The flagship of the Euro RSCG Life network, LM&P has undergone a reorganization over the past year, adding practices in order to present a more integrated offering and positioning itself as an “agency of the future.”
Within the network, says president David Paragamian, “We are the oldest, we are the largest, we are the flagship, so organizational evolution for us is important. It’s about being forward and providing solutions beyond the traditional healthcare marketing surfaces we’ve always painted on.”

To that end, the shop has added to its core disciplines—account services, creative and medical insights —expertise in digital marketing, medical education, managed markets and account planning.

“It’s a much more unified, future state offering,” says Paragamian. “It’s a differentiator for us in a world where many of our competitors are still in a more silo-ed structure.

The shop has added about 15 employees, putting staff at around 190, as it’s built up those areas. And it’s seen strong growth in its Chicago office, which picked up agency of record assignments for two Takeda CNS drugs in Phase 3 development, along with Lansinoh’s full line of OTC products aimed at new moms.

In a sign of the Chicago office’s strong performance, LM&P moved Chicago creative director Rich Angelini to New York to assume the role of chief creative officer (his replacement in Chicago is still being worked out).
“Rich has been with the network for four years, and he’s done a fantastic job of raising the bar on the creative product in Chicago,” says Paragamian.

The company’s New York office had a good year on the new business front as well, with a new assignment from Pfizer, for an unnamed Phase 3 compound for pain, and assignments for two Schering-Plough OTC gastrointestinal brands, Miralax and Zegrid.

The firm resigned its assignments with North Carolina biotech Talacris over creative differences – the only account loss over the past year.

LM&P’s top clients include: Pfizer, for which the shop handles Lyrica, Chantix, Selzentry, Genotropin and Xalatan, in addition to the new assignment; Wyeth, for the vaccines portfolio, including Prevnar 13; Takeda, for Miralax and Zegrid; and Boston Scientific, on the stents business. About three-quarters of the firm’s work is aimed at professional audiences, though LM&P does direct-to-patient work on Pfizer’s Selzentry as well as the Lansinoh and Schering-Plough brands. The agency’s Chicago office handles advertising for NorthShore Hospital, including broadcast ads.

Paragamian, emerging from a full day of client meetings at Wyeth, says LM&P prides itself on keeping senior staff highly involved in accounts. “That’s the uniqueness of our business model,” says Paragamian, touting the Wyeth, Pfizer and Takeda ID badges he carries in his briefcase. “Our senior people stay very close to the client and have an active participatory role on all our brands. I’m walking that talk personally.” 

Paragamian acknowledges the forbidding economic environment, quoting Euro RSCG global chief David Jones, who says it’s “like driving in fog,” and boasts that “in a complex environment and landscape we find ourselves in, we’re actually enjoying a very good year.”

“I’m trying to be the kid in class that has his head down, working hard and trying to take care of my clients and thereby my employees,” says Paragamian.

From the July 01, 2009 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media