Welcome to The CementBloc.We are a multichannel healthwellness creative agency based in New York City, working to drive belief in the promise of our clients' brands.
Belief is a force that speaks to patients, payers, and healthcare professionals at the deepest level. It begins by tapping into our customers' needs, desires, and motivations and presenting them with genuine solutions in an authentic,
truthful way. Belief is something that
must be earned, and must be built,
and we know how.
truthful way. Belief is something that
must be earned, and must be built,
and we know how.
Big, belief-building ideas.
The Bloc specializes in ideas that
engage customers rationally, emotionally, socially, and experientially. Here's what we're building.
engage customers rationally, emotionally, socially, and experientially. Here's what we're building.
In a market crowded with big-brand players
and generic competitors, this idea reinforced the value of 24-hour relief with an empathetic, empowering icon that helped physicians better understand their patients.
and generic competitors, this idea reinforced the value of 24-hour relief with an empathetic, empowering icon that helped physicians better understand their patients.
When at-risk girls are given the right of way to mature in a supportive, caring environment, amazing things can happen. Our 360º rebranding initiative helped focus the organization, built important partnerships, and helped GROW participation in the program.
The Bloc used a novel approach to educate parents of teens how everyday teenage behavior can cause potentially deadly meningococcal disease.
While early-stage breast cancer has a very vocal community, metastatic patients often feel disenfranchised and alone in their struggle. This rallying cry manifested itself as a website and a multichannel experience. Pledge to Fight Forward empowered those in the metastatic breast cancer community to support and inspire one another.
To men with ulcerative colitis (UC), going to the doctor is almost as unappealing as UC itself. GIAZO brought this point home with a frank and honest idea that encourages gastroenterologists and male patients to confront unabashed truths about life with UC.
The Pork division of Zoetis (formerly known as Pfizer Animal Health) features 28 products and more than 10 services. Our task was to help sales reps convey the breadth and value of their portfolio— some might say porkfolio—to new
and existing customers via an easily navigable and engaging iPad
sales detail.
and existing customers via an easily navigable and engaging iPad
sales detail.
Services: The Blocs that build belief.The Bloc's services are brimming with multidisciplinary folks who build belief from exciting new angles, connecting with multiple stakeholders across multiple channels at multiple times.
Everyone is a consumer. Healthcare providers, payers, and patients all consume information;
they just do so in different ways. That’s why we look at our brand’s promise from every consumer’s viewpoint to create multichannel Convergent Branding experiences that connect brand benefits
to audiences, encouraging advocacy and engagement.
they just do so in different ways. That’s why we look at our brand’s promise from every consumer’s viewpoint to create multichannel Convergent Branding experiences that connect brand benefits
to audiences, encouraging advocacy and engagement.
When we say multichannel, we mean every channel. We match message to channel to find consumers and professionals when and where they are most receptive. To do this, we create customer models based on needs and channel preference, devise a content strategy, and measure brand impact beyond just engagement metrics. This builds belief, allowing our brands to engage customers in a meaningful way again and again.
With customers more empowered and channels more converged than ever, data-driven engagement is critical
to brand success. Our CRM programs for patients and professionals take
a holistic view of our customers’ needs and tailor the brand experience to connect with them individually. Then
we measure the ROI to learn what
we did well and how we can do it even better, building belief at every step
of the process.
to brand success. Our CRM programs for patients and professionals take
a holistic view of our customers’ needs and tailor the brand experience to connect with them individually. Then
we measure the ROI to learn what
we did well and how we can do it even better, building belief at every step
of the process.
Yes, we know the science of customer engagement, but we also know the science of science. Our Medical Department advises and informs our internal teams and our clients, tracking summaries of clinical data reports, attending conferences, monitoring online and social media, understanding the competitive landscape, and, ultimately, identifying opportunities to build belief.
Account Planning starts with an innate understanding of our audience—who they are, the conditions they face, and the situations and factors that play into their decision-making. By identifying attitudes, perceptions, and behaviors
that create our target’s mind-set, we develop compelling platforms that turn insights into belief.
that create our target’s mind-set, we develop compelling platforms that turn insights into belief.
Payer marketing is more than formulary placement and pricing. Our access and reimbursement experts ensure the right data and messages are available
at the right time to establish a brand's value,
optimize patient access, and ease the reimbursement process. From prelaunch planning to monitoring
the actions of government payers and policy
groups, payer strategy is an increasingly crucial belief-building Bloc.
at the right time to establish a brand's value,
optimize patient access, and ease the reimbursement process. From prelaunch planning to monitoring
the actions of government payers and policy
groups, payer strategy is an increasingly crucial belief-building Bloc.
