Symbiotix was a well-regarded medical education and scientific communications shop with a nearly two-decades-long track record of solid programming. But in the four-plus years since, the agency has grown in ways big and small — and in the process, become a key part of the Havas Health & You machine.
“There are some rocket boosters attached to us now,” says managing director John Ponsoll. “The DNA of our organization hasn’t changed, but we’ve been able to upgrade our talent and elevate the nature of our client engagement.”
Still, president Sally Jagelman, who has been with Symbiotix since 2008, acknowledges that it took some time for the agency to fully orient itself in the wake of the acquisition. “Now we have the right leadership team in place. We’ve learned about the processes and tools, and the amplification of innovation and integration within the network,” she says. “All those things fell into place last year. We got past the challenges and got to the performing level.”
A jump in revenue followed, from an MM&M-estimated $16.5 million in 2018 to an estimated $20 million in 2019. Staff size increased from 52 to 63, with the agency adding former Alligent Group exec Shannon Doucette as EVP, client services and former Pixacore exec Thom Graves as SVP, creative strategy.
The agency also carved out a new operations function and a new role, producer, within it. “It’s synergistic with the way Havas operates, but new to Symbiotix,” Jagelman explains. “We needed to keep focusing on good client engagement and scientific acumen, but we also needed to fine-tune the way we were doing our work.” She adds the agency managed to formulate the vision for the new department, hire for it and launch in just under three months.
Asked to identify some of the year’s highlights, both Jagelman and Ponsoll point to work completed alongside its semi-new Havas siblings. Jagelman singles out an assignment around uncontrolled asthma that was showcased at four respiratory conferences, while Ponsoll enthuses about partnering with HVH Precision Analytics on a geotargeted program addressing postmenopausal osteoporosis in the Tampa Bay area.
Ponsoll is especially proud of Symbiotix’s contributions on the new-business front. “Maybe this is a little brash or bold to say, but there were some Havas wins in 2019 — in the genetics space and in bone health — that could be ascribed to riding on Symbiotix’s coattails,” he says.
In any event, it’s clear that bringing Symbiotix into the Havas Health & You network worked out quite well for all parties involved. “The thing I’m most proud of is that we’ve helped the network better understand the value of med-ed and medical communications, and where it fits in servicing a client and bringing that scientific story to life,” Jagelman says. This contribution is pertinent given the business complexities brought by the coronavirus pandemic.
Ponsoll agrees. “So long as we stay true to the science, I think we’re going to be good.”
The best marketing we saw in 2019…
The global campaign for Rinvoq. What was remarkable was how bold yet subtle it was in its activation of education. It took a different approach creatively, focusing on the clinical data rather than mode of administration. The launch approach leaned into the patient’s reality in a compelling way. — John Ponsoll
From the June 01, 2020 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
