August 21, 2012—New York, NY – Global healthcare communications agency ghg has introduced Digital Dx–a new methodology for measuring, tracking and maximizing the power of brands, companies and market issues across all online media. Companies can use Digital Dx to assess health and reputation across all digital channels, including web sites, social media, search engines and mobile–or perform targeted analyses to address specific areas of concern. The Digital Dx model is designed to inspire creative concepts for proactive marketing, as well as to support effective issues management during market events. It works in four phases to evaluate and optimize the impact of digital programs, as well as to reveal and protect against potential vulnerabilities:

1. Discovery, reviewing existing data and identifying relevant corporate, branded, competitive and negative keywords and phrases. Discovery includes both manual and automated searches to build a map of the ecosystem that affects the brand, company or issue.
2. Diagnosis, assessing conversations and determining the potential reach and influence of their authors. During this phase, ghg also uncovers the opportunities and challenges in the social media framework.
3. Prescription, creating customized recommendations and specific plans of action. The Prescription phase provides potential scenarios, next steps and anticipated results.
4. Check up, tracking the results of implementing action plans and continuing to refine approaches based on findings to drive continuous improvement.

“Digital channels are not only vital components of the marketing mix, they are often the glue that holds a program together—the most powerful tools for reaching and interacting with target audiences. As companies direct an increasing share of promotional dollars to digital options, it is essential they have reliable ways to assess and strengthen their impact and ROI,” says Erin Byrne, Managing Partner and Chief Engagement Officer at ghg. “There has been a lack of effective solutions for ensuring digital investments are delivering optimal return—and driving ongoing improvements in their outcomes. Digital Dx™ fills that market gap, with a best-practice approach that gives companies a complete evaluation of their total digital presence—and concrete steps they can take to boost results.

“The need to measure and maximize digital’s influence is particularly acute in healthcare, where a soaring number of both professionals and patients are seeking health information online and managing health conditions digitally. Recognizing the crucial role digital plays in shaping treatment decisions, ghg custom-made Digital Dx to meet the unique requirements of healthcare marketers. We’ve combined our extensive experience in healthcare marketing with our deep knowledge of digital applications to create the first assessment and tracking methodology specifically for the healthcare industry.”

Measuring Social Media Advocacy Drives Brand Opportunity

As part of the Digital Dx process, companies can choose to focus on their social media strategies, using ghg’s unique advocacy model. The ghg model defines advocacy as creating a compelling experience that audience members pass on to their personal social networks, ideally with a personal recommendation that strengthens the message’s credibility and impact. It allows users to identify the universe of potential advocates, predict their possible actions and calculate the impact of their activities on the brand, including providing an ROI number to support social media investments.

“While the concept of brands participating in social media isn’t new, ghg’s approach to measurement is,” says Byrne. “Typical metrics such as Facebook likes or Twitter followers aren’t enough to assess impact. It is too easy for someone to like a page and never visit again, adding no value to the brand. The true opportunity for brands lies in advocacy–whether the action is as simple as a patient re-tweeting a brand’s web site link or as valuable as a physician writing a blog post mentioning the product. Our model predicts the behaviors that will most effectively drive results. We then identify the best social experiences for engaging target audiences and motivating them to take those optimal actions.”

About grey healthcare group (ghg)

ghg (grey healthcare group) is a global healthcare communications company, headquartered in New York, with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It is a member of the WPP Group, a global provider of advertising, branding, and marketing. It works with companies to build world-class healthcare and pharmaceutical brands among medical professionals and consumers, with a transmedia storytelling approach that covers print, digital and television broadcast media, medical education, sales force presentations and managed access strategies.

August 1, 2012—New York, NY – WG Consulting—a world-leading market access consultancy—has opened its first US office in New York, providing on-the-ground strategic support to US-based pharmaceutical companies across all stages of the drug commercialization process. Delivering integrated market access insights and solutions, WG Consulting focuses on helping clients communicate brand value to clinical and payer stakeholders and drive optimal patient outcomes. WG has named Charlotta Norgaard to head its new US-based practice.

“With the Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Care Act, pharmaceutical companies will face radical changes in every aspect of their environment—from growing cost control pressures to stricter payer demands to new physician practice dynamics,” says Claire Gillis, CEO of WG. “During this turbulent time for our US customers, we thought it was critical to offer local experts who can work hand in hand with them, guiding them safely through a volatile landscape. With WG’s deep global experience, we can help our US clients leverage the lessons learned across Europe, so they can capitalize on the successes and avoid the mistakes of countries that have gone through similar transitions.

“Bringing a rich background in market access and reimbursement consulting, Charlotta Norgaard is the ideal partner for our American clients. Committed to ensuring her clients achieve their goals, she will help them build strategic plans and messaging that drive success in today’s payer-dominated, value-driven market.”

“I am thrilled to be part of the WG team as it expands its presence in the US,” adds Ms. Norgaard. “WG stands alone in its ability to align clinical data, health economics outcomes research and payer analytics across the entire marketing process. In addition, as part of ghg and the WPP family, we can tap into a worldwide network of communications agencies, market research firms and insights companies, leveraging an unrivalled range of resources and talent to support our clients’ objectives.”