Analytics aren’t just for retrospective analysis anymore. We use them at every stage of the belief- building process, using them to create healthcare communications customers can believe in. From social media monitoring to customer segmentation to multichannel measurements, our market intelligence and campaign analyses inform every angle of our approach, and every aspect of our engagement.
Indigenus
We don’t just build brands locally, we build them globally. The CementBloc is a founding partner of Indigenus, a network of award-winning, independent healthcare agencies that covers 100% of the global market. As the largest network of its kind, Indigenus offers full-service strategic and creative capabilities. Learn more here.
WIN: The Worldsourcing Initiative
Our Worldsourcing Initiative (WIN) offers
price-sensitive medical content management,
design services, and print and digital production via hubs of executional excellence, ensuring impressive economic value. In addition, WIN provides high-quality, culturally sensitive translation and execution of local marketing materials.
price-sensitive medical content management,
design services, and print and digital production via hubs of executional excellence, ensuring impressive economic value. In addition, WIN provides high-quality, culturally sensitive translation and execution of local marketing materials.
Talent: Build with us.
The Bloc's leaders inspire, innovate, and collaborate to create ideas our customers
can truly believe in.
can truly believe in.
The CementBloc represents the culmination of
a lifelong dream for Susan. She spent 12 years
as a leader in the management team at Cline Davis
& Mann, where she had the privilege and responsibility of launching 6 multibillion-dollar
brands for Pfizer, including Lipitor.
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.
Susan remains committed to brand building and is continually pushing The CementBloc, its teams, and its Indigenus partners to redefine what it means to build a global brand in a very challenging and rapidly evolving industry. As exciting as her past career has been, she firmly believes that the best is yet to come.
Rico's strength comes from the diversity of his experience and the extent of his curiosity. Trained as a physiologist, he conducted basic science research in shock, dialysis, and artificial blood substitutes at Loyola University Medical Center and Baxter. In the late '80s, as HIV/AIDS emerged as the leading public health challenge, he joined Adria as Associate Medical Director for oncology and anti-infectives.
He continued working in HIV for FCB Healthcare and led the team that launched the GlaxoSmithKline HIV portfolio: Epivir, Combivir, Agenerase, and Ziagen. It was at Lowe McAdams that he met his partner and wife Susan Miller.
Shortly thereafter, they launched The CementWorks (now known as The CementBloc).
A respected marketing leader, Jennifer has more than 20 years of agency experience across various business sectors and disciplines leading successful integrated efforts that drive sales and build brand equity.
Since 2003, Jennifer has applied best practices learned from supporting a range of world-class consumer brands including American Express, AT&T, and HBO as well as working in the healthcare space with clients such as Pfizer, Novartis, Medicis, and BMS. She is currently responsible for The CementBloc's New York office and for charting the convergence of the agency's rapidly expanding service offerings, including branding multichannel strategy, relationship marketing, and managed markets to meet the demands of 21st century healthcare brands.
Prior to joining The CementBloc, Jennifer was responsible for the consumer healthcare group at Wunderman, leading a team across OTC, primary care, and specialty products. This experience proved to Jennifer that some of the most challenging and affecting work is taking place in the healthcare sector, and she is excited to continue innovating in this category. Jennifer was recognized as an HBA Rising Star in 2009.
Stephanie has been at The CementBloc since 2003, and has been a continual driver of the company's creative vision. Today she leads the Creative Department, along with her partner Elizabeth Elfenbein, and is responsible for the HCP and managed markets creative teams. Stephanie is also part of the management team leading Indigenus, the Bloc's independent global network of entrepreneurial healthcare creative agencies. She takes a collaborative, multilocal approach to developing global brands, delivering both innovation and economic value to today’s complex and price-sensitive market.
Over the last 20 years, Stephanie has created award-winning work across multiple countries, multiple customers, and multiple channels. She began her career in the UK, after which she spent several years consulting in London, San Francisco, and New York. Stephanie has experience in a variety of diverse sectors, including financial services, technology, automotive, leisure, energy, and nonprofit, as well as in the healthcare space with clients that include Novartis, Pfizer, BMS, Celgene, Bayer, and UCB.
