StrikeForce Triples Growth in 2011

NEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Thanks to industry demands for more efficiency in the healthcare marketing arena, StrikeForce Communications -- the sharp-shooting agency that coined the phrase "precision pairing" when it burst on the scene barely two years ago -- tripled its revenues in 2011.

"2011 was a banner year," said Mike Rutstein, founder and CEO of the company, "and there's a lot more to come."  Rutstein points to the firm's latest achievement -- the launch of a ground-breaking DTC campaign in early January -- as a harbinger of continued explosive growth in the coming year.

Rutstein credits the agency's latest wins to its ability to capitalize on pharma's growing frustration over shrinking budgets, a sluggish economy and increased competition.

"The bottom line -- for nearly all clients nowadays -- is how to accomplish more with less," he added. "We're able to provide a lot more value by matching top talent to specialized drugs and devices. The result is better people, better creative and better prices. Marketers, who are being forced to stretch their budgets more than ever, recognize the value of this way of working." 

In order to accommodate the sudden surge in business, StrikeForce has named Patricia Prugno as partner and managing director of the firm.  Prugno, who is in charge of client services and day-to-day operations, has more than 25 years of experience working with blue chip agencies and major pharmaceutical companies. 

Before teaming up with StrikeForce, Prugno was senior vice president and group management director at DraftFCB, where she and Rutstein met and built the agency's healthcare practice from the ground up. Prugno spearheaded launches for blockbuster products, including Plan B Emergency Contraception, Pataday allergy eye drops, Neulasta, Strattera, Meridia and Fosamax.

In addition to its new strength at the top, StrikeForce has assembled a large network of top-notch talent that the agency "in-sources" for its swat team approach. 

The agency is also making a significant investment in business development in order to maintain its momentum as one of New York's fastest growing agencies.  An advisory board, consisting of business leaders from other industries, meets once each quarter to review key issues and explore new ways of breaking out of the mold.

The company has moved to expanded quarters in the Meat Packing District, New York's center of cutting edge gravity.  Surrounded by other leading-edge communications companies, StrikeForce is still an agency without borders, allowing the shop to collaborate with top-level talent and the most innovative companies.

"There comes a time when the status quo won't cut it," Rutstein said. "Healthcare is changing. And that's why we, as an agency, are changing the business model.  Precision pairing means that we can pair the process, the people and the pricing to meet the needs of a specific brand. We're not stuck in a box, and our clients aren't either."

"There's no question that this non-traditional model is behind the agency's growth," said Prugno, who has been a consultant to StrikeForce since early 2011. 

Launched in the fall of 2009, StrikeForce has a stack of agency of record accounts on both the professional and consumer side. Clients have included industry giants such as Teva and Alcon, plus Pfizer, Abbott Laboratories, Azur, Sucampo, Pozen, Orexigen and KCI.  The agency specializes in advertising for prescription drugs, OTC products and medical devices.

StrikeForce Communications is at 1, 3, 5 Little West 12th Street, New York, NY 10014. Tel: 917-475-1876.  E-mail:  [email protected]; Web: www.strikeforcenyc.com.

CONTACT: Julie Laitin (212) 286-2424
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE StrikeForce Communications