Agency of the Year Category III – CrowdPharm: 2023

CrowdPharm

4600 Madison Ave, Suite 1500, Kansas City, MO 64112

913-77PHARM • mikemyers@crowdpharm.com • crowdpharm.com

Quick Facts

Accounts

• Account wins: 13
• Active business clients: 17

Brands by 2022 sales

• Brand-product accounts held: 20
• Products not yet approved/launched: 3

Services mix

• Full service: 100%

Winner

• Agency of the Year, Category III

“Using technology, we are transforming the way agencies work with brands by offering an approach no one else in healthcare marketing had provided to clients before – real-time access to the best healthcare minds around the world,” says Ingrid Dahlin, managing director, account services. According to managers, the agency owes its 2022 successes to its incredibly talented team and the unique way they meet client and brand needs. “We built a culture that talent and clients want to be a part of, and it’s generating exciting growth,” Dahlin says.  

The leadership team says a quick overview of CrowdPharm’s 2022 successes includes three brand launches, launching a new company, earning work from two of the top 10 pharma companies in the industry, branding the technology application that fuels the agency’s global network, the acquisition and integration of a company, launching its own brand campaign and rebranding its global network site, adding 13 new brands to its portfolio, onboarding eight new clients, and expanding into consumer work with one of its strategic partners. 

“Delivering bold work is our hallmark. Whether we’re ideating, launching a product, or helping our clients’ brands reach their full potential with patients, the power of our network is on full display as we engage talent from around the world to deliver smart strategy and creative solutions that drive market success for our clients,” says Dan Lutz, managing director, creative.

CrowdPharm’s creative solution focused on the key idea of “reaching new heights with the daily rhythm of accurate dosing.” The agency accomplished this by aligning ideal growth stages of infants and children with age-appropriate hydrocortisone doses, reinforcing the flexibility and ability of HCPs to adjust the dose to fit each child’s needs.

Recent accomplishments

The agency launched products for multiple sclerosis, partial-onset seizures, and a medication to control postoperative pain in cats. Additionally, managers say, CrowdPharm created multichannel campaigns, awareness-generating social media, patient videos, and “show-stopping” tradeshow booths, comprehensive sales training education workshops, and corporate and HCP/DTC brand websites. With strategic partner Bernstein-Rein, CrowdPharm also expanded into consumer marketing to work with a well-known global eyewear provider.

CrowdPharm launched its strategic healthcare firm, Hot Iron Health, to offer comprehensive strategic expertise for brand-building optimization and communication to the pharmaceutical, medical device, biotech, and animal health industries. “Hot Iron Health, recognized in 2022 as an innovative startup, helps clients maximize brand success through smart work and engagement throughout the stages of their brand’s life cycle,” says Mike Myers, managing director and partner.

When CrowdPharm acquired Boom Ideanet, Partner Steve Bernstein shared that the knowledge the agency gains from Boom Ideanet will continue to expand their expertise in consumer insights and behaviors to help inform how they innovatively support clients whose brands need to reach patients and caregivers.

“Our expansion into consumer marketing, coupled with the acquisition of Boom Ideanet and the launch of Hot Iron Health, led to the implementation of a new financial platform that enables CrowdPharm to have greater insight into the agency’s growth,” says Patty Byrnes, VP, director of finance.

CrowdPharm launched its promotional campaign, putting what the leadership team referred to as its bold personality front and center on the website, across social media, and in journal ads. And with the new campaign, the agency rebranded its global talent network site, home to 6,000+ members across 119 countries, creating a more vibrant community for its extended talent network. Additionally, managers say the agency’s #workanywhere campaign, combined with its talent recruitment specialists, resulted in 1,500+ new members joining the CrowdPharm team. 

In 2022, the agency jumped to No. 134 on the Inc. 5000 list, vaulting CrowdPharm into the No. 1 position of fastest-growing companies in Missouri, No. 3 in Kansas City, and No. 10 in advertising and marketing companies across the United States. “This growth reflects our ability to engage global talent and deliver the highest quality of work to our clients cost-effectively,” says Ed Decker, managing director, corporate operations. CrowdPharm received three Agency of the Year nominations and earned multiple awards for its client work. Employees voted CrowdPharm a Best Place to Work in Inc.’s Best Workplaces and for a second year in MM+M’s Best Places to Work. 

