TBWA\WorldHealth: 2022

TBWA\WorldHealth

220 East 42nd Street, 14th Floor, New York, NY 10017
212-771-3000 • tbwaworldhealth.com

 

QUICK FACTS

Accounts
Account wins 9
Active business clients 39

Brands by 2021 sales
Brand-product accounts held 39

 

Services Mix

Professional promotion (physicians) 45%
Patient/consumer marketing 40%
Professional promotion (nurses/other HCP) 8%
Other (internal communications) 7%

 

Client Roster

Adaptive Biotechnologies
Aimmune Global
Amgen
Bayer
Biogen
Bluebird bio
Bonafide
Cytokinetics
Intra-Cellular Therapies
IONIS
Johnson & Johnson DePuy
Merck
Merck/AstraZeneca
Merck/Sanofi
Moderna
Novartis
Organon
PfizerPro
Philips Global
Special Olympics
Takeda
Teva
Xeris

 

FINALIST

VISION AWARD

 

“While other agencies were focused on dealing with the Great Resignation, TBWA\WorldHealth set its sights on becoming the great destination,” says CEO Robin Shapiro.

The leadership team describes TBWA\WorldHealth as “a dynamic agency collective that is awake to the endless possibilities in healthcare and wellness. With more than 450 employees, the agency has embodied ‘disruption’ since its launch in 2016. TBWA\WorldHealth partners with the world’s most fearless and leading-edge healthcare brands and is guided by three distinctive core values: #BeAuthentic, #DoGood, and #RaiseHell.”

Recent Accomplishments

Unchallenged by a global pandemic and working within a fully virtual world, the network exceeded expectations according to management, emerging in 2022 with new opportunities and exceptional advances including evolved digital and omnichannel capabilities. “TBWA\WorldHealth added disruptive brands to its portfolio via several impressive new business wins,” the agency’s leadership team stated. “As a result, the network grew its roster from 30 to 37 clients, a 23 percent increase. The majority of the agency’s client partnerships are integrated accounts across Global and US as well as HCP and Consumer.” Major brands added to the portfolio include Moderna, PfizerPro, IONIS, Philips Global, Bonafide, and Adaptive Biotechnologies T-Detect, as well as multiple new indications for Keytruda and Intra-Cellular’s Caplyta.

“A laser focus on client health remained a key priority in 2021,” management says. “The agency continued its impressive 95 percent client retention, a key growth strategy and point of pride.”

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) is at the heart of the agency’s strong culture. “TBWA\WorldHealth acknowledges the value of diverse voices and respects the distinctive needs, unique perspective, and unlimited potential of all members within the team,” agency leaders state.

To ensure a diverse and inclusive culture that fosters open engagement and creates an environment of deep trust for its employees, the agency created a new DE&I-focused role: Diversity Equity Inclusion manager. Management says Karina Salinas, a key architect of the agency’s DIVERS\TEAM, is at its helm and leads networkwide efforts that infuse DEI practices into the DNA of the organization – both conceptually and in practice. The group established a leadership team of 17 and grew to more than 100 employees globally.

Three strategic DEI priorities were launched within the group. These are “Top-Down Diversity,” which is meaningful representation at every level with a focus on senior levels; “Empathy at the Center,” which consists of leadership development tools to better support underrepresented director reports; and “Authentic inclusivity in our work,” an effort to encourage clients to think more broadly about DE&I and its impact on their brand.

The agency’s #BlackHealthNow initiative, which was launched in 2019, expanded to an Omnicom Health Group platform in 2021 and continues to grow in impact, agency executives say, adding that #BHN has seen more than 50,000 live viewers on Instagram, over 35,000 video views on LinkedIn, and over 2.1 million impressions on Twitter.

In 2021, the agency invested in a new initiative, #HUEY: Have U Eaten Yet, a social campaign aimed at raising awareness of the unique health struggles of the Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community. The initiative included a drive to help the AAPI community take action, advocate for its mental health and create change within AAPI families. “Have You Eaten Yet” took the main stage at The One Club creative week to address mental health stigma in the AAPI community.

“2021 was an important year for doubling down on DE&I efforts, and the agency will carry that forward in 2022 and beyond,” management says.

According to the leadership team, the vastly changing landscape of client business and agency needs resulted in the acquisition and advancement of top-tier talent to propel the agency’s evolution.

Promotions include Paul Pfleiderer, Ph.D., to Managing Partner, and Matt Paré to Associate Managing Partner at TBWA\WorldHealth US; Carlene Esposito to Managing Partner, TBWA\Health Collective; Richard Fraser to Managing Partner, Digital and Omnichannel Orchestration; and Lila Shah-Wright to Managing Partner and Helen Wong to Associate Managing Partner at WildType.

