Med Ad News Honors Healthcare Communication Agencies at 23rd Annual Manny Awards

HAMILTON, N.J., April 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- UBM Canon has announced the winners of the 23rd annual Med Ad News Manny Awards 2012. The black-tie gala event, held at Pier Sixty in New York, included the naming of ICC Lowe as Agency of the Year Category I. The award honors the most outstanding healthcare communication agency with annual revenue of more than $50 million. Sixteen additional awards were bestowed throughout the evening to agencies achieving excellence in a variety of categories.

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Starting off the evening, Susan Miller Viray, founding partner of The CementBloc, was named Med Ad News Industry Person of the Year based on the testimonials of current and former employees, agency peers, and industry clients who praised her leadership skills, vision, and decision-making abilities. Along with her husband, Rico Viray, she founded The CementWorks in July 2000 and began building the Indigenus global network of like-minded entrepreneurial agencies in 2005. The global launch of Spiriva in December 2001 and the success that followed helped springboard The CementBloc to become the second-largest independent full-service healthcare creative agency in the United States today.

"I was unaware that The Bloc even nominated me – evidently I was the last to know, based on the video you just saw," she says. "And now I suspect that they've secretly nominated me a few times before – Rico let it slip the other day that I'm no longer the Susan Lucci of Healthcare Advertising.

"Rico and I may have started The CementWorks alone, but we are thriving today because of the multi-discipline, multi-channel, and multi-local business that we have built with our partners: Jen Matthews, Elizabeth Elfenbein, Steph Berman, Art Chavez, Barbara Patchefsky and Kim Johnson."

For Category I Agency of the Year winner ICC Lowe, riding its very strong performance from 2010, ICC Lowe used that momentum in 2011 to rebrand, restructure, and re-energize itself, becoming the healthcare arm for all of Lowe and Partners' health-related resources around the world.

Intouch Solutions won Category II Agency of the Year. This category honors agencies with yearly revenue between $25 million and $50 million. In 2011, Intouch Solutions proved that rethinking the traditional model can reap immense rewards.

Agency of the Year Category III honors agencies recording less than $25 million in annual revenue. Category III Agency of the Year winner echo Torre Lazur took home three Manny Awards, including Best Interactive Physician Campaign for AcipHex for Eisai and PriCara as well as Best Self-Promotion Campaign.

Dudnyk was awarded the Manny for Best Professional Campaign for the Cinryze campaign. This multichannel campaign was developed for ViroPharma Inc.'s European markets. Dudnyk handles both professional and DTP promotion in the United States and Europe for Cinryze.

CDM New York received the award for Most Admired Agency. Candidates for Most Admired Agency were voted on by their peers and Med Ad News staff based on the qualities they admire such as management strength, vision, creative track record, and strategic thinking.

CDM New York was also awarded Med Ad News' Heart Award. The Heart Award recognizes agencies' social responsibility and agency cultures that embody a high commitment to philanthropic and social causes. In November, CDM New York hosted Pharmapalooza 4, bringing together agency (and client) bands to battle it out at B.B. King's. The event was the most successful yet, raising more than $95,000 for The Children's Hospital at Montefiore.

The Manny for Best Philanthropic Campaign went to CDM New York for the agency's work on behalf of the AHA. CDM New York developed another award-winning campaign to raise funds for the organization, celebrating the courage of people who have stood up to the challenge of heart disease.

Draftfcb Healthcare, also nominated for Best Self-Promotion Campaign and Best Nonbranded Campaign, walked away with three awards last night: Most Creative Agency, Best Interactive Patient Campaign for Plan B One-Step's Get a Real Plan for Teva, and Best Consumer Campaign for Spiriva "Elephant" for Boehringer Ingelheim and Pfizer.

Harrison and Star did not walk away empty handed, earning the Manny Award for Best Nonbranded Campaign for its work on behalf of "This is the Face of Advanced BCC."

The Manny Award for Best Medical Device Campaign went to LehmanMillet in recognition of its physician campaign for MarginProbe for Dune Medical Devices.

Med Ad News' Brand Team of the Year Award recognizes brand teams demonstrating exceptional passion, dedication, and teamwork and ability to meet challenges, effectively communicate with clients, and implement new concepts. This year, the Manny went to AbelsonTaylor's Incivek for the Vertex team. The Vertex and AbelsonTaylor teams had their work cut out for them launching Incivek. A laser focus on education and early adoption fueled success ­– Incivek set a new commercial record by achieving blockbuster status in less than nine months.

The evening concluded with the Best Video Submission of the Year winner, which was voted on via text messaging, Twitter and online by the Manny Award attendees. This inaugural award was presented to Brand Team of the Year nominee Roska Healthcare Advertising for Yervoy.

Many thanks to this year's event sponsors: Cocktail Reception sponsor Palio; Gold sponsors Concentric Pharma Advertising and Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide; and Post-Cocktail Reception sponsor The CementBloc.

About the Manny Awards

For 23 years, the Med Ad News Manny Awards have paid tribute to the creative work of agencies serving the healthcare market, their people, and their contributions to the industry. Each year at this gala awards ceremony, Med Ad News and agency professionals come together to celebrate creative excellence in pharmaceutical and medical device advertising and to acknowledge those making significant contributions to healthcare communications. On this special evening, more than 600 industry peers join Med Ad News in honoring winners in a range of award categories.

About Med Ad News

The pharmaceutical industry's publication of record for 30 years, Med Ad News provides broad coverage and incisive analysis of the issues, events, trends, and strategies shaping pharmaceutical business, marketing, and sales. More than 16,500 readers – comprising corporate executives, marketing, sales, and product managers – receive Med Ad News 12 times per year. Med Ad News is a publication of UBM Canon.

About UBM Canon

As the largest B-to-B media company with an exclusive focus on the advanced manufacturing sector, UBM Canon blends the reach and power of events, print and digital publications, and database products. Known for its global approach, UBM Canon is the leading producer of trade events, publications, and electronic media for the world's $3 trillion advanced, technology-based manufacturing industry.

SOURCE UBM Canon; Med Ad News