCann Health is ready for the “new normal.” 

In a year that brought new and different levels of stress and anxiety, McCann Health tapped into its global footprint, harnessed its network power and experienced tremendous growth across the board, even amidst unprecedented challenges, management says.  

RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

McCann Health welcomed new North America President Jim Joseph, “flowered shirts and all,” network executives say. “Even remotely, he has hit the ground running with his people-first management style and emphasis on innovation and growth. And he couldn’t have come back to healthcare at a better time.”

As Joseph explains, “During 2020, health came to the forefront of society’s mind like never before, refocusing the attention of every brand, institution and company. As the world focuses on its health and the science that will improve it, we have never been prouder of our work. And as every company looks to be a health and wellness company, it’s a very good time to be in healthcare.”

Integrating McCann Health Echo into McCann Health New Jersey, the network created another U.S. hub in New Jersey. “The addition to the New Jersey hub accelerates our synergistic ability to create a simplified and unified approach to the market across our core pillars of strategy, science and creative, and allows us to provide a global to local business offering to all of our clients worldwide,” management says.

Across the ocean, McCann Health elevated Saturnino Izquierdo to the position of President, Europe and Latin America, overseeing agencies in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Brazil. 

According to network leaders, McCann Health had a “standout” year for industry recognition, new business wins, and overall growth. 

Network executives say more than 50 percent of McCann Health North America’s clients are now global brands. “Our agencies in Europe and Latin America also experienced growth in a trying year. McCann Health Brazil now works with all top 20 global pharmaceutical companies and McCann Health France made tremendous strides in expanding their global business amid a wave of significant new accounts and clients. McCann Health London’s pivotal role in partnering with our other agencies across the world led to three major new business wins and has increased our global network power.”

McCann Health Medical Communications, Consulting, and Specialist Practices in Pharmacy and Engagement also saw banner years, management says, “working quickly to adapt to the changes in both the ways we work, as well as the work itself. Throughout it all, we stayed in touch with our clients through pulse checks, ensuring that as they navigated changes in their industries, we were there to support them in the ways they most needed supporting all along the way.” 

As far as awards went, the leadership team says, “Though our network pressed pause on new award submissions at the start of the global crisis to focus on our clients and employees, a number of campaigns created pre-pandemic were celebrated across our agencies. The network took home two gold, five silver and two bronze awards at the 2020 AME Awards, McCann Health London has earned 34 creative and effectiveness awards over the past two years and McCann Health Japan was named Campaign’s Specialist Agency of the Year for the third year in a row. McCann Health Brazil began 2020 strong, being named both South America Health Network of the Year and overall Health & Wellness Agency of the Year at the 2019 LIA awards.”

McCann Health Managed Markets became the first and only market access agency to win the 2020 Manny Award for Agency of the Year (Category III), as well as its third straight Manny’s win for Best Managed Markets Campaign and Gold for MM&M’s Best Use of Market Access Marketing Award, management says, adding that McCann Health New York’s Neuriva “Brain Better” campaign won big at the AMEs, NY Globals, and the Effies, all contributing to McCann Worldgroup winning the Effies’ Network of the Year. 

“These award wins, during a year like we just had, are an excellent reminder that our creative outputs, when truly effective, help create the meaningful role our clients and businesses play in the world and in changing lives,” says Global Chief Creative Officer Matt Eastwood. “And the application of that ability in our ‘new normal’ is infinite.”

The network’s people were also “showered with praise,” leadership says, pointing out how McCann Health Managed Markets President Kim Wishnow-Per was inducted into MM&M’s Hall of Femme and Cahill was honored with Industry Person of the Year at the 2020 Manny Awards.

Network leaders say many aspects of the health care delivery system have been forced to reset reevaluate and innovate to address the changing needs of patients and consumers in the mid and post-COVID-19 world. But what about those who have spent the past year on the front lines? According to Global Chief Strategy Officer Hilary Gentile, “In revisiting McCann Health’s original 2016 Truth About Doctors study, comparing the original data with new data from 2020, we revealed the scale and scope of the emotional impact of COVID-19 for doctors, presenting a way forward for our clients in partnering with doctors to earn a meaningful role in the care ecosystem.”

The leadership team says in a year when science was more than deserving of celebration, the network held the first annual Festival of Science, a week-long program dedicated to reinforcing the value of science, celebrating breakthroughs in medicine, and the McCann Health science community. During this event the network announced the promotion of Dr. Dan Carucci to Global Chief Medical Officer. “While Dr. Carucci has always been a fixture across the network, during the pandemic he became a guiding light for employees and clients alike, dispatching weekly reports on data updates, therapeutic and vaccine developments,” management says.