New hires include Joanna Jacobs, President, TBWA\WorldHealth US; Bruno Bomediano, Executive Creative Director, and Rogério Colantuono, Executive Strategy Director, TBWA\Health Collective; and Candace Barbato, Associate Managing Partner, Mike Dennelly, Executive Director of Strategy, and Matt Gardea, Executive Creative Director, WildType.

Among the honors and accolades the agency received in 2021 were two from the Manny Awards. The agency was named the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champion, and TBWA\Health Collective received Best Consumer Print Campaign.

Structure and Services

TBWA\WorldHealth continued its frictionless remote work policy during the pandemic with most employees seamlessly working from home throughout 2021, according to agency managers, adding that teams were provided the skills and tools to work collaboratively from offices and homes around the globe.

TBWA\WorldHealth has core offices in New York, Jersey City, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, London, Mexico City, Paris, and Singapore. It is part of Omnicom Health Group, the largest healthcare advertising network in the world.

The agency has four business units: TBWA\WorldHealth, which handles U.S. and global HCP communications; TBWA\WorldHealth London, doing global HCP communications; WildType, concentrating on HCP communications; and TBWA\Health Collective, which focuses on consumer health and wellness.

In 2021, Richard Fraser pivoted to head up omnichannel capabilities as Managing Partner, Digital and Omnichannel Orchestration at TBWA\WorldHealth. According to the leadership team, Fraser works across all business units, leading a new effort to catalyze, crystallize, and commercialize a world-class digital offering embedded within the agency.

“With the win of bluebird bio Digital AOR, the agency is poised to amplify success in 2022,” management says.

Future Plans

TBWA\WorldHealth has created a ‘Category of One’ as it relates to its globally boundless agency offering,” the leadership team says. “Key leadership advancements are aimed at helping clients reshape their business and create exponential growth through data-driven modern creative solutions. COVID has dramatically shifted the landscape and the industry needs to embrace that change. TBWA\WorldHealth, the Disruption® Company, will continue to lead the charge.”

In 2022, Jacobs has taken the helm as President of TBWA\WorldHealth US to lead its HCP and Consumer business units. “Beyond driving growth through new and organic business, Joanna brings a wealth of experience in digital and omnichannel leadership as clients look to modernize their marketing strategies,” management says. “Most importantly, Joanna will continue the agency’s proud tradition of championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in all aspects of their work.”

“As we approach our sixth year, we are poised for even greater growth based on the strength of our agency offerings, our values-driven culture, and a talented team of driven, highly empathetic leaders,” Shapiro says. “In partnership with our clients, we will orchestrate meaningful and lasting change in the world of health.”

Philanthropy/Citizenship

Despite a lingering global pandemic and the shift to remote work across all offices, TBWA\WorldHealth team members embraced the #DoGood value and rallied efforts on behalf of deserving causes and charitable organizations, according to agency managers. These included the continued support for the American Lung Association and American Heart Association.

New for 2021, the agency redirected funds normally slated for monthly birthday celebrations and reserved them for a different “charity of choice,” as voted by employees. “This redistribution of funds allowed for the support of 12 different charitable organizations including: Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN), ALS Association, The Trevor Project, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), Alzheimer’s Association, Black Doctors COVID-19 Consortium, Girls Who Code, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), World Wildlife Fund (WWF), Doctors Without Borders, Operation Underground Railroad, and Feeding America,” agency executives say.

In honor of Women’s Health Month (May 2021), the agency hosted the second annual “Do Good. Period” event focused on building awareness of and raising funds for the issue of period poverty. Throughout the month, teams collected feminine hygiene kits and monetary donations for additional supplies. At the end of the month, teams gathered in New York and Chicago to assemble supplies for distribution at shelters and food pantries to low-income women in need through a partnership with The Period Collective and Campaign Against Hunger.

“The initial goal was 300 kits, but the successful month-long event allowed the team to exceed its goal by 66 percent, creating more than 500 kits by drive’s end,” management says.

Inspired by a coworker’s experience with Pancreatic Cancer – he lost his mother to the illness – and a passion for physical activity, the agency organized a virtual relay in Fall 2021. “Together the teams collectively moved a ‘baton’ from our San Francisco office to New York, stopping at other U.S. office locations along the way,” management says. “Employees logged miles by running, walking, cycling, swimming, all tallied using a Web app. In less than five weeks, the baton advanced 3,640 miles while raising $11,000 to support the efforts of the PanCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network).”

TBWA\WorldHealth continued its pro bono support of organizations including the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame (MAHF), for which Shapiro is fulfilling her second year as co-chair.