When Monette Hagopian started her run at Havas San Francisco at the start of 2015, she arrived with an unusual degree of insight into the company she was joining: During her tenure at Genentech, she’d worked with the agency as a client.
Clearly she liked what she saw. “I always thought there was something unique from a vibe perspective,” she recalls. At the same time, Hagopian saw room for improvement. About 18 months ago, she and managing director, executive creative director Ernie Lageson made the unusual decision to go offline for a spell and focus on the agency’s positioning.
“We pulled together a team of rising stars and leaders, and did a two-day off-site,” Hagopian says. “People were like, ‘You went unbillable for two days?’ But we felt we needed to stand for something.”
That something was an almost fanatical devotion to what Hagopian calls “getting at that raw human truth,” a notion which is partially informed by her past client life. She also notes the importance of building a business case for its recommendations, especially for ones relating to social media — which remains a Havas SF strength, given its work in that realm with AstraZeneca, Genentech, Amgen and Biomarin.
“With social, there are emotional and cultural components to why it’s necessary to play there,” she says. “Often the consequences of not playing there are as important as the opportunities of playing there. You have to make that case.”
Following her promotion to president earlier this year, Hagopian is now entrusted with sustaining the Havas SF vibe — as well as with quotidian tasks like running the show. It’s been a successful run: Havas SF upped its revenue by an MM&M-estimated 14.3% in 2018, to $16 million from 2017’s estimated $14 million. Staff size jumped from 45 at the end of 2017 to 65 at the end of 2018.
None of this is to say the year was without its strains. In January 2018, Havas SF lost two digital AOR assignments to a dreaded consolidation. On the personnel front, the agency found itself under siege — but not from the usual suspects.
“We don’t compete against other agencies for talent. We compete against Salesforce and Facebook and Twitter and the latest startup,” Hagopian explains. “You always have to make sure you have enough interesting things for people to work on.”
This explains why Havas SF hangs on to some non-health-related business. “It brings a level of difference to our creative staff, plus we can bring the learnings back to pharma,” she adds.
If the first few months of 2019 are any indication, Havas SF will have a similar growth story to tell at this time next year. By the end of April, the agency had already added 20 people, owing to needs created by what Hagopian calls a “fast and furious” start to the year.
“The only drawback is that you sometimes feel like you’re drinking from a fire hose,” she says. “But it’s for a good reason, so you don’t get too upset about that.”
From the July 01, 2019 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
