LIVINGSTON, NJ – (March 20, 2018) – Med Ad News, the leading pharmaceutical business and marketing publication, announces the nominees for the 29th Annual Manny Awards, celebrating the best in pharmaceutical and healthcare advertising, and announces Sharon Callahan as the Industry Person of the Year. The Manny Awards annual gala event celebrates creative excellence in healthcare advertising and communications. More than 600 industry peers are expected to join Med Ad News in honoring winners across 20 total award categories, including the year’s Most Creative Agency, Most Admired Agency, Best Launch Campaign, Agency of the Year I, II and III, and more. The Manny Awards ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City.

The Med Ad News “MedAdvocate” jury met on March 15 for a roundtable discussion of finalist campaigns previously determined via online voting, and included selections from more than 100 eligible voters across healthcare communication agencies. In order to take a deeper dive into the finalist campaigns, a panel of experts dubbed “MedAdvocates” were each assigned specific campaigns and tasked to initiate meaningful dialog amongst the jurors. MedAdvocates were selected based on their creative expertise and widely recognized performance within the industry. Ultimately, the team scored each finalist campaign using a point system that, combined with the popular vote conducted online, arrived at the eventual winners to be crowned on April 19, 2018.

Med Ad News is excited to recognize as its 2018 Industry Person of the Year, Sharon Callahan, CEO of TBWA\WorldHealth. The global agency network was formed in April 2016 when Omnicom Health Group announced the combination of two of its healthcare agency icons, LLNS and Corbett, under the TBWA\WorldHealth brand. Callahan also serves as Chief Client Officer of Omnicom Health Group, helping clients access Omnicom’s deep healthcare talent and developing engaging innovative approaches for teamwork to maximize results for global brands.

Callahan’s 30-plus years of healthcare marketing is a synthesis of strategic skills developed in consumer and professional advertising, medical education, clinical programs, publishing, and digital. Consistently helping clients to leverage their value through the seamless integration of multiple communication channels, her boundless energy is credited with promoting excellent communications and maximized sales.

Innovative and entrepreneurial, Callahan built her career at Omnicom as Executive Vice President and Director of DAS Healthcare and CEO of LLNS (now TBWA\WorldHealth New York). Before her 10 years at Omnicom, Callahan was Chief Digital Strategist at Grey Healthcare Group and President of the interactive agency Summit Grey, born out of The Summit Group, a company she co-founded. Previously, she honed her talents at Medsite.com and SCP Communications.

In both 1997 and 2005, Callahan served as president of the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association (HBA), the industry’s largest professional organization. Callahan sits on the board of the HBA Metro Chapter, the Medical Advertising Hall of Fame, the Arthritis Foundation, Women Against Alzheimer’s, and Chairs the Executive Committee for the Coalition for Healthcare Communications. In June 2014, the Women’s Venture Fund recognized Callahan with its “Highest Leaf Award” for her strong business leadership and substantial contributions to the advertising and healthcare industries.

“Sharon is a true disruptor – she has clarity of vision for what healthcare marketing should be, and she pushes the boundaries of creativity and innovation to get there,” said Troy Ruhanen, President and CEO, TBWA\Worldwide. “Her collaborative leadership style, business acumen and passion for this important sector of our business have led TBWA\WorldHealth to thrive. I can think of no one more deserving of this esteemed honor.”

“I have had the pleasure of working alongside Sharon for many years,” said Ed Wise, CEO Omnicom Health Group. “Her ability to help clients solve their most complex marketing challenges is unparalleled, and her commitment to overturning the conventions in the healthcare category is not only inspiring, it is changing the game. She is a compassionate leader and a valued partner, and all of us at Omnicom extend our warmest congratulations to Sharon on this great honor.”