Ms. Norgaard Bring Extensive Healthcare Consulting Experience to WG Consulting

Ms. Norgaard comes to WG Consulting from QD Healthcare in Stamford, CT, where she created and led a market access division. Prior to QD, she ran her own consulting business, focused on access and reimbursement business strategy, process improvement and project management.

Before starting her own firm, Ms. Norgaard served as Director of Access Solutions for Quorum Consulting in San Francisco, CA. At Quorum, she directed reimbursement efforts and bi-coastal call center operations. She also managed an array of key projects around drug launch plans, reimbursement, clinical trial and drug support services, payer and coverage policies and physician outreach.

Ms. Norgaard started her healthcare career at Genentech in San Francisco. Her responsibilities included creating and managing reimbursement call centers, specialty pharmacy distribution channels and market access teams for new product launches.

A passionate patient advocate, Ms. Norgaard has been actively involved in patient assistance and free drug programs, drug hotline call centers and payer relations. In addition, she has worked to break down reimbursement barriers, ensuring patients gain access to therapy.

Born and raised in Denmark, Ms. Norgaard hold a BA in business. She also has a business certificate from Vista College in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeley.

Free Webinar Will Share New ACA (Affordable Care Act) Research

As a service to the healthcare industry, WG Consulting is sponsoring a new, educational webinar, Building Winning Strategies in an ACA World: Your Guide to Success in a Value-Driven Market. Scheduled for September 20 from 11:00 am to 12:00 pm ET, the session will reveal the results of new research on how payers, patients and pharmaceutical companies are reacting to and planning for ACA—and how their responses compare to consumers. Registration is free at www.pharmavoice.com/ACA.

About WG Consulting…

WG Consulting (www.wg-group.com), part of the ghg network, is a global, evidence-based, best-in-class market access consultancy, aligning clinical, HEOR and payer analytics across all therapeutic categories and every stage of drug commercialization. We provide value-driven, integrated market access solutions and guidance, helping clients effectively communicate brand value to clinical and payer stakeholders and optimize patient outcomes. A worldwide leader, WG recently opened its first US office at 114 Fifth Avenue in New York.

April 9, 2012—New York, NY – Osprey, a division of ghg, has been named winner in the 33^rd Annual Telly Awards for their 2011 video titled “Milestones” on behalf of the Jed Foundation. The video highlights both the need and the accomplishments of the Foundation during its first 10 years and is used for both fundraising and outreach.

The Jed Foundation is a non-profit and the nation's leading organization working to reduce emotional distress and prevent suicide among college students. ghg is a founding member of the Jed Foundation and they also do work on their behalf. For 10 years, the Foundation has emerged as a leader in protecting the emotional health of college students.

View the Milestones video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaSJzSYwfAI

“Osprey has been a true partner with The Jed Foundation in helping us reach out to college students. The video they produced is so very deserving of the award,” said John MacPhee Executive Director, The Jed Foundation. “Highlighting our work in such a compelling way allows us to connect with even more young people to let them know they do not have to face emotional health challenges on their own.”

The video was produced and directed by Peter Morrison and edited by James Spione, with art direction by Janet Scabrini, support from assistant editor Nick Hennessey, and After Effects graphic production by Scott Rinehart. Osprey is currently gearing up to produce the 2012 Jed Foundation Gala video that will premiere this June.

To learn more about the Jed Foundation: http://www.jedfoundation.org/

About the Telly Awards

The Telly Awards was founded in 1979 and is the premier award honoring outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials. Winners represent the best work of the most respected advertising agencies, production companies, television stations, cable operators, and corporate video departments in the world.

February 27, 2012—New York, NY – ghg, a leading global healthcare communications agency and WPP Company [NASDAQ: WPPGY], announced Bill Werbaneth, SVP, Executive Creative Director, Professional has been chosen as a committee member for the 2012 Clio Healthcare awards.

Bill will sit on the film committee in the pharmaceutical category, which also includes a Health & Wellness category. The Clio Healthcare awards are judged in four categories film, print, interactive, and public relations. Bill joins an impressive list of judges that includes Tim Brierley, Creative Director at ghg Sydney, Australia who was on last year’s print jury.

The CLIO Healthcare Awards is an extension of The CLIO Awards, one of the world’s most recognized awards competitions for advertising, design and communications, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2009. Healthcare accounts for more than one-third of the U.S. gross national product. It has become one of the most visible sectors of advertising, promotion and creative design in the last few years, particularly on TV and online. Visit www.cliohealthcare.com for more information.

About grey healthcare group (ghg)

ghg (grey healthcare group) is a global healthcare communications company, headquartered in New York, with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It is a member of the WPP Group, a global provider of advertising, branding, and marketing. It works with companies to build world-class healthcare and pharmaceutical brands among medical professionals and consumers, with a transmedia storytelling approach that covers print, digital and television broadcast media, medical education, sales force presentations and managed access strategies.

