The 2022 Manny Awards

The 2022 Manny Awards

Med Ad News Staff

The leading healthcare communications agencies and networks and their creative work took center stage on April 21. The 33rd annual Manny Awards recognized excellence throughout the healthcare advertising industry across 29 categories at The Lighthouse at Pier 61 in New York City. 

Med Ad News honored AbelsonTaylor Executive VP, Director of Business Development Jay Carter as the 2022 Industry Person of the Year. Carter has been a visionary leader in the pharmaceutical advertising industry for 38 years, most notably as the growth catalyst for AbelsonTaylor’s evolution from a 28-person shop in 1988 to one of the largest and most creative independent healthcare agencies in the world today.

FCB Health New York is the 2022 recipient for Agency of the Year Category I, for agencies that generate yearly revenue topping $50 million. FCB Health New York achieved 2021 revenue of more than $100 million, with what management says was 25 percent growth on an already industry-leading base. The IPG Health company achieved 27 major wins with 21 new brand assignments. Organic growth from existing clients represented 50.2 percent of the agency’s growth, with the remainder coming from new clients. FCB Health New York hired 521 new employees.

Concentric Health Experience (CHX) captured Agency of the Year Category II for healthcare advertising agencies that report annual revenue between $25 million and $50 million. “In 2021, Concentric built vivid health experiences again and again with a wide range of clients – highlighted by the Launch of the Year in Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy, a game-changing weight management brand primed to change how the world approaches obesity,” CHX management says. The agency added nine new accounts across a range of emerging categories including medical technology, rare disease, stem cell therapies and cannabis. Wegovy won the Best Launch Campaign Manny Award for 2022, “as the fastest, most successful, and most robust launch that Novo Nordisk has ever seen, as the product hit 120 percent of its original product supply forecast just three months after launch,” according to CHX management.

For the second consecutive year, Brick City Greenhouse is the Agency of the Year recipient for Category III, representing healthcare communications agencies that generate less than $25 million in annual revenue. Despite the continued challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency’s leadership team says 2021 was another banner year for Brick City Greenhouse. The agency’s client roster grew by five clients and nine new brand assignments. This included four concurrent launches, relaunching three completely redesigned corporate websites, and broadening the client portfolio in the areas of women’s health, immunology, oncology, gastroenterology and rheumatology, for HCP and DTP. This led to 138 percent year-over-year growth, as the agency closed out 2021 with more than $19 million in revenue. Brick City Greenhouse also substantially increased the agency’s headcount, adding 35 new full-time employees.

IPG Health, which was formed during the middle of 2021 by combining FCB Health (Med Ad News’ 2021 Network of the Year) and McCann Health, was recognized as the 2022 Network of the Year. According to IPG Health management, the network is “the biggest disruptor in our industry.” CEO Dana Maiman stated, “It’s the fluidity of how people work with each other that demonstrates the strong bond that has been built, and the culture of connectivity across our network. By enabling collaboration and breaking down silos, we’ve collectively realized that we’re much smarter and stronger together. We believe that one person’s success is all of our success – it’s this commitment to a common goal that cannot be faked or emulated.”

PRECISIONeffect was presented with the 2022 Agency on the Rise Manny Award. “We entered 2021 with hope for a return to normal,” stated PRECISIONeffect President Carolyn Morgan. “As vaccines rolled out, we were excited about the possibility of being together again – with our colleagues, with our clients, and especially with our loved ones. And we quickly learned that 2021 was about flexibility. We continued to shapeshift and lean into the only constant – change.”

Med Ad News annually presents the Heart Award, which is designed to recognize agencies’ social responsibility and cultures that embody a high commitment to philanthropic and social causes. The winner and finalists of this award each receive a check to donate to a charity of their choosing. The 2022 Heart Award recipient is Klick Health, and the finalists are The Bloc and Intouch Group. 

The Med Ad News 2022 Marketer on the Rise recipient is Allison Garrity, Senior Director, Farxiga Marketing, PCP and Endocrinology, AstraZeneca. According to Triple Threat Communications, which nominated Garrity for the award, “When Allison joined the Farxiga team, the established AstraZeneca brand already had a strong legacy in type 2 diabetes (T2D), but momentum had stalled, teams needed to be rebuilt, and – the biggest challenge of all – Farxiga had to revolutionize care again, this time with indications in heart failure (HF) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Developing and executing against an ambitious new brand strategy, rebuilding a brand team, and reinvigorating more than 2,000 sales representatives is challenging enough; however, due to the pandemic, all this had to be accomplished in a fully virtual/remote environment. Spoiler alert: the new-indications launch was a huge success, with Farxiga outperforming all target goals and achieving impressive milestones in 2021.”

Med Ad News recognized Fingerpaint company 1798 as the 2022 Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champion. 1798 was founded on the principles of creating a diverse and inclusive company. Agency leadership takes great pride in 1798’s employees, reflecting the diverse patient populations the company aims to help. As 1798 continues to grow, the team looks forward to cultivating that reflection to show even more diversity across expanded services.

The Vision Award winner is CMI Media Group and Compas for PROACT Rep, the first healthcare media orchestration and automation platform to get from data to insights to action immediately.

AREA 23 was recognized as the Most Admired Agency for the seventh straight year and as the Most Creative Agency for the third consecutive year.

View the full list of winners and finalists.

Med Ad Newsthanks Platinum sponsors Calcium, CDM, Centron, GSW, and TBWA\WorldHealth; and Gold sponsors: Biolumina, The Bloc, Concentric Health Experience, Fingerpaint, Intouch Group, and JUICE Pharma Worldwide.