Voted by industry peers and the expert panel of MedAdvocates, along with the editors of Med Ad News, the 2018 Manny Awards nominees include:

Agency of the Year – Category I

• Area 23
• McCann Torre Lazur
• TBWA\WorldHealth

Agency of the Year – Category II

• Concentric Health Experience
• McCann Echo
• Neon

Agency of the Year – Category III

• Calcium
• Dudnyk
• Sentrix Health Communications

Heart Award

• Fingerpaint
• Greater Than One
• MicroMass Communications

Vision Award

• Entrée Health
• Precision Value & Health
• W2O Group

Most Admired Agency

• Area 23
• CDM
• FCB Health

Best Launch Campaign

• FCB Health – Eucrisa
• Harrison and Star – Truvada
• Juice Pharma Worldwide – Ingrezza

Most Creative Agency

• Area 23
• GSW
• McCann Healthcare (McCann Health New York)

Best Consumer Campaign

• Area 23 – Cyramza
• Concentric Health Experience – Silence Sucks
• HealthWork – Pfizer Dreams

Best Interactive Patient Campaign

• Area 23 – Cool Sculpting
• Concentric Health Experience – Silence Sucks
• McCann Healthcare (McCann Health New York) – Laugh It Up

Best Interactive Physician Campaign

• Area 23 – Anti-Trafficking Exam
• Intouch Solutions – Her Endometriosis Reality
• McCann Healthcare (McCann Health New York) – 11 Seconds

Best Managed Markets Campaign

• The Access Group – Spinraza
• The Bloc – Fasenra
• McCann Managed Markets – NDVLC
• Mosaic – Vivitrol

Best Medical Device Campaign

• Area 23 – Cool Sculpting
• GSW – Cayston
• GSW – Suavita

Best Nonbranded Campaign

• Area 23 – Reframe Migraine
• CDM New York – Rethink Osteoporosis
• GSW – MiracleFeet

Best Philanthropic Campaign

• Area 23 – Mollie’s Fund
• GSW – This Little Piggy
• McCann Echo – #saveNJlives

Best Point-of-Care Campaign

• AbelsonTaylor – Pertzye
• Area 23 – Lartruvo
• Neon – Krystexxa
• Sentrix – Listerine

Best Professional Campaign

• Concentric Health Experience – Stendra
• FCB Health – Stiolto
• McCann Echo – Epiduo Forte Gel

Best Self-Promotional Campaign

• Area 23 – Agency Love Quiz
• McCann Torre Lazur – Kill the Cliché
• Neon – Killer Ideas

Med Ad News congratulates Industry Person of the Year Sharon Callahan and all award nominees.

The 2018 Manny Awards celebration on Thursday, April 19, 2018, at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City will begin with a cocktail hour at 6:30 p.m., followed by a sit-down dinner at 7:30 p.m., and will conclude with a post-awards cocktail hour. The awards ceremony will commence at 8:30 p.m. The event is black tie.

2018 event sponsors include: Platinum sponsors Calcium and McCann Health; Gold sponsors Concentric Health Experience, Dudnyk, Fingerpaint, JUICE Pharma Worldwide, and TBWA\WorldHealth.

For reservations, visit www.mannyawards.com or contact Daniel Becker at Daniel.becker@medadnews.com.

For sponsorship opportunities or Press inquiries, contact:
Daniel Becker at (973) 507-6701 or Daniel.Becker@medadnews.com

About the Manny Awards
For more than 25 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 are anticipated to join Med Ad News in honoring winners in a range of award categories.

About Med Ad News
The pharmaceutical industry’s publication of record since 1982, Med Ad News provides broad coverage and incisive analysis of the issues, events, trends, and strategies shaping pharmaceutical business, marketing, and sales. More than 30,000 readers — comprising corporate executives, marketing, sales, and product managers — receive Med Ad News. Med Ad News is a publication of Outcomes LLC. For more info, visit http://www.medadnews.com

About Outcomes LLC
A marketing and media company built to quench the evolving consumption habits of B to B audiences, Outcomes supports the healthcare communications industry via industry leading brands Med Ad News, PharmaLive, leading events including the Manny Awards and content marketing services. For more info, visit www.outcomes-marketing.com.

Contact Information

• Contact:
  Daniel Becker
  Brand Director
  Outcomes LLC
  Tel: 973-507-6701
  daniel.becker@medadnews.com