Structure and services

The benefits of building a company culture that celebrates all voices and encompasses values lived regularly have been enjoyed beyond the agency’s virtual walls and felt by families, industry colleagues, and clients, according to executives. “I feel very fortunate to be a part of a value system at CrowdPharm that promotes collaboration, inclusion, respect, work ethic, and gratitude. While we work with each other across the country and world, we connect in very real ways to cheer for each other’s kids in competitions, volunteer for each other’s causes, buy each other’s art, and most importantly, find the time each day to say ‘I appreciate you,’” says Ray Colon, senior VP, creative director.

The agency believes that every client has the right to tap into the abundance of worldwide healthcare communications talent and has worked hard to ensure that projects move across the time zones of 119 countries to deliver time and cost efficiencies to clients. 

CrowdPharm’s managing director of client operations, Kaley Wager, improved the strategy behind the agency’s vetting process of its global talent network to maximize the strengths and expertise within the network, directly impacting the quality of work delivered to clients. 

Matching talent to task is central to CrowdPharm’s approach. With global talent in every therapeutic area and skill set, the agency’s expertise runs deep. “For example, if a client needs experience in antibiotics, our talent network has 704 professionals with this expertise. Same with cardiovascular (848), immunology (519), and oncology (700) – our access to an abundance of talent and experience is limitless,” says Nora Wilder, VP, director of editorial.  

Future plans

In what leadership believes is a jam-packed year ahead, 2023 kicked off with teams working on prelaunch planning for three new brands. “We are preparing for a full brand launch in May and two others in Q3, so we’re busy sharpening our colored pencils and crayons!” says Jenn Reilly, senior VP, account director. 

CrowdPharm continues to invest in technology to ensure that its proprietary application, PharmYard, a multi-tenant platform, has the ability to power new companies as the organization grows. “So, just as we did when Hot Iron Health launched, as the agency either acquires or launches new brands, the platform will be ready,” says Alex Silverstein, managing director, chief technology officer. In concert with the agency’s talent recruitment efforts, Silverstein has been leveraging predictive analytics with machine learning to enhance the screening process of identifying talent and matching it to client needs.

Philanthropy/citizenship

At the heart of this agency, you’ll find its people,” executives say. “These folks are busy in their communities as teachers, mentors, board members, and volunteers supporting causes close to their hearts. For example, families gathered to walk to end epilepsy, individuals walked to end breast cancer, and the agency donated to the Alzheimer’s Association and provided support to the family of a dear friend who passed way too early.”

CrowdPharm’s Tanya Petroff, senior account executive, opened her kitchen to host Ukrainian master chef and baker Valentyna “Valya” Pichkurova, who, over a two-hour Zoom, taught the agency how to make the most delicious varenyky (pierogi). One hundred percent of the proceeds earned from the event went to Ukrainian Humanitarian Aid. The agency also donated to StNicholasUOC.org and IHeartUkraine.org. CrowdPharm employees across the United States purchased medical supplies, blankets, clothes, and personal hygiene products, contributing to the 500 boxes containing 18,000 pounds of goods sent to Ukraine. Petroff and The Capital District School of Ukrainian Studies
(ukrainianschool.org) also made and sold pins, raising $17,000, with the proceeds going to Slovakia to aid Ukrainian refugees and to Ukraine to aid the military.

Colon says he was busy planting seeds for the next generation of leaders by helping three young entrepreneurs build their maple syrup brand. Using the same resources that CrowdPharm uses when engaging clients and their global team, these kids learned the importance of color in determining how consumers think and feel about a brand, how logo design helps consumers connect with brands, and how fonts and image shapes support the brand by creating energy and movement. Together, they developed a logo, established brand colors, and created a label for the maple syrup bottles. 

What Colon says he learned from the kids: The color of the maple syrup reflects the sugar content and the length of time it cooked.

Winner | Agency of the Year, Category III
(top row left to right) Steve Bernstein, partner; Patty Byrnes, VP, director of finance; Ray Colon, senior VP, creative director; Ingrid Dahlin, managing director, account services
(middle row left to right) Ed Decker, managing director, corporate operations; Lori Goodale, VP, director of marketing and corporate communications; Dan Lutz, managing director, creative; Mike Myers, managing director and partner
(bottom row left to right) Jenn Reilly, senior VP, account director; Alex Silverstein, managing director, chief technology officer; Kaley Wagner, managing director, client operations; Nora Wilder, VP, director of editorial

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