MicroMass Communications 2015
MicroMass Communications Inc.
11000 Regency Parkway, Suite 300
Cary NC 27518
Telephone: 919-851-3182
Facsimile: 919-851-3188
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: micromass.com
QUICK FACTS
Accounts
Account wins 7
Active business clients 15
Brands by 2014 sales
Brand-product accounts held 24
$25 million or less 3
$25 million to $50 million 1
$50 million to $100 million 2
$100 million to $500 million 4
$500 million to $1 billion 3
$1 billion or more 5
Products yet to be approved/launched 2
Services Mix
Patient engagement and support 42%
Professional and consumer relationship marketing 37%
Pre-commercial & clinical 12%
Health behavior consulting 9%
Client Roster
Acura Pharmaceuticals
Amgen
AstraZeneca
Auxilium Pharmaceuticals
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals
Gilead Sciences
GlaxoSmithKline
Grifols USA
Janssen
Merck
NJ Rutgers Cancer Center
Novo Nordisk
Onyx Pharmaceuticals
Sanofi
United Therapeutics
ViiV Healthcare
The shift in the healthcare landscape from volume to value has created new challenges, new opportunities, and a new dynamic among healthcare stakeholders. Despite the varying needs this environment has produced, there is one unifying goal: improved patient outcomes. Executives say this goal is not a new area of focus for MicroMass Communications.
More than 20 years ago, professors of behavioral science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill were studying one-on-one health coaching to help patients overcome barriers to making positive behavior changes. The professors realized that this approach was effective but not scalable. So, they partnered with entrepreneurs to establish MicroMass to take that one-on-one (micro) approach and use technology to deliver it on a mass scale to impact millions and improve public health.
Since that time, MicroMass has created patient and provider behavior change programs in more than 30 therapeutic categories, helping pharma meet commercial objectives and establish real-world value with customers. MicroMass’ expertise in health behavior extends beyond an insulated group of individuals with degrees in behavioral science, executives say. At MicroMass, developing behavior change programs is an integrated capability. Creative, strategy, and account teams are trained in behavior change strategies. Executives say the agency’s proprietary methods ensure that behavioral science is optimally applied to meet clients’ needs. According to agency leaders, MicroMass’ expertise is unrivaled in the industry, with more than two decades of practical experience developing and deploying behavior-based programs for pharma, healthcare systems, and accountable care organizations.
The year’s accomplishments
Working on everything from rare disease to mass-market products, MicroMass has partnered with numerous clients who recognize the need to go beyond a traditional marketing approach to be successful in today’s outcomes-driven environment.
“Many clients who seek us out have good insights about their customers,” says Alyson Connor, president of MicroMass. “They recognize that traditional industry tactics and persuasive messaging are not going to move the needle and are looking for an agency partner with the capability to actually change customer behavior in a meaningful way.”
In 2014, the agency won work with Janssen, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Onyx, and Gilead. MicroMass also continued work with key clients such as Sanofi, United Therapeutics, Novo Nordisk, and ViiV. Therapeutic areas of focus during 2014 included hepatitis C, oncology, obesity, dyslipidemia, and HIV. Both new and continuing work centers on developing behavior change offerings to address critical marketplace challenges such as overcoming prescribing inertia, promoting readiness to treat, improving patient-provider dialogue, engaging patients in their care, promoting adherence, and demonstrating real-world value to payers.
“We are very excited by both the commercial and public health impact we are having in the marketplace,” says Phil Stein, CEO of MicroMass. “Just in this past year, we have partnered with multiple launch brands and have impacted more than 8 million patients through our initiatives.”
MicroMass’ programs and services are recognized for the value they bring to clients over traditional marketing approaches. Agency leaders say the “Ready at Every Step” program that MicroMass launched with the GSK oncology franchise in 2014 reflects this successful nontraditional approach.
“GSK is committed to delivering programs that put patient needs first,” says Anthony Antonelli, marketing manager, patient engagement at GSK. “The Ready at Every Step program is a prime example of our mission in action. Instead of focusing on product-centric education and reminders, we recognized that patients needed an experience to help them build the skills and confidence to better manage their condition and treatment.”
Structure and services
Agency leaders say MicroMass applies this specialized behavioral approach to impacting patient outcomes in four key service areas: patient engagement and support, consumer and professional relationship marketing, precommercial and clinical communications, and health behavior consulting. A core tenet to delivering on MicroMass’ integrated behavior change capability is having strategy, behavioral, account, creative, and technology departments all working together in-house on innovative ways to apply behavioral science for pharma, health systems, and accountable care organization clients, executives say.
Future plans
To respond to quickly changing marketplace needs and challenges, MicroMass recently established an “innovation lab” under the agency’s Health Behavior Group. This group will use a rapid-fire, product-focused development model to generate ideas and quickly test the real-world feasibility and acceptance of prototypes for patients and providers. Prototypes that meet specific criteria will be fully developed for stakeholders in the marketplace, including pharma, provider organizations, and payers. MicroMass plans to expand current partnerships with universities and health systems and also plans to seek innovative sources of funding to accelerate the application of specific prototypes in the areas of diabetes self-management and health coaching.
Later this year, MicroMass will release results from a study on a proprietary behavior change intervention. In 2014, MicroMass launched a clinical trial to test the effect of its unique mobile app, Time2Focus, on reduction of HbA1C. Time2Focus is a self-management program that allows patients with type 2 diabetes to practice everyday, real-world decision-making related to their disease. The intervention leverages evidence-based techniques such as problem solving and employs gamification principles to engage patients in a progressive skill-building experience to drive lasting changes in behavior.
Philanthropy/citizenship
Because community outreach is a core value at MicroMass, employees set aside time and energy to help make a difference in the community, executives say. MicroMass focuses on partnering with local organizations that impact health outcomes. In 2014, MicroMass continued its pro bono partnership with DiabetesSisters, a patient advocacy organization, on key initiatives such as developing promotional materials for national events and conducting needs assessments to optimize the organization’s programs.
For seven years, MicroMass has been a key sponsor of the Masters of the Mulligan golf tournament, which benefits The Healing Place, a homeless and substance abuse rehabilitation facility. MicroMass was also able to help Hilltop Home communicate their mission by providing fundraising materials. This private, nonprofit residential center serves children with severe developmental and medical disabilities.
Beyond providing these creative and strategic services, MicroMass employees came together to support a range of local community projects, including collecting school supplies for BackPack Buddies, organizing a March Madness food drive to benefit Urban Ministries, and giving holiday gifts to two families through the Raleigh Rescue Mission.