January 31, 2012—New York, NY – ghg, a leading global healthcare communications agency and WPP Company, announced John Canevari has joined as EVP, Chief Creative Officer. Building superior creative teams and servicing clients with exceptional creative output is John’s passion. With 27 years of creative experience, John will focus on creative conceptualization, traditional and digital experience design, creative team leadership and of course delivering breakthrough creative executions for the agency’s clients.

John has been successful in developing breakthrough design and breathtaking execution within the Pharmaceutical, CPG, Travel, Retail and Fashion industries. Throughout his career John has managed a variety of teams, directing the development of innovative methodologies and processes for progressive user-centered design implementation.

“We are pleased that John decided to join ghg,” said Lynn O’Connor Vos, CEO. “He possesses a terrific combination of strong creative skills, team leadership, and a contagious energy that is just what we need to help lead our clients through the emergence of social media, healthcare reform, Health 3.0 and the growing role of the consumer.”

Prior to joining ghg, John was SVP, Executive Creative Director for TargetCast tcm, a leading independent media communications agency in the US. He was also SVP, Creative Director, and Co-Founder of Triumph360, LLC, a digital marketing services agency.

“Now with ghg, the challenges remain but the experience will be tremendously rewarding. I look forward to developing, fostering, and continuing the integration of creative and strategic into the full ghg offering,” said John.

About grey healthcare group (ghg)

ghg (grey healthcare group) is a global healthcare communications company, headquartered in New York, with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It is a member of the WPP Group, a global provider of advertising, branding, and marketing. It works with companies to build world-class healthcare and pharmaceutical brands among medical professionals and consumers, with a transmedia storytelling approach that covers print, digital and television broadcast media, medical education, sales force presentations and managed access strategies. For more information, visit www.ghgroup.com.

January 25, 2012—New York, NY – ghg, a leading global healthcare communications agency and WPP Company, announced Christopher Smith has joined as VP, Interactive Account and Strategy. Chris has over 15 years of digital marketing experience working on global brands such as Glivec, Zometa, and Afinitor.

Prior to joining ghg, Chris spent 10 years at Novartis in the Digital Marketing Group. Most recently, he was Director of eMarketing for Novartis US Oncology and also held the position of Associate Director, eMarketing for Novartis Global Oncology. In addition, Chris developed Novartis’ online patient recruitment program, where he used the channel to help patients find the right clinical trial program for their needs.

“Chris’ experience in e-marketing at a major pharma company will be an asset to other clients who are struggling to leverage digital media in a tough regulatory environment,” said Erin Byrne, Managing Partner, Chief Engagement Officer. “He understands the unique challenges and brings terrific experience in navigating them which will help us deliver outstanding work to our clients.”

About grey healthcare group (ghg)

ghg (grey healthcare group) is a global healthcare communications company, headquartered in New York, with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It is a member of the WPP Group, a global provider of advertising, branding, and marketing. It works with companies to build world-class healthcare and pharmaceutical brands among medical professionals and consumers, with a transmedia storytelling approach that covers print, digital and television broadcast media, medical education, sales force presentations and managed access strategies. For more information, visit www.ghgroup.com.

January 9, 2012—New York, NY – Erin Byrne, Managing Partner, Chief Engagement Officer is featured in the January 2012 issue of PharmaVoice. In the article she says, “Social media and technology have turned healthcare consumers into e-patients. The “e” is no longer for electronic, but rather for evolved, empowered and engaged.”

She adds, “Today a significant amount of misinformation in social forums has the potential to impact patients with unintentionally negative consequences.”

So how can pharma companies help?

To read more, click on the link below for the full article.

Full article: “Engaging Healthcare Professionals with Social Media” by Erin Bryne, January 2012 issue of PharmaVoice (PDF, 107 kb)

December 20, 2011—New York, NY – ghg, a leading global healthcare communications agency and WPP Company, announced that Megan Fabry has been named VP, Director Interactive Strategy. She joins the agency’s digital team, which has been growing exponentially and also includes recent hires Justin Reed, VP, Interactive Creative Director an accomplished and award-winning Creative Director, and Edwin Endlich, Interactive Associate Creative Director.

With more than a decade of experience in Healthcare and Pharmaceutical marketing, Megan will serve as strategic lead for developing cross-channel recommendations to enhance the relationships brands have with their customers. Focused exclusively in the digital medium for the past eight years, Megan has worked with industry leaders such as Bayer, Wyeth Women’s Health, Pfizer, Amgen, Genentech, and Abbott.

Before joining the ghg team, Megan was a Group Account Director at WebMD’s professional promotion division, Medscape. Prior to Medscape, she served as Senior Director of Strategy at Evoke Interaction, where she led teams to deliver digital and brand strategy plans for clients such as Novogyne’s Vivelle-Dot, GE Healthcare’s DaTscan, and Daiichi Sanko’s Welchol, Benicar, and AZOR. Megan received her Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University.

