In a world where Alexa, Siri and Google provide the weather, time and access to your favorite music, FCBCure is looking to add another element to that list: medical information.
The agency, which previously added virtual reality and other tech-forward services to its toolkit, now counts voice recognition among its capabilities. The move comes in response to an ever-growing need for easily digestible health content, according to FCBCure co-managing director Tammy Fischer.
“In the past, health literacy has been a true obstacle in terms of making sure that the proper information is given to stakeholders, whether the patient or the caregiver,” she explains. “Quite frankly, voice recognition eliminates the need to assess reading levels.”
While none of FCBCure’s clients have officially started using the voice offering yet, co-managing director Ludovic Moulin believes that it’s just a matter of time. He says that opportunities abound with the 14 assignments the agency added last year, including work from Allergan, Merck, Shionogi, FerringUSA, Bayer, Alexion and QED Therapeutics. Revenue was flat at an MM&M-estimated $32 million.
FCBCure is betting that clients will warm to voice recognition as quickly as they did the agency’s capabilities in the VR realm. Moulin cites a recent campaign for Merck’s HIV treatments as a prime example of how the agency deploys technology on behalf of its clients.
Using VR headsets, physicians and other caregivers attending industry conferences were dropped into the life of an HIV-positive patient. “Professionals experienced some of the things patients go through, like insomnia and depression,” Moulin explains. “One of the best ways to mobilize a doctor is through empathy. Using that virtual-reality device, we can help them better understand their patients.”
FCBCure’s focus on active, high-tech experiences extends to its employees as well. Staffers are encouraged to use bike desks and can access Well Aware, a wellness app developed in-house that tracks steps and water consumption. The company also offers yoga classes and chair massages.
“The enemy is to be too stagnant or stressed,” Moulin says. “We want our employees to walk, move and shift all day. We want them to take a moment to breathe.” Fischer agrees, adding, “We need to embrace and live in the same mindset that we talk to our clients about, so we’re evolving into an agency of movement.”
Staff size grew last year from 150 to 162, with the additions including a host of higher-ups. Moulin joined from Publicis, group strategic planner Michael Dennelly from Evoke Health, medical and scientific affairs director Dania Alarcón from Area 23, management director Tanya Weschke from Biolumina and management director Alise DuVall from Harrison and Star.
In the rest of 2019 and beyond, Fischer expects FCBCure’s focus on growth and health — business, personal and otherwise — will keep the agency connected with similarly minded clients. “They’re focusing on a conversation of growth, which has allowed us to look for those magic little moments that are not in the traditional launch playbook,” she says. “It’s our job to focus on how brands are going to live in the real world.” —
From the July 01, 2019 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
