News
Lecia Bushak
December 21, 2021
12:00 pm

Agency execs gaze into 2022 crystal ball

Alexandra Gilson, VP, paid social, CMI Media Group

2022 will be the year for inclusion and representation. The pandemic brought to light issues of access to healthcare in diverse communities. That has led to conversations around lack of representation within pharma marketing and messaging. Pharma has taken notice, and many companies have made a concerted effort on multicultural initiatives — including messaging and media placement diversification. These initiatives will live on post-pandemic as we continue to bridge the gap in inclusion and representation.

Jay Carter, EVP and director of business development, AbelsonTaylor

2022 will be the year that biosimilars will begin taking off — and they will expand further in 2023. Biosimilars have the potential to be profitable for the industry as well as save costs for consumers. It’s relevant because the Biden administration has a goal to reduce healthcare prescription costs. 2022 will also be a year of real-world data. Smartphones, wearables and biosensors are making it easier to gather real-world health data, which can be used in new ways. We’re recommending real-world efficacy thinking for most of the brands at our shop, because it’s a way to differentiate by showing your actual effectiveness in the community, rather than in the lab.

Dave Ormesher, president, commercial services, Fishawack Health

2022 will be the year that DE&I evolves from nice-to-have to table stakes for biopharma and the commercialization partners serving them. Inequality is pervasive in healthcare systems across the globe, disproportionately impacting people of color and other sidelined groups. Healthcare leadership must redefine inclusiveness to bridge from internal policy and culture to how we define our purpose and how we go to market — understanding marginalized patients and earning their trust by investing in relevant, personalized value.

Greg Lewis, president and partner, Calcium

2022 will be the year for continuous agility. Right when we thought we were nearing the end of COVID-19 and restoring more normalcy, we have had another setback. It’ll be critical to make each day count and have the needed impact on healthcare marketing for customers and for agency talent. Our present goal is to educate HCPs to ensure patients are primed to experience the best health outcomes. And for talent — to embrace them, support them and continue to invest in them during these uncertain times.

Noah Lowenthal, executive creative director, MicroMass

2022 will be the year pharma finally connects with the person inside the patient. As an industry, we should see past the disease or the patient demographics and focus on the human inside. We can reach patients where they are and design experiences that make the most impact.

Jose Ferreira, SVP, product and innovation, CMI Media Group

2022 will be the year for omnichannel orchestration. Omnichannel took over the industry in 2021 — it went from being a good long-term idea to a competitive requirement in a matter of months, mostly driven by the constraints borne of the pandemic. Throughout the year clients have been building out tech stacks to support omnichannel and piloting various discrete use cases. 2022 is the year that true orchestration starts to occur across all key customer touchpoints — sales, media, conference, and MSLs, among others.

Lori Grant, CEO, Klick Health

2022 will be a year of paradigm shift. There will be a realization that we eventually go back to “normal” and as close to life as before — while embracing some beneficial new norms, such as the speed at which we can bring life-saving medications to market and the progress we have made accelerating digital transformation.

Bill McEllen, global president, Fingerpaint

2022 will be the year of purposeful data. Data is an amazing tool in that it can provide marketers with a lot of information. However, the key is understanding how to drill into the data and unlock key insights that fuel meaningful engagements and make a measurable difference.

Kathy Delaney, chief creative officer, Publicis Health/Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness

2022 will be the year where we hit our creative stride as we begin to move into the new normal of a hybrid world. As we approach nearly two years of working mostly remotely, we’ve learned how resilient and adaptable creatives are in the face of myriad challenges. We’ve become comfortable creating content in new and innovative ways. Having navigated novel systems and optimizing state-of-the-art creative processes, we know how to make beautiful, impactful work that doesn’t compromise on production or craft — and we’re able to turn it all around more efficiently and better than ever.

Michael Cole, chief strategy officer, Wunderman Thompson Health

2022 will be the year of “normalization” and omnichannel, go-to-market models. Looking back, in 2020 the hybrid remote promotional model was simply thrust upon marketers and commercial leaders. In 2021, it was planned for and included in launch and growth plans for brands, but marketing organizations were often still working with infrastructure and processes that, frankly, were built for an in-person, rep-driven historical model. In 2021, while brands were getting comfortable with omnichannel as an approach, enterprise organizations were taking the time and making the investment in rethinking the processes, technology and change management needed to transform go-to-market models at scale. 2022 is where the promise of omnichannel will become normalized with a commercial infrastructure fit for purpose.