“We are delighted to have Megan join our team,” said Erin Byrne, Managing Partner, Chief Engagement Officer. “As a seasoned expert, she can provide our clients with a strong combination of strategic thinking and extensive industry expertise. Having Megan at ghg will only enhance our already robust digital offering.”

About grey healthcare group (ghg)

ghg (grey healthcare group) is a global healthcare communications company, headquartered in New York, with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It is a member of the WPP Group, a global provider of advertising, branding, and marketing. It works with companies to build world-class healthcare and pharmaceutical brands among medical professionals and consumers, with a transmedia storytelling approach that covers print, digital and television broadcast media, medical education, sales force presentations and managed access strategies. For more information, visit www.ghgroup.com.

December 7, 2011—New York, NY – The 2011 TEDMED Conference held earlier this year selected Kirk Moldoff’s “Proteasome” illustration, from over 100 entries, to be displayed in an exhibit. The illustration below shows a view inside of a cell of a proteasome. A proteasome is a part of a major mechanism by which cells regulate the concentration of particular proteins.

The recognition of Kirk’s work demonstrates the beauty in medical illustration. It is a great example of the type of work that Kirk oversees at Hurd Studios. In addition, this illustration has received another mark of distinction. It has been selected to be featured in the re-branding campaign for the Association of Medical Illustrators.

Kirk also served as a judge for the poster sessions at the Princeton Research Symposium at Princeton University. This annual event where presentations made by doctoral and postdoctoral students are judged across the entire range of science disciplines at the University is in an attempt to help them groom their data visualization and presentation skills.

Contact: Stacy Thompson
Phone: (212) 886-3058
Email: sthompson@ghgroup.com

June 29, 2011—New York, NY – Suicide is the second-leading cause of death among college students, and untreated mental health problems prevent thousands more students from graduating every year. The Jed Foundation (www.jedfoundation.org) is the foremost nonprofit organization working to reduce the rate of suicide and the prevalence of emotional distress among college students.

Recently, Osprey had the opportunity to help support this important cause by creating a video that premiered at the 10th Annual “Infinite Possibilities” gala held in NYC. The “Milestones” video highlights both the need and the accomplishments of The Jed Foundation during its first 10 years. The Gala, hosted by Stone Phillips, honored Howard Solomon, Chairman and CEO of Forest Laboratories, and Dr. John Sexton, President of New York University. The event raised over one million dollars to help this worthy organization.

The video was produced and directed by Peter R. Morrison and edited by James Spione, with art direction by Janet Scabrini, support from assistant editor Nick Hennessey, and After Effects graphic production by Scott Rinehart.

In addition to Osprey’s work, ghg has been involved with the Jed Foundation since its inception. Our CEO, Lynn O’Connor Vos, is a board member and the agency does pro-bono work on their behalf.

View the “Milestones” video.

June 8, 2011—New York, NY – Text4baby, the first free health text messaging service in the U.S for pregnant women and new mothers, recently celebrated its first birthday. To recognize this milestone, a new, enhanced website has been launched http://www.text4baby.org. The website strategy and creative was provided by ghg in their role as strategic marketing partner and Founding Partner of text4baby.

The new site offers a comprehensive and engaging platform for moms, partners, and other stakeholders in this groundbreaking health initiative. It now fully represents the look and feel of text4baby, and features a stronger brand identity on the homepage, as well as throughout the entire site. It also links to text4baby social media properties and provides easier access to specialized resources for promotional partners.

“The new site looks terrific and helps us better meet the needs of site visitors,” said Sarah Ingersoll, Text4baby Campaign Director, National Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies Coalition. “It is a tremendous tool to help drive enrollment and for text4baby communications overall.”

The site now provides access to promotional tools and resources by type of partner and the ability to search for partners by state to facilitate coalition-building and collaborative promotion of text4baby.

“Text4baby was the first to use mobile technology to provide free tips and educational messages about maternal care right from their phones,” said Erin Byrne, Managing Partner, Chief Engagement Officer, ghg. “And with the huge success of the launch, and growing number of users, the next enhancement we are working on will be to link the text program to the site, which will allow us to provide multi-channel health engagement opportunities for stakeholders.”

May 3, 2011—New York, NY – Justin Reed joins grey healthcare group (ghg), a leading global healthcare communications agency as Vice President, Interactive Creative Director. An accomplished and award-winning Creative Director, Justin has produced work for a variety of healthcare and consumer clients including Pfizer, BI, Novartis, Bayer, M&Ms, Barilla, and Playskool, to name a few.

In addition to his many accomplishments, he has managed a team of Associate Creative Directors, writers, designers, information architects, and editors/proofers, while overseeing workload, project distribution and ideation meetings for existing brands and creative pitches.

“We are delighted to have Justin join our team in this senior leadership role,” said Erin Byrne, Managing Partner, Chief Engagement Officer, ghg. “His creative talent, collaborative nature, and track record with some of the world’s top brands are a perfect fit given ghg’s focus on developing multi-channel engagement programs that improve health outcomes and drive business results. Justin’s contributions will only enhance our already strong digitally driven strategy.”