“While the pandemic necessitated an acceleration of drugs and vaccines at a pace never seen before, we’re now prepared for continued scientific discovery and application in ways unimaginable pre-COVID-19,” Dr. Carucci says. 

And according to network leaders, the primacy of science isn’t a fad that is going away in a post-COVID world. “As the sole healthcare communications agency on the Private Sector Roundtable, supporting the UN Global Health Security Agenda, we’re actively working with major private sector players eager for best practices in communications for the current health crisis, as well as to help prepare for future threats to global health security,” Dr. Carucci says.

(top row left to right) John Cahill, global CEO; Matt Eastwood, global chief creative officer; Hilary Gentile, global chief strategy officer
(bottom row left to right) Linda Szyper, global chief operating officer; Phillip Sutcliffe, global chief financial officer; Dr. Dan Carucci, global chief medical officer

STRUCTURE AND SERVICES

This year, more than ever, was the value of a strong scientific foundation crucial, network leaders say, and the Global Scientific Council, the 450-plus strong community of Ph.D.s, M.D.s, pharmacists and medical/scientific experts, continues to bring world-class, evidence-based science to pharma and healthcare clients and making complex science more accessible for all stakeholders. “This allows our clients to trust that they have an agency who not only understands their products but also has intimate knowledge of how they are used to benefit the global community,” management says.

Network leaders point out that as illustrated by the global pandemic, healthcare extenders play a pivotal role in health care delivery, conducting activities and interventions in disease prevention and health promotion by working closely with patients and physicians. The promotion of Sandra Carey to President, Expert Audiences, reinforced the network’s focus on broadening reach to healthcare experts in their respective fields, network executives say.

FUTURE PLANS

As we stay diligent, continuing to navigate through one health crisis, we’re also aware of another one in its wake, burnout,” network executives say. “Focusing on our employees’ mental wellness is a key priority. We know that our success is due to the strength of our network, which is made up of our key asset: our people.” 

“There was no playbook for 2020, and we often found ourselves without the answers,” says Global Chief Operating Officer Linda Szyper. “Through the strength of our global network, learning from offices as they managed with the business and operations repercussions of the pandemic, we stayed agile and implemented new ways of working more quickly and effectively. We’ve entered 2021 with eyes wide open, confident in the experience we’ve gained over the past year.”

Cahill is looking to the horizon. “It’s an understatement to say that the impacts of COVID-19 will be profound,” he says. “However, we know it’s more productive to focus on what our future holds rather than dwell on the challenges the past year posed. The key is in taking the learnings from those challenges and turning them into opportunities. That’s exactly what we’re prepared to do.” 

PHILANTHROPY/CITIZENSHIP

McCann Global Health is supporting iNGOs, companies and local governments throughout the pandemic, helping to create impactful awareness, training and education campaigns to improve global public health outcomes, leadership says. The network’s film for the state of New York encouraging the city’s residents to take mask wearing seriously was shared across multiple government media platforms and aided community leaders with communicating the importance of mask wearing. 

With the Asia Development Bank, the agency is developing strategic frameworks to address COVID-19 in ADB member countries. McCann Global Health also serves as the strategic communications partner for the CONVINCE Initiative, a global initiative to support uptake of COVID-19 vaccines and tackle vaccine hesitancy. Additionally, the network provides consultative services to UNICEF and World Health Organization on addressing the pandemic and increasing immunization in high-burdened communities throughout the world.

McCann Health New York’s groundbreaking public service campaign, the “Unfinished Votes” used AI to bring a Parkland shooting victim back to life to encourage gun safety and was named SHOOT magazine’s #1 top spot of 2020. 

McCann Health Managed Markets dedicated its long-standing Volunteer Time Off (VTO) day to give back to communities affected by the pandemic, including working with Grow-A-Row, addressing food insecurity. Similarly, McCann Health New Jersey also focused its philanthropic efforts on those affected by the pandemic, including a bake off to raise money for “Get Us PPE,” and work on mental health and suicide awareness with The Orange Project. 

“In the wake of all of the challenges our global community has faced in 2020, including a global health crisis and social unrest and systemic inequality, participation in the second annual Day for Meaning was that much more impactful,” according to McCann Health network executives. “On this day all work is paused to focus on diversity and inclusion, including the development of agency action plans for continuing to move our diversity, engagement and inclusion work forward.”