Trio, an FCB Health Company 2015
Trio, an FCB Health Company
35 Waterview Blvd, 3rd Floor
Parsippany, NJ 07054
Telephone: 973-267-1089
Facsimile: 973-255-8702
Website: trio.icclowe.com
QUICK FACTS
Accounts
Account wins 11
Accounts resigned 2
Active business clients 5
Brands by 2014 sales
Brand-product accounts held 19
$25 million or less 1
$25 million to $50 million 5
$50 million to $100 5
$100 million to $500 million 2
$500 million to $1 billion 1
$1 billion or more 2
Products yet to be approved/launched 2
Services Mix
Full Service Professional Communications
– Multi channel promotion 50%
– Multi channel education 50%
Client Roster
AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals
Boehringer Ingelheim
Johnson & Johnson Consumer Products
Novartis
Topcon Medical Services
Vertical Pharmaceuticals
Ten years bold.
Last month, Trio celebrated its 10th anniversary. Since opening its doors a decade ago, executives say Trio has continued to brave new solutions to connect better with its customers. “And, as all of us in the industry struggle to catch up to today’s hyper-informed, relationship-phobic, disengaged customer, Trio’s flexibility and nimbleness to adapt to customers’ needs is leading them in exciting new directions,” executives say.
“We’ve got a bold new way of connecting – doing away with old tactical models, old brand strategies, old ways of thinking about customer behavior,” says Renee Wills, president of Trio. “Instead, we’re focusing our energy on ‘re-engagement strategies’ that create a complementary experience of shared value at every point along the customer journey. That’s the way we’ll be able to ensure our customers more relevant user experiences.”
Wills adds, “Rest in peace traditional tactical plans. We’ve moved on!”
“We’ve reworked our processes and adjusted our staffing model to reflect the new world, where the need for strategic thinking exists throughout the entire customer journey – not only in the upfront planning, but in the implementation, ongoing metrics, and subsequent refinements that follow,” says Dominic Viola, executive VP, group managing director. “This means that all of us – strategy, account, engagement, creative, and medical direction – play a strategic role throughout the process in ensuring a richer connection and a better customer experience.”
The same thinking applies to both promotion and medical education. “We see synergies between the two – it’s all got to be relevant and meaningful; it’s all got to enhance that customer experience. Whether it’s a speaker program or a vis aid, the richer the connection, the better the experience,” says Brian Raineri, PharmD, senior VP, medical affairs and education.
“This unwavering focus on ‘truly understanding how to connect better’ – with our clients, our customers, ourselves – is more than the agency’s tagline,” Wills says. “Connecting better drives how we approach the work, a key to creating meaningful value-driven customer engagement. But it goes far deeper than the work itself. Connecting better informs how we approach everything – from hiring, to internal processes, to training, to growing and inspiring our people.”
Focusing on the how and not just on “the what” shapes the very culture of Trio. It not only makes it a great place to work, where the positive energy is infectious, it has proven to be a formula for success, agency leaders say.
The year’s accomplishments
Jumpstarting the year with three new business wins on both the promotion and medical education fronts, executives say Trio added some very impressive names to their already first-class client roster. For Johnson’s Wound Care, the agency has been knee-deep in wraps and bandages, developing new looks for their classic brands with a sharper focus on sports medicine.
Biologics are recognized as the cornerstones of modern medical treatment. But as patents expire on some of the world’s most relied-on brands, physicians and patients need alternatives worthy of their trust. Partnering with world pharma leader Boehringer Ingelheim, Trio enters the exciting and expanding arena of biosimilars, and has been busy preparing for global launches within the oncology and immunology markets, executives say.
According to agency leaders, work on existing accounts took some giant leaps this year as well. For Johnson’s Oral Care, Trio expanded and elevated its Listerine brand of products to megabrand status, while it deepened the bond of its HealthCaring commitment within the dental community. “The work has truly struck a chord with our dental professionals,” says Cheryl Burke, director, Oral Health, Johnson & Johnson. “It reflects our shared commitment to elevating the importance of their role in their patients’ overall health. And with brands that are backed by superior science, evidence-based care, and customized solutions, we have truly differentiated ourselves as one of the world’s largest health care companies that always puts patients and health care professionals first in everything we do.”
Adding to the busy activity last year were several significant and supplemental projects from AstraZeneca – notably disease awareness for Epanova, the first FDA-approved omega-3 in free fatty acid form, providing new hope for patients suffering from severe hypertriglyceridemia. Trio has also been immersed in live and virtual speaker training programs to support the recent launch of AstraZeneca’s answer for opioid-induced constipation, Movantik.