Jennifer Gottlieb, global president, Real Chemistry

2022 will be the year digital health investment continues to grow. From telehealth to primary care to mental health, digital health investment has skyrocketed to more than $30 billion this year alone. The space is truly entering its own industrial revolution. With this investment comes the need for greater accessibility, integration and adoption. The more digital health platforms that enter the market, the more work needs to be done to integrate across systems while addressing challenges like “broadband deserts” in rural communities and the learning curve impacting less tech-savvy — and especially elderly — individuals. Tackling these issues has worldwide public health implications and will be integral to the long-term sustainability of digital health adoption.

Lee Carroll, SVP human resources, Digitas Health

2022 will be the year for unprecedented talent influence over the future of work. Virtually every decision that we’ll need to make as leaders of the agency will have to be viewed through the lens of our people (attracting, retaining and growing them). These include our most important decisions — how we operate, how we’re structured, the role of the office, what we value and the work that we do.

Kim Johnson, global CEO, Ogilvy Health

2022 will be the year for social impact. Building on the innovation of 2021, we will continue to see momentum with focused ESG strategies that deliver more promise in personalized and equitable patient care through socially responsible products and services.

Chris Cushman, VP, client Service at Relevate Health and Hans Kaspersetz, chief strategist at Arteric

2022 will be the year of relevance. If 2020 (and yes, 2021 as well) has taught us anything, it’s that relevance in information, communication and marketing matters. We have all been bombarded with conflicting and sometimes downright inaccurate COVID-19 information. Next, we saw the massive swing to digital communications. With reps out of the field, most marketing communication to HCPs was sent through digital channels. And now, with increased focus on privacy, we will continue to see email engagement drop due to the information that will be tracked, measured and shared. The answer to all these challenges is for manufacturers, brands and agencies to create more meaningful, continuous engagement with targets through relevant content. Those that optimize SEO to provide relevant answers to queries will achieve increased engagement. Those that tap into local market dynamics to ensure that HCP communications are relevant to their patient populations will break through the clutter. Those that create a true, relevant omnichannel brand experience will rise to the top because they are providing patients, caregivers and HCPs what they want: relevance. (Pictured: Chris Cushman, left; Hans Kaspersetz, right.)

Katie Sutherland, SVP, new business and growth strategy, Create NYC

2022 will be the year to achieve key efficiency KPIs shifting toward more agile ways of working. This will require decoupling services and moving away from the sole-solution model in favor of complement partnerships that drive speed, quality and cost savings.

Sue Manber, chief patient officer, Publicis Health

2022 will be the year for a new primary care frontline — and more holistic engagement. The frontline of primary care has changed forever — look at Walgreens, Village MD, Walmart and CVS. If you walk into an urgent care center, the likelihood is you’ll be treated by a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant. That’s the new frontline of primary care, along with how you are able to capture more holistic engagement with patients. We like to say that engagement is medicine.

Joe Warren, EVP, media investment, CMI Media Group

2022 will see a shift in video. In 2021 TV advertising bounced back. The TV upfronts were extremely strong, resulting in a very difficult 2021 scatter market with high inflation. This has led to increased interest in CTV, addressable TV and data-driven approaches to better align targets with content and create efficiencies in an inflationary market. As we look to 2022, there will be alternatives to Nielsen ratings as a currency for negotiations for TV. Clients will question the lack of flexibility in the upfront model and look at digital TV as a solid alternative to navigating a difficult business environment. Consumers will continue to increase consumption of video across all platforms — social, TV and digital.

Rob Peters, EVP, strategy, MicroMass

2022 will be the year for developing experiences that adapt to the person. The patient experience should revolve around the individual and specific needs of the person. And once we meet the person where they are, we can truly define how to change their behavior and produce better outcomes for the brand.

1 of 18
News

Agency execs gaze into 2022 crystal ball

Better use of real-world data, streamlined omnichannel marketing top experts’ predictions for 2022 trends.

