The Cementbloc 2014
641 6th Avenue, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10011
Telephone: 212-524-6200
Facsimile: 212-524-6299
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: thecementbloc.com
Winner
BEST INTERACTIVE PHYSICIAN CAMPAIGN
Finalist
AGENCY OF THE YEAR, CATEGORY II
BEST INTERACTIVE PATIENT CAMPAIGN
BEST PROFESSIONAL CAMPAIGN
Quick Facts
| Accounts | |
|---|---|
| Account wins | 14 |
| Account losses | 1 |
| Accounts resigned | 1 |
| Active business clients | 16 |
| Brands by 2013 sales | |
|---|---|
| Brand-product accounts held | 60 |
| $25 million or less | 2 |
| $25 million – $50 million | 2 |
| $50 million – $100 million | 21 |
| $100 million – $500 million | 20 |
| $500 million to $1 billion | 6 |
| $1 billion or more | 3 |
| Services Mix | |
|---|---|
| HCP | 58% |
| DTC and DTP | 32% |
| Managed market | 10% |
Client Roster
AstellasPharma
BasileaPharmaceutica
BioDelivery Sciences International
Bristol-Myers Squibb
Bristol-Myers Squibb
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer
Celgene
GlaxoSmithKline Oncology
Guerbet
Johnson & Johnson: DePuySynthes
Merck
Novartis Oncology
Novartis Vaccines
Pfizer Animal Health
Ranbaxy
Salix Pharmaceuticals
Swedish Orphan Biovitrum
UCB Pharma
Vertex Pharmaceuticals
During 2013, The CementBloc cemented its leadership with creative award wins, the launch of a transformative business model, the launch of a first-of-its-kind social wellness program, and a slew of new business wins.
The Year’s Accomplishments
The CementBloc won 69 creative awards across domestic and global forums, which according to its executives is 27 more awards than the agency’s next competitor, and 45 more than in 2012. “Notable was our first Gold CLIO for the Girls Right of Way Website for the Coore Foundation and 11 Global Awards, more than any other U.S. company,” management says. “The “Mr. Butt” campaign created for Salix’s Giazo won 16 separate awards, including a CLIO Bronze and IPA Silver. We took home 14 awards for our : ) fuel (Happy Fuel) social wellness platform.”
Recognizing that clients are increasingly pressured to do more with less, the agency launched BlocSky in early 2013. According to executives, this new model uniquely couples creative and strategic excellence to drive growth of top-line revenue with operational efficiencies that improve the bottom line. “Importantly, BlocSky is not simply a cost play – it is a new way to work with our clients,” managers say.
According to execs, the new business model resulted in Merck during September naming The CementBloc agency of record for multiple brands spanning several therapeutic areas. “This is the most significant new business win in our history and spans multiple geographies, channels,” executives note. “In 2014, we hope to selectively offer the BlocSky model to current and prospective clients because we believe it solves many of the problems our clients face today and in the future.”
Executives also claim The Bloc increased the Gross National Happiness Quotient by creating and launching : ) fuel (Happy Fuel). The microblogging social network helps users “live in the happy” by providing a fun, simple way to discover, store, gauge, and fuel happiness. “We were inspired by The World Happiness Report, a United Nations report that found that happy and healthy go hand in hand, noting, ‘More happiness predicts better future physical health,’” executives say. “In that sense, : ) fuel is the first “happy media” application and one that many brands can naturally adapt to their promotional platforms.”
Organic and new business growth was strong in 2013, executives say, resulting in 13 percent top-line growth. The agency claims win rates of 73 percent with current clients and 50 percent with new clients. In all, The Bloc had 13 new wins, encompassing 51 assignments, including 35 AOR Merck brands.
The agency’s work expanded in areas of key focus, including digital wins for a professional learning portal for J&J’s DePuySynthesand being named digital AOR for GlaxoSmithKline’s Votrient. The agency also expanded its relationship with Bristol-Myers Squibb by winning global and U.S. agency of record for elotuzumab in multiple myeloma, re-engaging as U.S. professional agency of record and winning payer agency of record for the launch of Farxiga in type 2 diabetes. Bristol-Myers Squibb is jointly promoting Farxiga with AstraZeneca.
