In a year when fear gripped many agencies and clients, Juice Pharma Worldwide held to its vision of providing clients holistic offerings and dedicated brand teams and ended 2008 up about 15%. Managing partners Lynn Macrone and Lois Moran also concentrated on innovating to help clients evolve marketing practices and thrive in what is a new era.
“Last year was about staying true to vision and not giving into fear,” Moran says. “We’ve always been bold and courageous, and we want to be a source of courage for clients. Everybody knew times were tough and tougher times were coming. We had our eye on 2008 and beyond. We were financially planning for 2009 and choicefully deciding about how to continue to diversify.”
When contemplating “the new pharma model,” Moran adds that the partners consider extremes. For example, how to launch a product if there are no reps. “We’ve challenged ourselves to think beyond all the norms in this industry for many years,” Moran says. “We want to take all the handcuffs off, forget all the norms and…think in new and different ways.”
The partners note that clients increasingly want one point person to help them more easily navigate multichannel needs. Macrone notes that this has been a strong focus since the agency’s founding six years ago. “Clients have a lot on their plate,” she adds. “We want to do whatever we can to make their days more efficient. Solidifying our offerings…allows us to be a source of consistency to execute through whatever platform with fresh ideas.”
Last year, the agency became interactive AOR for all of its clients, which was an important goal. Win highlights include an Elan/Wyeth biologic for Alzheimer’s treatment and a pain therapy for Pfizer (plus preferred supplier status in the pain therapy category).
The agency’s relationship with Wyeth expanded to include its complete hemophilia franchise and all interactive work. Similarly, long-standing client Merck & Co. increased work on Gardasil and Zostavax to include interactive, and it assigned new consumer-focused initiatives. The agency stopped working on Novartis’ vaccine Menveo when it parted ways with the company.
Juice joined Worldwide Partners Inc, a global network of independent agencies, last May. The partners believe true global capability is essential now and going forward. Last year the agency’s name changed from Juice Pharma Advertising to Juice Pharma Worldwide to reflect its “globalness.”
Headcount held steady at 85, and it’s projected to top 100 this year. There are currently openings in account and copy.
Moran notes that almost all clients are “acutely” focused on customers now, and they all need to ensure offerings are relevant while meeting business goals.
The agency introduced the term “bigtique” last year to encapsulate its ability to provide all the services of a big agency with specialized, hands-on talent and fresh thinking. It’s continuing to live by this tenant.
“We do especially well staying true to our vision and not getting pulled left and right with distractions that could occur monthly, weekly, daily,” Moran adds. “We’re not reactive, we’re methodical.”
From the July 01, 2009 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