In his new role, Justin will oversee the day-to-day management of the digital creative team, and collaborate with the creative, strategy and account leads to produce exceptional work. He will report to Erin Byrne.

Prior to joining ghg, Justin was Creative Director at IMC2 working on clients including Pfizer, Shire International, Save the Children, and Schering Plough. In addition, as Creative Director, he has developed award winning digital work on behalf of MomsRule.org and www.LIPITOR.com.

About grey healthcare group (ghg)

ghg (grey healthcare group) is a global healthcare communications company, headquartered in New York, with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It is a member of WPP (NASDAQ: WPPGY), one of the world's leading communications services networks.

As a global provider of advertising, branding, and marketing, ghg works with companies to build world-class healthcare and pharmaceutical brands among medical professionals and consumers, with a transmedia storytelling approach that covers print, digital and television broadcast media, medical education, sales force presentations and managed access strategies. For more information, visit www.ghgroup.com.

April 29, 2011—New York, NY – Tim Brierley, Creative Director at ghg's office in Sydney Australia has been chosen to be a judge on the Print Jury for the 2011 awards. Tim is familiar with the awards process, having won a Clio Healthcare Award in the TV, Cinema, Digital category for Because Pets Aren't As Tough As They Think They Are on behalf of Bayer Animal Health.

About the CLIO Healthcare Awards

The CLIO Healthcare Awards is an extension of The CLIO Awards, one of the world's most recognized awards competitions for advertising, design and communications, which celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2009. Healthcare accounts for more than one-third of the U.S. gross national product. It has become one of the most visible sectors of advertising, promotion and creative design in the last few years, particularly on TV and online.

April 28, 2011—New York, NY – IMsci and Osprey, part of the medical education division of ghg, co-produced a video that highlights the services of the Open Door Shelter in Norwalk, CT and the people who benefit from it. The theme of the event "Homeless No More – A Celebration of Hope Works" was part of an initiative the shelter launched last November to help the homeless.

The event raised $100,000, which will enable the shelter to continue to have a positive impact on the homeless community in Norwalk. By continuing to raise awareness and funds through events like this, the shelter is helping to bring food, a place to live and jobs to the homeless. Osprey created the video and the chair for the event was Barbara Blasso, President of IMsci.

The shelter offers 95 beds for the temporarily homeless, 600 meals per day in the soup kitchen and also provides canned and boxed foods via their food pantry to families in the community struggling to make ends meet.

To view the video visit: http://www.youtube.com/ghgwork#p/u/4/sXnp4Mqo1pY.

For more information about the Shelter visit: http://www.norwalkemergencyshelter.org/.

December 6, 2010—New York, NY – ghg, a leading global healthcare communications agency and VML, a top-ranked global digital marketing agency, both WPP Companies [NASDAQ: WPPGY], today announced the formation of a new digital healthcare agency, Healix Digital Health. This joint venture combines ghg’s expertise in healthcare marketing and communications with VML’s experience in enterprise digital marketing.

Healix will be headquartered in New York City and with an innovation center in Kansas City, Missouri, with access to the global WPP network. The new company will be led by representatives from both ghg and VML with senior management oversight provided by industry veterans including Lynn O’Connor Vos, CEO, ghg; Matt Anthony, CEO, VML; Erin Byrne, EVP, Chief Engagement Officer, ghg; and Jim Radosevic, Managing Director, VML.

This new initiative was created to leverage the strengths of both companies and to meet the diverse needs of pharma and healthcare clients today. Healix will provide best-in-class capabilities in developing digital healthcare strategies and programs that are fully integrated, multi-channel, and expressly designed to improve health outcomes for consumers, engage the professional, and deliver real business results for clients.

“As the healthcare industry continues to consolidate and rationalize, clients will increasingly need a partner who understands not only how to communicate with both professional and consumer audiences – but also how to do so in all media, not least digital,” said Sir Martin Sorrell, WPP CEO.

“ghg and VML bring decades of knowledge and expertise in their respective fields of healthcare and digital marketing. They understand the importance of striking the right balance between technology and healthcare and have experience navigating the complex regulatory environment. This venture lays the groundwork for the future of digital healthcare communications.”

About ghg

ghg (grey healthcare group) is a global healthcare communications company, headquartered in New York, with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It is a member of the WPP Group, a global provider of advertising, branding, and marketing. It works with companies to build world-class healthcare and pharmaceutical brands among medical professionals and consumers, with a transmedia storytelling approach that covers print, digital and television broadcast media, medical education, sales force presentations, and managed access strategies.

About VML

Recognized by Advertising Age as one of the top digital marketing agencies in the US, VML delivers creative solutions at the intersection of marketing and technology. With more than 800 employees around the globe, VML handles national, regional, and global agency of record responsibilities, providing enterprise website strategy and development, and emerging media leadership. VML was named a Leader in the Forrester Wave™: US Interactive Agencies—Strategy and Execution, Q3 2009.