Building on its work with Incivek, the agency was awarded global AOR for Vertex’s cystic fibrosis pipeline, which according to agency executives is a significant win for The Bloc and its Indigenus network. The CementBloc expanded its partnership with Novartis with a global patient assignment for Tasigna and U.S. work for Flucelvax. The agency also won assignments from Ranbaxy for Halog and Kenalog; Vivamed; Guerbet for Lipiodol; and BDSI for the U.S. launch of Bunavail.
Other key accomplishments for the agency in 2013 included the launch of Salix’s Giazo for ulcerative colitis, a novel product specifically for men; the launch of new indications for key clients, including Celgene’sAbraxane for pancreatic cancer, UCB’s Cimzia for psoriatic arthritis and ankylosingspondyloarthritis; and SOBI’s Kineret for neonatal-onset multisystem inflammatory disease. For consumers and patients, the agency launched Afinitor’s advanced breast cancer indication with the MORE campaign, which received the President’s Award at Novartis.
The CementBloc strengthened its Indigenus network of entrepreneurial healthcare creative agencies by adding Life Healthcare Communications in the UK market and bringing on Mariana Sanchez de Ovando as senior VP, global executive director.
The agency rebranded its ConvergentTimes.com, which it bills as the first online forum for emerging innovations in health and wellness marketing communications, as HealthwellNext to ensure future focus on the industry. Additionally, The CementBloc sponsored and presented at a number of industry events, including the ePharma, eyeforpharma, the DTC National conferences, and Internet Week New York
Structure And Services
Executive say The CementBloc is one of the largest full-service independent “healthwellness” communications companies in the United States. The CementBloc is also the founding partner of Indigenus, an international network of award-winning, independent healthcare agencies.
According to agency leaders, The CementBloc’s mission is to “build belief” in clients’ brands. “As the healthcare industry becomes more complex – more customers, more channels, more costs, more generics, more reasons to stick with the status quo – it is simply not enough to drive casual interest or reduce barriers to a product or service,” executives say. “Customers must actively believe – particularly in new brands – for them to be successful. Doctors must believe in a brand to overcome early-access limitations, patients must believe in a brand when an additional copay is required, and insurers must believe in a brand to provide formulary access when other options are available. We develop insight-based experiences that drive customers to take action – to consider, to try, to write, to provide access, to go on therapy, to stick with it. We call this BELIEF IN ACTION. It is tangible, it is measurable, and it has a remarkable impact on business results.”
The CementBloc’s services include planning, branding, multichannel, CRM, medical, payer, analytics, and global.
Future Plans
“The CementBloc will continue to evolve as the Healthwellness Communications Company of the Future,” executives say. “What does this mean? We’ll continue to combine our deep strategic and creative heritage with technology solutions that deliver compelling experiences across every conceivable platform. Our thought leaders will stay ahead of the curve and continue to set industry trends that others will follow. We will maintain our creative edge, attracting top talent across disciplines and clients. We will enhance our capabilities to foster organic growth and diversify our portfolio. We will validate BlocSky results and expand the model to new clients. We will enhance our BELIEF IN ACTION processes with our clients.”
In 2014, The CementBloc is celebrating the 10th anniversary of its Indigenus global network. Now 16 members strong and covering the global healthcare marketplace, network members will be uniting in New York City for a weeklong celebration that will culminate with the “What IF? Forum on future possibilities in the healthcare space.”
Philanthropy/Citizenship
In 2013, the agency increased its corporate donations by 43 percent, with contributions of $60,000 to charities that staff believe in and support. These include New York Cares, The Crohn’s& Colitis Foundation of America, The National MS Society, The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and the March of Dimes, among others. The agency also continued its pro bono work in support of The Coore Foundation, the NOMID Alliance, and The Arthritis Foundation.
Executives say the most exciting charitable initiative in 2013 built on the agency’s decade-long support for Habitat for Humanity. Rather than simply making a holiday donation in clients’ names, the agency held an event, “Silent Night, Auction Night,” where 51 items were auctioned off, including music lessons, sports tickets, custom artwork, dinner dates, and even a custom prank on a fellow teammate. “It was truly the most special event of the year and we look forward to continuing the tradition in 2014,” executives say.