Lecia Bushak
December 21, 2021
12:00 pm

Slideshow

Alexandra Gilson, VP, paid social, CMI Media Group

2022 will be the year for inclusion and representation. The pandemic brought to light issues of access to healthcare in diverse communities. That has led to conversations around lack of representation within pharma marketing and messaging. Pharma has taken notice, and many companies have made a concerted effort on multicultural initiatives — including messaging and media placement diversification. These initiatives will live on post-pandemic as we continue to bridge the gap in inclusion and representation.

Jay Carter, EVP and director of business development, AbelsonTaylor

2022 will be the year that biosimilars will begin taking off — and they will expand further in 2023. Biosimilars have the potential to be profitable for the industry as well as save costs for consumers. It’s relevant because the Biden administration has a goal to reduce healthcare prescription costs. 2022 will also be a year of real-world data. Smartphones, wearables and biosensors are making it easier to gather real-world health data, which can be used in new ways. We’re recommending real-world efficacy thinking for most of the brands at our shop, because it’s a way to differentiate by showing your actual effectiveness in the community, rather than in the lab.

Dave Ormesher, president, commercial services, Fishawack Health

2022 will be the year that DE&I evolves from nice-to-have to table stakes for biopharma and the commercialization partners serving them. Inequality is pervasive in healthcare systems across the globe, disproportionately impacting people of color and other sidelined groups. Healthcare leadership must redefine inclusiveness to bridge from internal policy and culture to how we define our purpose and how we go to market — understanding marginalized patients and earning their trust by investing in relevant, personalized value.

Greg Lewis, president and partner, Calcium

2022 will be the year for continuous agility. Right when we thought we were nearing the end of COVID-19 and restoring more normalcy, we have had another setback. It’ll be critical to make each day count and have the needed impact on healthcare marketing for customers and for agency talent. Our present goal is to educate HCPs to ensure patients are primed to experience the best health outcomes. And for talent — to embrace them, support them and continue to invest in them during these uncertain times.

Noah Lowenthal, executive creative director, MicroMass

2022 will be the year pharma finally connects with the person inside the patient. As an industry, we should see past the disease or the patient demographics and focus on the human inside. We can reach patients where they are and design experiences that make the most impact.

Jose Ferreira, SVP, product and innovation, CMI Media Group

2022 will be the year for omnichannel orchestration. Omnichannel took over the industry in 2021 — it went from being a good long-term idea to a competitive requirement in a matter of months, mostly driven by the constraints borne of the pandemic. Throughout the year clients have been building out tech stacks to support omnichannel and piloting various discrete use cases. 2022 is the year that true orchestration starts to occur across all key customer touchpoints — sales, media, conference, and MSLs, among others.

Lori Grant, CEO, Klick Health

2022 will be a year of paradigm shift. There will be a realization that we eventually go back to “normal” and as close to life as before — while embracing some beneficial new norms, such as the speed at which we can bring life-saving medications to market and the progress we have made accelerating digital transformation.

Bill McEllen, global president, Fingerpaint

2022 will be the year of purposeful data. Data is an amazing tool in that it can provide marketers with a lot of information. However, the key is understanding how to drill into the data and unlock key insights that fuel meaningful engagements and make a measurable difference.

Kathy Delaney, chief creative officer, Publicis Health/Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness

2022 will be the year where we hit our creative stride as we begin to move into the new normal of a hybrid world. As we approach nearly two years of working mostly remotely, we’ve learned how resilient and adaptable creatives are in the face of myriad challenges. We’ve become comfortable creating content in new and innovative ways. Having navigated novel systems and optimizing state-of-the-art creative processes, we know how to make beautiful, impactful work that doesn’t compromise on production or craft — and we’re able to turn it all around more efficiently and better than ever.

Michael Cole, chief strategy officer, Wunderman Thompson Health

2022 will be the year of “normalization” and omnichannel, go-to-market models. Looking back, in 2020 the hybrid remote promotional model was simply thrust upon marketers and commercial leaders. In 2021, it was planned for and included in launch and growth plans for brands, but marketing organizations were often still working with infrastructure and processes that, frankly, were built for an in-person, rep-driven historical model. In 2021, while brands were getting comfortable with omnichannel as an approach, enterprise organizations were taking the time and making the investment in rethinking the processes, technology and change management needed to transform go-to-market models at scale. 2022 is where the promise of omnichannel will become normalized with a commercial infrastructure fit for purpose.

