Medical Advertising Hall Of Fame 2016

The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame honored C. Marshall Paul and Scott Cotherman as 2016 inductees; Ken Begasse Sr. was the Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

 

The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame elected its 2016 inductees at a black-tie ceremony on Feb. 11, 2016, at The Pierre Hotel in New York City. C. Marshall Paul, market researcher, and Scott Cotherman, former CEO of CAHG, represented the newest induction class. Additionally, Ken Begasse Sr. was recognized with the annual MAHF Lifetime Achievement Award.

During his 50-year career in pharmaceutical marketing and related research, Mr. Paul spent time on both the manufacturer and service sides of the industry. He began as a market research analyst for Merck from 1963 to 1965, then moved to IMS where he spent 17 years before becoming a co-owner of Healthcare Communications (HCI) in 1982. When HCI was sold to ACNielsen in 1997, he became president of ACNielsen/HCI through 2010.

As president of HCI, Mr. Paul pursued a goal of providing primary promotion research showing the effectiveness of, and relationship between, the different promotion components. His efforts yielded information that allowed marketers to communicate and promote more efficiently and more effectively. A generation of marketers have benefited from the information and guidance that he provided.

“Medical advertising is a leveraging tool that magnifies the effect of detailing at a fraction of detailing’s expense, thereby increasing marketing’s ROI,” Mr. Paul concluded during his induction speech. “In this way, advertising can offer part of the solution necessary to create needed marketing efficiency increasingly demanded by the spot light on healthcare expenditures. At the end of the day: Good advertising works and the process can be effectively managed to ensure success.”

Mr. Cotherman was just the third CEO in the 54-year history of the organization that began as Frank J. Corbett Advertising, which eventually became CAHG and now operates as Corbett. During his 15-year tenure as CEO, Mr. Cotherman’s forward-looking style positioned Corbett to anticipate and capitalize on changes in the industry and society – such as the impact of personalized healthcare. Under his leadership, the agency continued to adapt and grow. He led the expansion of the agency’s global footprint by singularly aligning with TBWA/WorldHealth, becoming chairman of a network spanning 48 offices in 36 countries.

Mr. Cotherman served three years as chairperson of the MAHF, expanding the organization’s mission to include providing educational and support resources for the next generation of industry executives.

‘Throughout his career, Scott focused on securing the present by investing in the future,” says Robin Shapiro, president of Corbett. “His accomplishments and contributions have had a profound impact on our agency and our industry – spanning the past, the present, and leading us into the future. He led by example. Yes, he was an industry visionary; but he also touched us on a personal level because of his integrity, loyalty, sense of fairness, and passion for everything he did.”

Ken Begasse Sr.’s career spanned 37 years before his untimely death in 2010. He began his career in healthcare when he established and led the Respiratory Therapy Department and Pulmonary Lab at Greenwich Hospital. A chance meeting switched his career into advertising when he joined the small Kimmich & Company ad agency in Norwalk, Conn., as an account executive. After a decade at Kimmich, Mr. Begasse Sr. joined Sudler & Hennessey, then went on to senior positions at Lowe McAdams, Nelson Communications, CommonHealth, MBS/VOX, and finally CEO of Concentric Pharma Advertising, an agency co-founded by his son. While his career was marked by continuing business success, possibly his most notable achievement – and the one he was proudest of – was the mentoring and development of young talent.

“He helped us all to ‘dream’ in our strategy, to push the boundaries of what could be done, not to settle on the obvious or the easy-to-sell strategy,” says Ken Begasse Jr., CEO of Concentric Health Experience. “He’d rather lose a pitch with the right strategy than win a pitch with a strategy that couldn’t work.” 

 

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About the MAHF

The Medical Advertising Hall of Fame was founded during 1996 to:

• Document the history of the industry.

• Honor the retired men and women who have made significant contributions to the medical advertising profession –  MAHF Inductees.

• Attract and honor next-generation talent to the medical advertising profession – Future Famers.

• Honor industry creatives by recognizing great, retired campaigns – Heritage Awards. The Heritage Award allows the industry to pay appropriate homage to writers, art directors, and account people who made a great campaign come to life.

MAHF membership is open to healthcare advertising agencies and publications, and consists of the leaders of nearly 40 agencies and publishing companies.

For more information about the MAHF and its annual ceremony, please contact David Gideon, executive director, at [email protected].