Havas San Francisco started off 2021 on a bum note, with two pre-launch molecules failing to generate clinical data. But the agency’s strength in the rare disease realm carried the day and contributed mightily to an MM+M-
estimated 37% spike in revenue.
“We were lucky to work on several pre-launch molecules at the same time, which sometimes works out to your benefit,” says Havas San Francisco president Monette Hagopian. “We ended up launching two disease brands within three weeks of each other, which was certainly a challenge during the Omicron spike. I was like, ‘How are we going to do this?’”
The agency spent much of the year working on ChemoCentryx’s Tavneos, which was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in fall 2021 for the treatment of ANCA-associated vasculitis, a group of autoimmune diseases. “There hadn’t been anything for patients outside of corticosteroids for years, and it was the company’s first launch ever,” Hagopian says proudly.
Havas San Francisco also supported BioMarin’s Voxzogo, a medicine for children with achondroplasia. That’s another of the rare diseases that Hagopian says are “near and dear” to her heart, “because those communities are starving for solutions and are so tight-knit and active.”
The wealth of rare disease work prompted a considerable jump in staff size, from 85 at the end of 2020 to 128 at the same point in 2021. Revenue shot up from an MM+M-estimated $17.5 million in 2020 to an estimated $24 million in 2021.
Not that Havas San Francisco is alone in this regard, but the agency counts talent attraction and retention as its top challenges.
“Bringing 50 new people into our agency brought us an opportunity to take a look at the way we define our recruitment strategy. Getting talent that’s diverse and not just recycled from other agencies represents a great opportunity,” Hagopian says, noting that 69% of staffers are women and 33% are BIPOC.
New hires included the agency’s first executive creative director of copy Michael Bettendorf, who arrived from software firm Postman.
“He doesn’t have a background in health, which is really important as we focus our efforts on talent bringing a storytelling approach to the way we deliver our content,” Hagopian says. “All of our key hires have been focused on how to tell better, more meaningful stories.”
To cast an even broader net on the personnel front, Havas San Francisco launched Ignite, a junior college pre-internship program designed to get students interested in marketing as a pathway to summer internships — and, in so doing, create a more inclusive marketing community.
In the remaining months of 2022, look for Havas San Francisco to continue to help its employees maintain work/life balance in the hybrid world.
“The goal is to put more JOMO — Joy of Missing Out — time on our calendars so that we can battle Zoom fatigue together and give people an opportunity to take a walk outside and create better balance in their day,” Hagopian says. “We want to listen, learn and help define what hybrid is — and what it isn’t.”
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Work from outside pharma you admire…
The limited-edition Rainbow Oreos celebrating the LGBTQ+ communities is one of the truly great ideas of the last decade. Consistent with the brand’s tradition of pushing the boundaries of product development, the cookies are not sold in stores but instead are given to fans to reward acts of allyship for the LGBTQ+ community. It’s a program as iconic as the cookie itself. — Hagopian
From the June 01, 2022 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