Jennifer Gottlieb, global president, Real Chemistry

2022 will be the year digital health investment continues to grow. From telehealth to primary care to mental health, digital health investment has skyrocketed to more than $30 billion this year alone. The space is truly entering its own industrial revolution. With this investment comes the need for greater accessibility, integration and adoption. The more digital health platforms that enter the market, the more work needs to be done to integrate across systems while addressing challenges like “broadband deserts” in rural communities and the learning curve impacting less tech-savvy — and especially elderly — individuals. Tackling these issues has worldwide public health implications and will be integral to the long-term sustainability of digital health adoption.

Lee Carroll, SVP human resources, Digitas Health

2022 will be the year for unprecedented talent influence over the future of work. Virtually every decision that we’ll need to make as leaders of the agency will have to be viewed through the lens of our people (attracting, retaining and growing them). These include our most important decisions — how we operate, how we’re structured, the role of the office, what we value and the work that we do.

Kim Johnson, global CEO, Ogilvy Health

2022 will be the year for social impact. Building on the innovation of 2021, we will continue to see momentum with focused ESG strategies that deliver more promise in personalized and equitable patient care through socially responsible products and services.

Chris Cushman, VP, client Service at Relevate Health and Hans Kaspersetz, chief strategist at Arteric

2022 will be the year of relevance. If 2020 (and yes, 2021 as well) has taught us anything, it’s that relevance in information, communication and marketing matters. We have all been bombarded with conflicting and sometimes downright inaccurate COVID-19 information. Next, we saw the massive swing to digital communications. With reps out of the field, most marketing communication to HCPs was sent through digital channels. And now, with increased focus on privacy, we will continue to see email engagement drop due to the information that will be tracked, measured and shared. The answer to all these challenges is for manufacturers, brands and agencies to create more meaningful, continuous engagement with targets through relevant content. Those that optimize SEO to provide relevant answers to queries will achieve increased engagement. Those that tap into local market dynamics to ensure that HCP communications are relevant to their patient populations will break through the clutter. Those that create a true, relevant omnichannel brand experience will rise to the top because they are providing patients, caregivers and HCPs what they want: relevance. (Pictured: Chris Cushman, left; Hans Kaspersetz, right.)

Katie Sutherland, SVP, new business and growth strategy, Create NYC

2022 will be the year to achieve key efficiency KPIs shifting toward more agile ways of working. This will require decoupling services and moving away from the sole-solution model in favor of complement partnerships that drive speed, quality and cost savings.

Sue Manber, chief patient officer, Publicis Health

2022 will be the year for a new primary care frontline — and more holistic engagement. The frontline of primary care has changed forever — look at Walgreens, Village MD, Walmart and CVS. If you walk into an urgent care center, the likelihood is you’ll be treated by a nurse practitioner or physician’s assistant. That’s the new frontline of primary care, along with how you are able to capture more holistic engagement with patients. We like to say that engagement is medicine.

Joe Warren, EVP, media investment, CMI Media Group

2022 will see a shift in video. In 2021 TV advertising bounced back. The TV upfronts were extremely strong, resulting in a very difficult 2021 scatter market with high inflation. This has led to increased interest in CTV, addressable TV and data-driven approaches to better align targets with content and create efficiencies in an inflationary market. As we look to 2022, there will be alternatives to Nielsen ratings as a currency for negotiations for TV. Clients will question the lack of flexibility in the upfront model and look at digital TV as a solid alternative to navigating a difficult business environment. Consumers will continue to increase consumption of video across all platforms — social, TV and digital.

Rob Peters, EVP, strategy, MicroMass

2022 will be the year for developing experiences that adapt to the person. The patient experience should revolve around the individual and specific needs of the person. And once we meet the person where they are, we can truly define how to change their behavior and produce better outcomes for the brand.

1 of 18

2021 saw expanded use of telehealth and decentralized trials, further proliferation of health misinformation and the launch of various efforts to tackle health disparities. Following in the footsteps of tumultuous 2020, it was a year of widespread changes in the healthcare industry — even for longstanding issues like drug pricing reform, which might actually be tackled in earnest this time around.

So what’s next? Some execs anticipate the increased importance of real-world data in the drug approval process, others are placing their bets on improved orchestration in omnichannel marketing. Here’s what 18 experts shared with MM+M. 

(responses have been edited for clarity and brevity)

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