NEW YORK, April 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Just a year and a half out of the gate, StrikeForce Communications has emerged as the proverbial dark horse in this year's Manny Awards race.  

The entrepreneurial start-up, best-known for its Precision Pairing approach, outran most of the competition to capture a nomination for the newly created Vision Award.  One of 16 categories honoring "creative excellence" in the industry, the Vision Award was designed by Med Ad News, sponsors of the annual event, to recognize those "initiatives that have the power to transform the way that healthcare communications agencies do business."

"Changing the way agencies do business is what StrikeForce is all about," said Mike Rutstein, founder and president. "We're saying 'no' to the status quo."

Rutstein describes the agency's approach as Precision Pairing, or linking the right talent — be it an individual or an organization — to the right brand.  "Because StrikeForce is not part of a network, we are able to offer complete freedom of choice to our clients. Our business model, which is based on open sourcing, allows us to attract better talent, produce more original work and lower expenses overall," he added.  "The open source model is a lot more effective than the one-size-fits-all approach of traditional agencies, which are often compelled to use the resources on hand."  

In addition to securing the Manny nomination, Rutstein credits the agency's philosophy with spurring its unprecedented growth. Launched in the fall of 2009, StrikeForce started off with a trio of wins from Alcon Laboratories, which named it agency of record for three global brands, including the entire SYSTANE franchise, TobraDex ST and I-CAPS nutritional supplements.  Later assignments included a fully integrated DTC Campaign for Alcon's ReSTOR and a number of professional and consumer programs from Azur Pharmaceuticals, KCI and OrexigenTherapeutics/Takeda.

The agency now has six agency of record accounts. The most recent of these is a multi-million dollar DTC women's health campaign for one of the world's leading pharmaceutical manufacturers. Previous assignments include projects from Pfizer (formerly Wyeth), Abbott Laboratories, Sepracor and Pozen Pharmaceuticals.

Because of its vision, StrikeForce has received extensive press coverage, with Rutstein being asked to speak on a number of industry panels. He is currently a member of the DTC Perspectives Advisory Board.

"Everyone talks about thinking outside the box," he concluded. "We're eliminating the box." In the process, the agency — to paraphrase the words of the Manny nomination — is transforming the way healthcare marketers do business.  

The 22nd Annual Manny Awards will be presented at a ceremony to be held on Thursday, April 28th at the Sheraton Hotel in New York.  More than 600 guests are expected to attend.

Specializing in advertising for prescription drugs, OTC products and medical devices, StrikeForce Communications is at 366 West 11th St, Suite 4F, New York, NY 10014. Tel: 917-475-1876.  E-mail:  [email protected]   Web: www.strikeforcenyc.com.

SOURCE StrikeForce Communications