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From maintaining company-issued equipment to onboarding new employees, even the most mundane agency tasks became logistical headaches during the pandemic. So when CDMP president Craig Romanok is asked about the challenges that came with a far larger project — rebranding and renaming the agency formerly known as CDM Princeton — one would expect him to reel off a litany of obstacles.
His actual response is quite different. “To be honest, it was a frickin’ blast,” Romanok says, punctuating it with a sharp laugh. “We literally build brands every single day for our clients. To actually get to focus on building our own brand — how much fun is that?”
To hear Romanok tell it, the one sticking point was around CDMP’s association with sibling agency CDM. “There’s lots of legacy with CDM,” he says, recounting the firm’s thinking. “But for so many years we’ve been under the umbrella of the CDM group. In some corners maybe there’s not a perception that we’re a unique agency unto ourselves.”
Choosing CDMP — which is how the agency has long referred to itself internally — allowed the company to have it both ways. “Since 2017, we’ve slowly been moving in our own direction. I hope the perception out there is, ‘They’ve got something exciting going on.’ I think we’re way past, ‘They’re just a conflict shop under CDM New York.’”
If somehow that latter perception still exists, CDMP’s 2020 performance should put it to rest. The agency saw revenue jump by 36%, from 2019’s take of $22 million to $30 million. It claimed new work from BioMarin, Bristol Myers Squibb and Abbott Point of Care, which join assignments for Novartis, Teva and SK Life Science on CDMP’s roster.
The additions evince the ease with which the company transitioned to virtual pitching, at least after an unexpected circumstance threatened to derail the first one. “We didn’t account for the fact that there would be a FedEx delivery outside making my dog go nuts,” Romanok deadpans.
But they also speak to the value of staying true to a very specific positioning. Starting in 2017, CDMP resolved only to work with clients and on brands “that are the first of their kind and that are changing the world for the better,” Romanok says. As a result, the agency found itself turning down the opportunity to participate in any number of pitches.
“Being on the cusp of all the innovation in this business — that’s why we do what we do,” he adds.
By way of example, Romanok points to the firm’s recent launch work on SK Life Science’s anti-epileptic drug Xcopri. “It had a behavioral change aspect. For physicians who were very comfortable doing what they were doing, breaking them out of that comfort zone was essential,” he says. “It was urgent and it was provocative.”
And the drug itself was the first of its kind in the category in some 20 years, which made it a dream assignment for CDMP. “That’s one of the beautiful things about working in advertising: We’re challenged each and every day to do something that’s never been done before,” Romanok says.
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The idea I wish I had…
I love the idea behind the Get Up Alarm Clock by Eli Lilly and Area 23, which stems from the challenge that people battling cancer lose motivation to take their medications on a regular basis. To help overcome it, the Get Up Alarm Clock connects directly to a person’s Twitter feed and projects motivational photos and videos from loved ones to help keep them inspired in their fight. — Craig Romanok
From the June 01, 2021 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
