Agency Scores Wins in Ophthalmology and Obesity

June 15, 2010 – 10:45 am by Gina Monari

Demonstrating that bigger is not better, StrikeForce Communications has signed on three new accounts, two of them for Alcon Laboratories business franchises previously handled by long-established agencies. The agency, founded less than a year ago, has adopted an open source business model, allowing for the “precision pairing” of top-level talent with clients whose products represent increasingly complex needs.

The third assignment is for the potential launch of a new drug from Orexigen Therapeutics Inc., a San Diego-based biopharmaceutical company that focuses on the treatment of obesity. The drug is now undergoing FDA review.
For Alcon, StrikeForce will be heading up all global strategic and creative responsibilities for I-CAPS, a line of ocular nutrition products designed to promote healthy eyes—and delay the progress of age-related macular degeneration — and Systane, the world’s leading OTC dry eye therapy.

“Accounts like these demand a lot of specialization — and an unconventional approach — to stand out from the competition,” says Mike Rutstein, president of StrikeForce.

I-CAP and Systane are classes of products designed for the treatment of conditions that were once rare, but are now increasingly prevalent. Age-related macular degeneration, which is the leading cause of blindness among older adults, is on the rise because people worldwide are living longer. Dry eye is a byproduct of the changing environment; it is both age-related and acutely sensitive to pollutants in the air.

According to Rutstein, the switch from traditional agencies to unconventional models is a reflection of both a changing economy and an industry weakened by mergers.

“Clients are not interested in standardized formulas or one-size-fits-all solutions,” Mr. Rutstein says. “They want more for less — more creativity, with less bureaucracy and expense.”

Elyse Stoltz Dickerson, global director, Dry Eye & Ocular Nutrition, Alcon, agrees completely.

“We retained StrikeForce because they can literally choose the best talent for a job — regardless of whether it’s big or small — instead of using the in-house staff that’s available,” Ms. Stoltz Dickerson says. “That kind of freedom means better work and a more cost-effective solution.”

Other assignments that StrikeForce has handled have come from Pfizer Inc. (formerly Wyeth), Abbott Laboratories, Sepracor, and Pozen Pharmaceuticals.

For more details about these account wins, please pick up an August issue of Med Ad News.