McCann Health New York: 2023

McCann Health New York, an IPG Health company

622 Third Avenue, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10017

646-742-2100 • HelloMHNY@mccannhealth.com • mccannhealthnewyork.com

Quick Facts

Accounts

• Account wins: 8
• Active business clients: 11
  

Winner | Best Consumer TV/Radio Campaign
For two years, COVID-19’s rampant spread dominated headlines and stopped the world in its tracks. The flu, on the other hand, was old news. The Sanofi flu vaccine business was faced with a challenge: how do we get people to take the flu seriously and ask for Sanofi’s superior protection by name? The answer: to remind people that flu is not just a harmless virus, but can be downright deadly.

Brands by 2022 sales

• Brand-product accounts held: 31
• $25 million or less: 4
• $50 million-$100 million: 4
• $100 million-$500 million: 9
• $500 million-$1 billion: 3
• $1 billion or more: 6
• Products not yet approved/launched: 5

Services mix

• HCP: 50%
• DTC: 50%

Client roster

• Alkermes
• AstraZeneca
• Cerevel Therapeutics
• GSK
• Janssen Pharmaceuticals
• Krystal Biotech
• Novartis
• Pfizer
• Sanofi
• Sun Pharmaceuticals
• Takeda

Winner

• Industry Person(s) of the Year
• Best Consumer TV/Radio Campaign
• Best Nonbranded Consumer Campaign

Finalist

• Best Consumer TV/Radio Campaign

Winner | Best Nonbranded Consumer Campaign
This highly visual disease awareness campaign was designed grab attention in the chaotic social media space and drive people to the website to learn more about the symptoms women experience when they’re having a heart attack.

Sitting back and contemplating your success is always fun,” says the leaderhip team at McCann Health New York. “But resting on your laurels is also how you get left behind. At McCann Health New York, we have no intention of letting that happen, so we’ve been busy preparing for what’s next.”  

Recent accomplishments

At MHNY, we believe that brands need to play meaningful roles in people’s lives,” managers say. “And, in 2022, we leaned into our integration with IPG Health to help our clients’ brands do that like never before.”  

Executives stated that they leveraged resources from across the network to build on MHNY’s category knowledge in oncology, neurology, and rare disease. The agency also strengthened its social sciences capabilities “to evolve our understanding of how to change behaviors in HCPs, patients, and caregivers.” 

“These skills helped us develop The Meaningful Change Playbook, a proprietary process designed to help inform and inspire engagements that are rooted in evidence-based behavior change techniques,” executives say.

“But strategy isn’t the only place we’ve been busy. We’ve always leaned into skills like creative technology, brand design, and XD. In 2022, we fully availed ourselves of the network’s wide range of global resources and future-forward expertise to take our offerings to a new level. These days, it’s not at all unusual to stumble into a conversation about the nuances of different generative AI platforms in the office.”

Agency leaders say thanks to these new capabilities (and the back-office efficiencies that come hand-in-hand with them), MHNY has been able to diversify its portfolio, grow into new categories with new clients, and even deliver new services. 

“The results have been obvious, both in terms of growth and the work we were able to deliver for our clients,” executives say. 

MHNY began new relationships with Pfizer, Takeda, Krystal Biotech, Cerevel, and Sun Pharma. “Equally as gratifying, we also saw organic growth with our existing clients, including some AstraZeneca global business, Novartis, and engagements across the range of our Sanofi work,” executives say.

But according to the leadership team, the client roster isn’t the only place the impact can be seen. “By putting these capabilities in the hands of our most curious minds – thanks to inspiration sessions that let people take on problems they wouldn’t be exposed to otherwise – we have created game changing work for our clients.”

Leaders claim MHNY’s efforts got HCPs to voluntarily wait in line at a congress for as long as 90 minutes at a test screening site for a pre-launch brand in the cardiovascular space; changed the way physicians view multiple sclerosis, thanks to an art installation with more than 1,200 images, 600 strings, and “one surprising reveal”; drove patients to demand better treatment – and the client’s product – for one of the most common illnesses that they’d been taking for granted for decades; and reimagined a brand everyone knows to create an entirely new category “which we unfortunately can’t say more about because we take confidentiality very, very seriously.”