VML engineers best-in-class digital experiences for some of the most respected and recognized brands in the world, including Accenture, Carlson Hotels, Colgate-Palmolive, Dell, Einstein Bros. Bagels, English Premier League, ESPN, Fannie Mae, Ford, Gatorade, Hershey’s, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, LG, Microsoft, Sam’s Club, SAP, Simon Malls, Southwest Airlines, Tom’s of Maine, Western Union and Xerox. Founded in 1992, VML has been a member of the WPP Group of global communication agencies since 2001. Learn more at vml.com.

About Healix Digital Health

Healix Digital Health is a global digital healthcare agency. A joint venture between ghg (grey healthcare group) and VML. Healix is headquartered in New York City with an innovation center in Kansas City, Missouri. It is a member of the WPP group. For more information visit www.healixdigitalhealth.com.

November 16, 2010—New York, NY – ghg is delighted to welcome John (Jack) Zuck to ghg as Manager of Application Development. Jack is a career technologist with over 20 years of application development experience and has been with the company for over a year as a consultant contributing to numerous projects.

Previously, Jack worked for 10+ years for the world’s largest and most recognized IT research and advisory firm, Gartner, Inc., where he was Director of Application Development—responsible for managing international software teams and delivering enterprise-critical applications in the areas of content/knowledge management and collaborative tools. Before joining Gartner, he was employed by Oracle Corporation (then Datalogix International) and was a Senior Software Engineer. He was instrumental in designing and building key functionality in what today is Oracle’s Process Manufacturing (OPM) solution.

Jack holds an MS degree in Software Engineering and has done just about everything related to developing software, having held positions as Software Developer, Director of Development, IT Business Analyst (BA), Information Architect (IA), and Project Manager (PM). He’s currently working towards his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification and hopes to complete that work in early 2011.

November 16, 2010—New York, NY – Osprey, a grey healthcare group company, is proud to announce the recent premiere of a video for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) at their 2010 Gala held in Greenwich, CT. The video has a dual purpose, to promote the mission of the MMRF and to help in its fundraising efforts.

Multiple Myeloma is an incurable blood cancer. The Foundation was established in 1998 by Kathy Giusti with the goal of finding a cure. Osprey has worked on video and interactive programs for the MMRF since its inception.

This video was produced by Scott Ronaghan, edited by James Spione and directed by Peter Morrison.

Please click the link below to view this program:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGlfgziHIlQ

November 4, 2010—New York, NY – Pet owners in the US and Europe (UK, France and Germany) agree they are willing to give up personal luxuries for their pets, according to a grey healthcare group study. Eighty-nine percent of owners in the US and 91% in Europe would give up their vacation for a pet’s surgery, if it meant helping their pet. Not surprisingly, given this level of dedication, nearly one in three (30%) owners in both the US and Europe, view pets as children, while 3 in 5 (60%) owners consider pets very important for their overall happiness. Despite similar attitudes in the US and Europe, pet owners in Europe are more likely than US owners to spend money on their pet’s health before their own.

Where Pet Owners Turn for Information

At least two-thirds of pet owners in the US and Europe turn to their vet or vet assistant about their pet’s health. The second most popular source is online, with over half (59%) of all pet owners likely to go to websites for information. Interestingly, both vets and websites are the two most trusted information sources, while friends and family with pets ranks third at 33%.

“It is not surprising that the study results show pet owners turn to websites as the second most popular source for information, but this represents a tremendous opportunity for pet care companies, along with the veterinary health care community, to help shape an expert-guided dialogue,” said Lynn O’Connor Vos, CEO, grey healthcare group. “Engaging owners online represents a significant opportunity to connect on their terms and become a more trusted source that understands their needs and wants.”

Other Key Findings from the Survey

• More than half (54%) of US pet owners would buy a supplement for their pet over themselves.
• In both the US and Europe, approximately 50% of money spent on pets is used on regular visits to veterinarians and preventative measures.
• Pet owners in the UK spend the most on their pets—more than $1,200 per year, compared to $864 in Germany, $799 in France, and $864 in the US.

About the Survey

Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates conducted online interviews between September 16-22, 2010, with 1,355 pet owners (dog and/or cat owners) in the US, United Kingdom, France and Germany.

November 2, 2010—New York, NY – Grey Healthcare Group's Chief Executive Officer, Lynn O'Connor Vos, and Chief Engagement Officer, Erin Byrne, will speak Wednesday, November 3, 2010 at the first annual Mobile Innovation Summit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The Summit, presented by WPP and GroupM, is a meeting of technology and marketing industry experts, and will feature creative product installations from leading companies like AT&T, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and WPP.

Vos and Byrne will present information on text4baby^SM, the largest mobile health initiative in the US, which texts health tips and information to under-privileged expecting mothers. "text4baby^SM has been a public health triumph, and it can serve as a model for future mobile health information services," Vos said. The success of text4baby^SM is unprecedented, with 100,000 users and 6 million sent messages to date. Added Byrne, "This is the first free service of its kind, and its reach is making a difference in the lives of mothers and babies nationwide."

