Anatomy of an Agency 2018: AbelsonTaylor

What internal program offered by your company has had the most significant impact on your culture, and what were the results?  

An important part of AbelsonTaylor’s culture is its long history of support for local, national, and global efforts to give back to society as a whole. It found opportunities in the past year by sponsoring over 20 different events that supported 20-plus charities.

The agency extended its 20-year partnership with Heifer International and its continuing pro bono work in support of Heifer’s East Africa Dairy Development program.

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Address: 33 West Monroe, Suite 600, Chicago, IL 60603

Phone: 312-894-5500  

Email: [email protected]

Year Founded: 1981

New Business Contact: Jay Carter, EVP, director of business development, 312-894-5625, [email protected]

In 1981, we started an agency because we wanted to chart our own course. We believed that to give our clients our best thinking, we needed to answer to them and not to someone else. Thirty-five years later we have become one of the largest independent healthcare agencies in the world. We continue to give clients our best thinking, steering their brands across the omnichannel waters. And yes, we’re still charting our own course.

We also learned a long time ago that to be the best agency, you must attract the best people. So, we aspire to create an environment that encourages people to always feel proud of the work they do, trust that they work with ethical people, and feel like they’re working with friends.

A lot has changed since we opened our doors. We’re still full service and excel in bringing brands to life from ideation to execution. But we also build meaningful connections to client brands by using the latest tech and analytics. And we’re out of this world when it comes to developing and executing direct-to-physician, direct-to-patient, and direct-to-consumer programs.

Branding and identity: Many of the most recognizable campaigns in health and wellness were conceived at AbelsonTaylor. Successful branding is more than bold graphics and clever headlines. It takes a deep understanding of what motivates people to act and form strong personal bonds with products. 

Engagement strategy: Engagement is a critical element that elevates great ad campaigns. It moves the viewers to go beyond words and pictures and, regardless of the media (print, digital, or broadcast), gives them a reason to act and return, ultimately becoming loyalists.

Full-service art and animation studio: We have a full-service art and animation business unit that excels in creating mechanism of action videos, CG assets, and high-end retouching. We can do the simple art or the most complex animation. 

Customer relationship management: Our CRM programs enhance clients’ communication strategy by tracking, refining, and maximizing those relationships through traditional and digital media, and we help them prepare as media evolve in the future.

Experiential marketing and conventions: We drive traffic in and help clients educate and entertain them. From advertising and pre-show promotion to unique booth design and post-show fulfillment, we do convention work, not conventional work.

Digital: We deliver award-winning, fully integrated digital services. We apply our 18 years of digital know-how to our deep understanding of customer behavior to deliver sophisticated digital engagement strategies in a highly targeted approach that delivers the right experience in the right context at the right time. On time and on budget, of course.