“This was a great year for add-on projects,” Viola says. “It’s a testament that our existing clients believe in us and in what we do. Maintaining and building on those solid relationships is really a key focus for Trio.”
“If you create an environment that focuses foremost on its people – grow a culture rooted in motivation, mutual respect, and empowerment, where passion and curiosity are fueled – ideas come from everyone,” Wills says. “We all have a stake in the success of our business.”
A natural extension of this nurturing culture is that internal growth flourishes. “When people know that they’re in an environment dedicated to their personal growth, their businesses naturally grow, too,” says Donna Rooney, senior VP, agency operations. This is reflected in the agency’s consistent increase in organic growth, a significant portion of which came from Boehringer Ingelheim. Expanding from its role as medical education AOR for both Striverdi and tiotropium + olodaterol FDC, Trio was also awarded the business for two new launches in Boehringer Ingelheim’s respiratory portfolio – Spiriva Respimat for both the COPD and asthma indications.
Rounding out the year’s success were two more pitches – and two more wins. For J&J Global Oral Care, executives say the agency is bringing to market an unprecedented promotional/medical education engagement platform. The Trio team has also been working side-by-side with its most recent new business win, Vertical Pharmaceuticals, to add greater impact to the company’s customer base. “Data mining, getting to know what matters most to the customers, and uncovering how to create the ‘most relevant experience’ for them is all under way as their portfolio of prenatal vitamins, and their pain franchise goes through repositioning,” says Suzanne Goss, senior VP, strategic director.
Highlighting the year was the validation that the model, the process, and the creative culture of Trio have not gone unnoticed by the industry. “Coming in as Finalist for Med Ad News among Category 3 agencies for the last two years, as well as MM&M’s Small Healthcare Agency of the Year 2014 tells us we’re doing something right,” Wills says.
Additionally, Med Ad News recognized one of Trio’s most successful engagement initiatives for Johnson’s Baby Professional Resource Center. “We turned a traditional online ‘catalogue’ into a highly personal brand experience, where pediatric health care professionals could experience the brands on their terms, in their terms. Instead of dumping a torrent of product-centric messages, our digital ecosystem complemented their decision journey, ensuring a more organic and positive brand experience driven by the customer,” says Scott Thompson, senior VP, co-creative director.
Structure and services
In the category of monumental change, Trio joined the FCB Health family in early March.
“This is really an opportunity to strengthen a very strong, proud exciting brand.
Trio will operate as an FCB Health company, similar to Area 23 and Neon,” says Dana Maiman, president and CEO of FCB Health.
Core competencies within Trio include HCP multichannel promotion across Rx, device, and OTC categories along with strong medical education expertise, all of which are complementary to FCB Health’s offerings. “The consolidation will bring additional talent and resources into the fold and allow FCB Health to continue to expand its global footprint,” Maiman says. “With tremendous growth across the burgeoning FCB Health network, we anticipate many opportunities for talent development across agencies.”
Similar to the FCB Health philosophy, growing and strengthening agency skills is at the foundation of the Trio culture. Trio U and Shindig continue to provide opportunities for colleagues to gather and share knowledge, trends, technology and pizza. “It’s a great way to get the teams together, see what’s happening in the world, and put our collective brains behind some fresh, proactive ideas for our brands, beyond our scopes of work. It ties in nicely with FCB Health’s ‘What if….?’ idea generation initiative, and we’re excited to be able to expand our program and our resources,” says Karen Bredenbeck, senior VP, co-creative director.
The agency’s LinkedIn showcase page, the Trio Tree House, is entering its second year. With postings each month, the popular microsite services advertising and marketing professionals on both sides of the business with inspiration and practical hints on how to connect better and thrive in their roles.
Future plans
Agency leaders believe that 2015 promises to be Trio’s most successful year ever. The agency was projecting a 35 percent hiring increase over 2014.
“That was before FCB Health came into our lives,” Wills says. “Now, bolstered by FCB’s powerhouse of talent and resources, there’s no limit to our potential for growth and strengthening of our client offerings. We’ve only been in our new place for a few years, but we keep growing and outgrowing. The next significant win will have us a little more ‘brand intimate’ with each other than we’d like to be. The current plan is to expand into 7,000 square feet of additional space – which conveniently happens to be just next door. Definitely exciting times!”
Philanthropy/citizenship
A year ago, Trio lost a beloved member of its family. To honor her and continue in the footsteps of her humanitarian efforts, Trio focused on one of her favorite fundraisers.
“The American Heart Association Heart Walk was a huge success this year!” Rooney says. “We ramped up recruitment and got more commitment between our agencies. They brought their friends. They brought their families. It was a great day. We raised the bar on the goal this year, and we actually took in over 140 percent!”
