When Lili Gil Valletta left Johnson & Johnson in 2009, it was with a single goal in mind: to create the type of agency she hadn’t been able to find during her tenure with the pharma giant.
“I wanted the sophistication of McKinsey and Accenture and the brilliant agency creative, but I wanted to put it in a blender and have it move at the speed of culture,” she recalls.
Valletta and cofounder Enrique Arbelaez have been hard at work realizing that vision ever since. Even as tens of agencies promote themselves as multicultural specialists, Cien+ is one of the few companies that truly and genuinely excel in that essential space. The firm’s ownership and 80% of its 70-strong staff is diverse, Valletta reports.
“What we know how to do is give clients what they need to stay relevant in a culturally diverse world,” she stresses. “It’s not just a nice line on our website. We do it with depth.”
Which isn’t to say Cien+ hasn’t had to fight for every bit of its growth, often against inertia. “When clients have been with their usual agencies for a while, it’s comfortable. Such as when I was at J&J, I was content working within the Omnicom family,” Valletta explains. “It’s not easy for anyone to give a shot to a small company like ours, and I’m not suggesting that we replace everyone. I’d just like them to recognize that it’s not an either/or situation.”
That realization has dawned on more and more organizations in recent years. Cien+ enjoyed its finest campaign to date in 2022, with revenue surging 130% to $14 million, up from $6.1 million the year prior. Growth came from new
clients (Suvida Healthcare and Novartis’ integrated marketing organization) and existing ones (GSK, for shingles vaccine Shingrix, and Merck, for heart drug Verquvo). Other roster mainstays include Genentech, Pfizer and UnitedHealth Group.
Cien+ has ambitions that transcend indie-shop status. Valletta reports that the company is on pace to exceed 2022’s gains, and that one or two acquisitions (“at least”) are on the horizon. “We can double or triple our size. We can go global — we’ve already done work in Latin America for companies such as Boehringer Ingelheim,” she notes.
At the same time, Valletta is pragmatic about the challenges faced by small agencies hoping to grow.
“We control our own destiny, but we’re also limited by our own destiny,” she explains. “Do I take 10 people to Cannes Lions and do all the stuff big companies do to promote themselves, or do I invest in my data capabilities? I think that keeps us as a little bit of an unknown gem.”
Valletta doesn’t plan on letting that perception linger. “Every client we bring in is either experiencing double-digit growth or reversing the flatlining in their category,” she continues. “We were one of the first companies to understand that this notion of inclusion and diversity everyone’s preaching about — it’s not an altruistic notion, but a competitive advantage. That’s why we’re not going to be the best-kept secret forever. We get it.”
. . .
Our marketing role model…
It’s not a person but an overall mindset that combines the power of purpose, culture and authenticity. A lot of it has been inspired by the start-with-the-why approach of Simon Sinek, which is combined with the purpose-driven focus of Rick Warren and the energy and push for greatness of Tony Robbins. To us, inspired marketing transcends parading our trophies around or having a clever tagline or name. — Valletta
Click here to return to the MM+M Agency 100.
From the June 01, 2023 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
