Havas Health Plus ranks as one of the biggest agencies in the Havas Health & You family and grew its revenue 33% in 2022, from an MM+M-estimated $45 million in 2021 to $60 million. Head count increased in turn, from 220 to 245 full-timers.
So how does the company get to the next level? According to president Daniel Rubin, who joined the agency in May 2022, it’s by doing more of the same.
“We feel firm on the idea that we can’t lose what’s made the agency into the agency — but what we can do is continue to advance, push and produce work that is going to help our clients’ business,” he says.
Rubin, who leads the company alongside president and chief creative officer Allison Ceraso, points to growth from existing clients as a major driver of Havas Health Plus’ 2022 gains. The firm grew its relationships with Sanofi, Merck and Amgen, and added BioAffinity Technologies to a roster that includes Regeneron, Pfizer, Novartis and Myovant Sciences.
While he points to a couple of the usual suspects as contributing to the uncertainty facing pharma — high inflation, slow approvals from the Food and Drug Administration — he believes Havas Health Plus can dodge some of the headaches by putting the right people in the right roles. To that end, other recent additions include chief strategy officer Maureen Alves (who arrived from 21Grams) and EVP, medical director John Besemer (from Razorfish Health).
Ceraso, who has been in the Havas family for more than two decades, believes the agency’s situation is an enviable one: It benefits from the support of the strong and well-resourced Havas network, but it still given autonomy to
operate as it pleases. That good fortune, she says, is reflected in Havas Health Plus’ recent creative work, especially the launch of the ParkinSex wellness campaign on behalf of the American Parkinson Disease Association.
ParkinSex encourages and helps people with Parkinson’s disease to explore the world of intimacy and sexual health. “Often these marginalized communities of people living with illnesses don’t get to have a conversation about sex,” Ceraso notes. “They’re so worried about other things that they don’t talk enough about what it’s doing to their relationships, their bonds and even their physical sense of being.”
Ceraso is equally proud of Havas Health Plus’ 2022 work with the advocacy group I Had Cancer. The two organizations collaborated with temporary tattoo maker Momentary Ink on a project that let breast cancer survivors create a line of self-adhesive tattoos specifically designed for the scars associated with mastectomies or lumpectomies.
The campaign’s goal was twofold: to help women conceal their scars and to empower them through the artwork. Based on feedback Havas Health Plus received from numerous participants, the campaign achieved both goals.
“The initiative shows that when you integrate people into the process, it becomes much more powerful,” Ceraso adds.
Going forward, Havas Health Plus will continue to focus on “the beyond,” according to Rubin.
“We’re a large agency that, in a lot of ways, hasn’t even scratched the surface. That puts us in a unique position — and I say that not because the work hasn’t been good, but because the ceiling is high.”
. . .
Our marketing role model…
Ryan Reynolds. His work is entertaining, timely and always relevant to the audience. And clearly data is informing everything he does. (We have to say that, right?) — Ceraso
Click here to see Havas Health Plus’ Agency 100 2022 Profile.
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From the June 01, 2023 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
