The Bloc Partners: 2017

 

The Bloc Partners
32 Old Slip, 15th Floor
New York, NY 10005
Telephone: 212-524-6200
E-mail:
[email protected]
Website: theblocpartners.com

 

 

The Bloc Partners is the largest global alliance of leading independent health creative agencies delivering full-service capabilities to global and local clients worldwide, according to management.

“In our unique model, agencies choose to be part of an alliance with shared values and a common purpose: delivering value to our clients in every way and in every interaction to help them succeed with all their customers,” executives say. “We are not a random collection of agencies or disconnected dots on a map. All partner agencies were born of a passion for healthcare, rank in the top 5 in their market, and bring a deep understanding of local regulatory issues and legal mandates, with cultural insights only a native can deliver.

“Together, The Bloc Partners adapt, flex, and collaborate across international boundaries to overcome every kind of barrier and deliver effective solutions that master the art and the science of health communication across stakeholders and channels. We have what it takes to drive the change a brand needs to succeed in a new country. The Bloc

Partners delivers the best of two worlds: Our multi-local – rather than multinational – approach means clients get the high level of performance, innovation, and scale of a global network with the agile, entrepreneurial, and collaborative spirit of an independent alliance.”

The Year’s Accomplishments

Having joined forces in 2004 as Indigenus, executives say the partner agencies in 2016 made the unanimous decision to undergo a bold transformation that reflects their commitment to work and grow as a unified entity: the alliance took the name of one of its founding partners and are now The Bloc Partners.

“In addition to our deep healthcare roots, innovation, capabilities, and services, one of our key strengths has been our seamless collaboration and the personal relationships we have with each other, which benefit our clients globally. That is why our name is about ‘partners’ and not about ‘global’,” says André Darmon, co-chairman of The Bloc Partners and president of Strategik & Numerik, the French partner agency.

Masaki Yamagata, president of PharMa International, the Japanese partner agency, adds, “This transformation clearly conveys the essence of our way of working and being ‘in it’ together, with each other and with our clients.”

Executives say notable new assignments for agencies in the network in 2016 included the appointment as global and U.S. HCP and digital agency of record for the launch of a new therapy from Genentech/Roche and as the global agency of record for Basilea’s antibiotic Zevtera.

In 2016, partners of The Bloc Partners collectively won more than 100 industry and creative awards – including 11 Global Awards and 10 Creative Floor Awards, executives say. Elizabeth Elfenbein of the The Bloc served on the executive jury of the Global Awards, the Creative Floor Awards, and the Manny Awards in addition to chairing the Clio Awards. Among the Clio Awards’ jury was Reg Manser of Life Healthcare Communications, the network’s U.K. agency partner; among the executive jury were Xavier Sánchez of umbilical, the network’s Spain agency partner, Stephanie Berman of the Bloc, and Mike Rogers of Serviceplan Health & Life in Germany. Rogers also served as jury president at the Eurobest Festival for the category of Healthcare for the second year in a row. Manser was part of the PM Society Awards jury. In addition, Manser and Kirk Rubi of CPC Healthcare Communications, the network’s Canada partner, participated in the grand jury of the Global Awards. Gerrard Malcolm of Insight, the network’s Australia partner, sat on the health and wellness jury at the Lions Health Awards. Also, Manser and the Bloc’s Sharon Howard-Butler and Robin Tzannes were part of the Rx Club Awards jury.

Structure & Services

The Bloc Partners is incorporated as an LLC, with 18 top-ranking health creative agencies in key major and emerging markets, which executives say maximizes growth for brands.

“Because these agencies were born of a passion for healthcare, they each have a strong scientific backbone and a deep understanding of the local regulatory environment,” executives say. “Our multilocal approach delivers innovative global ideas that are locally relevant across customer types and effectively gains local buy-in.”

Executives characterize The Bloc Partners as a tight, unified, and streamlined organization, in which a dedicated global business team leads the alliance’s strategic and business development efforts and coordinates activities across multiple markets, driving efficiencies and providing global client teams with a centralized view of all brand efforts worldwide.

“At the core of everything we do is seamless collaboration, consistent excellence, and strong relationships,” execs say.

The agencies in the network are The Bloc in the United States; CPC Healthcare Communications in Canada; Marketing Latino in Mexico; Thanks in Brazil; gHealthcare in Turkey; HealthWay in Poland; Lindh & Partners in Sweden; Life Healthcare Communications in the United Kingdom and Ireland; Serviceplan Health & Life in Germany; Strategik & Numerik in France; thenewway in Italy; umbilical in Spain; X-Ray in Switzerland; JSure in China; PharMa International in Japan; Sorento Healthcare Communications in India; and Insight in Australia and New Zealand.

“For lower complexity projects, particularly for mid- to late-lifecycle brands, we have BlocSky, a new service model that delivers greater efficiency for lower complexity projects without sacrificing quality,” executives say.

Founded and led by Elfenbein, The Bloc’s creative partner, HealthWellNext, is the alliance’s platform for thought leadership across markets. According to management, HealthWellNext “offers a refreshing, provocative point of view on the challenges and opportunities facing the health and wellness industry and how it communicates with customers. It focuses on forward-thinking insights, strategies, ideas, and innovation around health and beyond. With contributions from thought leaders throughout the world, it delivers globally relevant content to its readers.”

Future Plans

In 2017, The Bloc Partners will roll out internal processes, tools, and initiatives that strengthen the alliance’s unity, foster innovation, and facilitate operational excellence. The alliance will also focus on nurturing its creative talent and reputation through a unique partnership with a U.K.-based NGO.

Philanthropy/Citizenship

In 2016, The Bloc Partners continued to contribute to local charity work.

For the second year in a row, CPC provided pro bono agency services to the Young Carers Program, a charity that supports children who act as a primary caregiver for a sibling, parent, or grandparent.

As it does every year, X-Ray sponsored the Swiss Migrant Association’s “We Help Refugees” event, designing and producing all of its promotional materials.
Serviceplan worked with The German Association of Children’s Hospices to create a video for its “Dead Air” campaign. The campaign raises awareness for terminally ill children in Germany and promotes the association’s hotline “Oskar,” which was set up to support families and offer answers.

Sorento’s managing partner, Sangeeta Barde, is now also founder and director of the Organization for Rare Diseases India (ORDI). Under her leadership, ORDI was able in its first year to gather 2,500 people in Bangalore for the “Race for 7,” a unique run of 7,000 participants symbolizing 7,000 rare diseases.

The Bloc provided pro bono support to the Schizophrenia and Related Disorders Alliance of America (SARDAA), creating their multifaceted “Hearing Voices of Support” campaign to reduce stigma around schizophrenia. The Bloc developed a social media platform featuring documentary-style short films of individuals bravely sharing their experiences living with schizophrenia and put together a choir of employees who sang in a flash mob that was filmed in Times Square underneath the campaign’s billboard.

The Bloc continues to work alongside SARDAA on the campaign and is currently planning its experiential event that will take place in New York City during Mental Health Month this May.

Additionally, Umbilical supported Médicos Sin Fronteras (Doctors Without Borders) on the campaign La Próxima Vacuna Ponla Tú (The Next Vaccine, Give It Yourself) by creating a viral video that sheds light on the lack of access to vaccinations across many developing countries. The video gathered 1.5 million views on Facebook within its first five days.