Structure and services

There’s an old saying that an agency’s most important resource leaves the building every night,” managers say. “Even though we continue to operate in a flexible work environment, the point remains the same: the right talent is vital.  

“That’s why, while our office doors remain open for people who choose to use our space, we continue to lean into the IPG Health philosophy of flexibility, accountability, and trust. Unlike other agencies and networks, we trust our employees to work with their teams to figure out what works best for themselves, their families and their clients. As a result, we are able to hire strong people from a broader, more diverse talent pool in locations from coast to coast across all functions and all levels.

“Talent is also why we brought in new leadership to help us continue to build on our momentum and take the agency – and our clients – to new heights.”

Renée Mellas, group president; Tim Hawkey, chief creative officer

For example, in late 2022, Renée Mellas and Tim Hawkey joined as group president and chief creative officer, respectively. “Along with them comes a 20-year track record of delivering client satisfaction, creative firepower, and increased opportunities for both their clients and the agency team,” executives say. Mellas and Hawkey were also named Industry Person(s) of the Year by Med Ad News. 

“At the same time, we are developing the next generation by adding to the executive leadership team. Scott Caristo, Kathleen Gillooly, Jen Pearse-
Haran, and Jason West, joined from account management. We also added Executive Creative Director Josh Grossberg, Director of Talent Management and Human Resources Andrew Kamiel, Group Director of Integrated Production Jennifer Ma, and Executive Director of Resource Management Jennifer Richman to a strong foundation that includes Chief Strategy Officer Daryl Somma, Executive VP of Scientific Strategy Paula van de Nes, Ph.D., and our Director of Finance Jonathan Schecter. “

In 2022, MHNY hired more than 120 new employees. “Even better, many of them were boomerangs who wanted to return home,” executives say.

“And while we continue to bring in the best people, as a part of IPG Health we are also able to offer proactive career management (PCM) and internal growth to ensure that we have a well-rounded talent pool that is excited by the opportunities before them.” 

Leaders say MHNY built on IPG Health’s EDI+You strategy, which formalizes the network’s longstanding commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion and creates systemic change across four core pillars of business: “Our People, Our Culture, Our Creative Solutions and Our Impact.” “At MHNY we remain focused on driving integral changes that deliver real and lasting progress. For example, our ongoing Culture Club events strive to create an environment of understanding, while programs like Ignite help offer opportunities to diverse talent that may remain outside of our traditional recruiting network otherwise.

“Of course, it’s not enough to recruit the right people. In this virtual world, maintaining our culture and shared values remains vital. Regular town hall sessions allow us to come together, see what’s happening on different brands, learn from our successes and share best practices, case studies, and generally connect with colleagues at MHNY and across the IPG Health network. And our in-house Chat Roulette helps create an environment where people get to know each other regardless of how senior they are, or what they usually work on. After all, it’s a lot easier to work together when you know – and like – each other.”

Future plans

As we look forward, we remain steadfast in the belief that there is no more meaningful role to play in people’s lives than their health,” the leadership team says. “So, we constantly look for new and innovative ways to uncover the deep human truths that help brands find their place. 

“That’s why our integrated strategic approach increasingly leverages the power of our social science expertise to understand our customers’ needs across the journey. By combining insights into the science, the people, the journey, and market, we can deliver strategies that lead to work that affects behavior change, drives brand adoption for our clients, and truly sets our clients apart.

“From the great resignation to the shifting economy to the birth of AI and a million other changes, 2022 was a tumultuous year across the industry. But we firmly believe that you can fear change, or you can embrace it to get ready for what comes next. So, we continue to pursue solutions for our clients with no ego, no fear, and no settling. And we can hardly wait to see what comes our way in 2023.”

Philanthropy/citizenship

If you believe in the meaningful role of health, as we do, you can’t help but support a number of organizations and issues that are helping people achieve it,” managers say.

“That’s why we’re working with the American Heart Association’s Go Red for Women NYC initiative, which elevates awareness of the impact of cardiovascular disease’s impact and effect among women. Similarly, we work with the smart people at Neuro Arts, an organization that advances the science of arts, health, and wellbeing in mind blowing ways. We also work with the Animal Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit that aims to help build awareness and fund research in comparative oncology. And we support Melanoma UK, who advocate for and support patients and their families through their melanoma diagnosis.”

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