Contact: Stacy Thompson Phone: (212) 886-3058 Email: sthompson@ghgroup.com

October 28, 2010— New York, NY – John brings an impressive breadth of consumer and healthcare experience in all design disciplines. He has produced a number of interactive products for leading pharmaceutical companies including Sanofi Aventis, Abbott Laboratories, Genentech, and AstraZeneca.

As a 15-year interactive veteran, John's core competency includes a strong depth of knowledge with Web usability, information architecture, and advanced flash-based presentations—not to mention a valued partner with clients as well as internal constituents to help spearhead the creative development for major new business pitches. He is also a praised leader for teams of designers, Web and technical developers, copywriters, and art directors.

He may spend his weekdays creating and directing visually compelling digital creative, but weekends and vacations are firmly committed to spending as much time as possible with his wife, Katherine, and 2 beautiful children, William and Beatrice.

Contact: Stacy Thompson
Phone: (212) 886-3058
Email: sthompson@ghgroup.com

October 13, 2010—New York, NY – Last night, ghg and our partners at Voxiva and Healthy Mothers, Healthy Babies won a Gold Award at the MM&M award show for outstanding work on the text4baby program. The award was received in the category of Best Interactive Initiative for Consumers.

Text4baby is a groundbreaking m-health initiative that uses text messaging to promote preventative care among underserved populations to achieve better health outcomes for babies in America. Women who sign up for the service receive free SMS text messages each week throughout their pregnancy and the first 2 years of their baby's life.

"ghg is very proud to be a co-founder and marketing partner for the text4baby coalition," said Lynn O'Connor Vos, CEO of ghg. "As mobile phones become a bigger part of our lives, there’s an enormous opportunity to educate and inform consumers about health-related topics for themselves and their families." She added, "With over a million text messages sent, and growing, text4baby has already made a significant impact on pregnant women, new mothers, and babies."

Text4baby is one of the first national mobile health programs in the US, with an unprecedented public and private partnership. Already, over 90,000 women across the country have enrolled, and there are over 360 public partnerships and many federal partners including the White House, the US Department of Health & Human Services, and the Center for Disease Control, to name a few. Johnson & Johnson is the top sponsor along with Pfizer and WellPoint.

Contact: Stacy Thompson Phone: (212) 886-3058 Email: sthompson@ghgroup.com

September 24, 2010—New York, NY – Erin Byrne, EVP, Chief Engagement Officer, ghg, and Paul Meyer, Chairman, President, Voxiva, spoke at the sold‐out Healthcare Social Communications Leadership Forum that was held yesterday in New York City. The event focused on how leading healthcare brands are embracing Internet‐based social strategies to achieve business objectives.

The forum brought together a select group of senior marketing and communications executives from prominent pharmaceutical companies, hospital groups, medical device and technology companies, and managed care providers.

“The smaller, more private venue provides a great opportunity for both attendees and speakers to spend one‐on‐one time together,” said Erin Byrne. “It's also an opportunity to learn and share insights and ideas about how others are using social media, which I believe is critical to empowering patients to getting engaged in their own health outcomes.”

For more information about the event, please click here.

For more information about text4baby, visit http://text4baby.org/

Contact: Stacy Thompson
Phone: (212) 886-3058
Email: sthompson@ghgroup.com

August 4, 2010—New York, NY – grey healthcare group (ghg), a leading global healthcare communications agency and a WPP Company [NASDAQ: WPPGY], today announced its acquisition of Geoff Howe Marketing Communications (GHMC). The joining of these two companies allows ghg to both broaden its offerings in the health and wellness segment and strengthen its animal health roster. ghg will gain an Eastern European hub in Prague, double the size of its London office and establish a Midwest base in Kansas City, Missouri—the global corridor for animal health. Geoff Howe will bring all its animal health clients, which include pet nutrition, pharmaceuticals, and retail. This will make ghg the leading animal health agency worldwide. The newly formed company will continue to be led by current ghg CEO, Lynn O’Connor Vos.

“Geoff Howe is an ideal fit for ghg. Both companies understand the role of the professional in the consumer decision making process; their strength in animal health dovetails perfectly with our expertise in human healthcare,” said Lynn O’Connor Vos, CEO of ghg. “This acquisition expands our reach in key markets throughout Europe and allows us to better serve the healthcare and biotech companies in the Midwest and West Coast, while bringing the full multichannel approach to the dynamic and growing $19 billion global animal health market.”

She added, “Clients want the best talent and ideas to grow their brands across the entire health and wellness continuum. We are now in a position to offer clients a wider variety of expanded services and resources.”

ghg will be adding first-rate strategic, media planning, public relations and digital talent to its already strong team, including Consumer specialists, Digital and Professional experts, MDs, PhDs, and Behaviorists. This expansion enables the company to move forward and grow into new areas—from being a solely human healthcare agency into one that is versed in all aspects of health and wellness. At ghg, we are all health enthusiasts who are passionate about anything healthcare related. It’s what we do.

About ghg

ghg (grey healthcare group) is a global healthcare communications company, headquartered in New York, with offices in North America, Latin America, Europe, and Asia. It is a member of the WPP Group, a global provider of advertising, branding, and marketing. It works with companies to build world-class healthcare and pharmaceutical brands among medical professionals and consumers, with a transmedia storytelling approach that covers print, digital and television broadcast media, medical education, sales force presentations and managed access strategies. For more information, visit www.ghgroup.com.

About WPP

WPP is the world’s largest communications services group. Through its operating companies, the Group provides a comprehensive range of advertising and marketing services including advertising; media investment management; consumer insight; public relations and public affairs; branding and identity; healthcare communications; direct, digital, promotion and relationship marketing and specialist communications. The company employs over 138,000 people (including associates) in 2,400 offices in 107 countries. For more information, visit www.wpp.com.

Contact: Stacy Thompson
Phone: (212) 886-3058
Email: sthompson@ghgroup.com

Dedicated, smart, talented, and nice. These are just a few words that describe Antonette Poli, who, we are pleased to announce, has been promoted to Talent Resource Manager. Antonette began her career at ghg three years ago as a Recruiting Associate.

“Antonette is a true office enhancer,” said Dan Relton, SVP, Director Human Resources. “Her professionalism, ability to spot talent, and skills in juggling multiple assignments simultaneously are second to none.”

After her internship ended, Antonette was hired fresh out of Fordham University as a Recruiting Associate. In this role, she identified talent for the creative department, searching far and wide for individuals who would make us the agency people would want to come to. Now her position has expanded to recruiting for all divisions (Account Services, Creative, Medical Education), as well as overseeing the internship program from 2007-2009, and revamping the new employee on-boarding program.

Please join me in congratulating Antonette on her well-deserved promotion.

In addition, Amanda Zaharuk, formerly Recruiting Coordinator at Publicis Healthcare Communications Group, has been hired as a Junior Recruiter. Amanda will be reporting to Antonette, and her role includes spearheading the 2010 internship program, assisting with freelance support, and handling entry-level staffing. Amanda is a graduate of Susquehanna University.

Posted by Stacy Thompson on March 12, 2010

We are thrilled to announce another significant addition to our creative leadership, who knows right from wrong—and great from good—when it comes to creative work. Elisa Wright joins ghg today as VP, ACD Copy on the Colgate, Strativa, and Forest teams.

Elisa is no stranger at ghg. She spent a couple of years here early in her career, when she made the leap out of Rotter Kantor (a consumer shop) and into the wonderful world of healthcare communications. She went from writing TV commercials for Frisbees and Teletubbie toys to penning vis aids for vaccines and Viagra. And she’s never looked back.

After ghg got her warmed up, she spent five years at CDM, rising like a shooting star to the ranks of VP, Group Copy Supervisor. She is known as a generous manager, a trusted teammate, and a brilliant creative thinker. Her experience covers a range of categories, from eczema and erectile dysfunction to cardiovascular disease and irritable bowel syndrome.

Posted by Stacy Thompson on March 12, 2010

Last night was the MM&M Awards 2009 presentation dinner at Tavern on the Green in New York City. The Crizal TV spot entitled “Neither Rain” created for our client, Essilor, was chosen as a finalist in the OTC product ad/campaign category. None of the finalist campaigns, companies, or individuals knew the winners in any category prior to last night, so it was an exciting evening.

The client, Sheree Rajan, and Lynn O’Connor Vos, Sheri Mandry, Judy Tabak, Lyzeth Strenz, and Christina Landers were at the dinner. We were up against some good competition from Anderson DDB, Carbon (part of Commonhealth), Adair Greene McCann, and MedAccess. When the winner was announced, everyone was so surprised. The whole table cheered while Judy, Sheri, Lyzeth, and Christina went on stage to accept the award.

Congratulations to the Essilor team:

• Judy Tabak
• Dan Sciolto
• Sheri Mandry
• Lyzeth Strenz
• Christina Landers

We will proudly display this award!

Posted by Stacy Thompson on October 30, 2009

Great strategy. Brilliant creative. Flawless execution. All achieved with a healthy profit margin… that’s the art of great advertising and running a great agency. To strengthen ghg’s leadership team and build on last year’s outstanding performance, we are thrilled to welcome back a man who is a master of the craft—Art Chavez.

Art was at ghg from 1991 to 2004, starting as a Senior Account Executive and moving his way up quickly to EVP, Director of Business Operations. Since then, he has honed his management skills as President at GSW Worldwide and most recently, partner at The StoneWorks, a division of CementWorks. For the past seven years, his focus has been split between business development, leading world-class client assignments on a strategic level, and overseeing the business operations of all units under his management. Art has an uncanny ability to attract top talent, expand assignments from newly won clients, and achieve an over 50% new-business win rate. And he doesn’t let his teams settle for anything less than industry-leading creative work.

Art will be joining us as EVP, Global Account, Agency Operations Director. In addition to other responsibilities, he will partner with the account services teams on operations, client services support, and management.

Posted by Stacy Thompson on March 12, 2010