Elizabeth is a creative visionary who has been driving award-winning ideas across multiple customers and channels for over 20 years. At The CementBloc, she has been instrumental in building the consumer, multichannel, and relationship marketing teams, and has overseen the launch of integrated campaigns that mine the latest social media and digital platforms, bringing a more multifaceted experience to all stakeholders.
Elizabeth is the Editor in Chief of ConvergentTimes, an industry-first publication from The CementBloc that looks to transform how we in the pharmaceutical industry communicate and innovate with our customers. Elizabeth also leads the Wet Cement Lab at The CementBloc, driving innovation through publishing, events, and prototype creation to help propel success for all brands.
In addition to her healthcare expertise, Elizabeth has distinguished herself across sectors, including financial services, legal business solutions, publishing, technology, telecommunications, and the travel industry. This diverse background puts Elizabeth in a unique position to recognize nascent trends, leverage emerging technologies, and help build brands of the future.
In Elizabeth’s spare time she continues to look for inspiration in the everyday, which is embodied in her blog: mylifeasafocusgroup.com
Barbara brings more than 12 years of agency experience to The CementBloc, having led successful US and global launches and campaigns for a variety of leading brands. She has a proven track record of driving professional and integrated efforts that spark brand growth and builds enduring brands.
Barbara's experience in healthcare marketing also includes respiratory and cardiovascular brands for AstraZeneca, as well as many other therapeutic areas. Leading multidisciplinary teams to build compelling brands and campaigns for clients has proven to be her passion.
Kim is a dynamic healthcare marketing professional with extensive experience across therapeutic areas and marketing disciplines. Currently, she is a client service and strategy lead at The CementBloc, managing talented, converged teams, and partnering with our clients to raise the bar with innovative work that stands out in the marketplace. Prior to joining the agency, Kim was a Marketing Director on the Celebrex brand for Pfizer and also spent 8 years leading agency teams for clients, including Roche, AstraZeneca, and Pfizer.
Kim is passionate about the role that healthcare companies play in the education of disease and treatment options. In 2006, Medical Marketing
& Media magazine named Kim one of the healthcare industry's rising marketing stars. And in 2009, Kim was recognized as DTC Marketer of the Year by DTC Perspectives.
Art has more than 24 years of professional healthcare advertising experience in a diverse range of client service and agency management roles. His extensive brand experience includes multiple launches across primary care, specialty, and device markets. Art has helped orchestrate successful brand-building efforts in support of several domestic and global assignments.
Art's category experience includes analgesia, anemia, anti-infective, antiviral, cardiovascular, asthma, cholesterol, dermatology, drug delivery, hemophilia, gastrointestinal, hormone replacement, multiple sclerosis, laboratory equipment, nutritional support, oncology, oral care, pain, optometry, osteoporosis, stem cell mobilization, surgical devices, sutures and wound closure, and vaccines.
His most recent roles and assignments have involved the successful growth and management of agency units. Art was most recently responsible for the direction and coordination of professional teams across WPP that collaborate in support of all professionally directed oral care work for Colgate-Palmolive worldwide. Art has a solid track record of partnering with clients to achieve first-rate results with great efficiency.
Prodeep currently leads Multichannel Engagement Strategy at The CementBloc, and has previously held leadership positions at Digitas, Ogilvy, and Saatchi & Saatchi Healthcare. For over a decade, Prodeep has led best-in-breed digital and relationship marketing initiatives in healthcare, financial services, technology, and consumer packaged goods for clients, including Pfizer, BMS, AstraZeneca, American Express, IBM, Cisco, Unilever, and other Fortune 100 companies.
Pro is a digital native and an entrepreneur at heart who strives to invent and discover new ways to connect people and brands. He has an MS in Interactive Telecom from New York University and combines a deep technology background with digital marketing experiences that he helped develop for class-leading relationship marketing across multiple clients including American Express. As a professional who's constantly focused on "what's next", Pro strives to apply innovation models developed across different industries to healthcare marketing. At each of the companies he's worked at, he has been instrumental in major organizational transitions and in shaping how brands adapt to the shifting landscape of digital marketing. At The CementBloc, Pro is responsible for overseeing content and channel strategy as well as user experience design. He is also a regular contributor at industry events and authors a column on digital and relationship marketing.
Carla offers a unique combination of clinical and industry experience spanning the past 20 years. A licensed pharmacist, primary care practitioner, emergency room moonlighter, scientist, and marketer, Carla brings her
medical-marketing acumen to help drive brands to fulfill
their potential.
For the past 6 years, Carla helped launch specialty brands in the diabetes space and in anesthesia, and has contributed to discovering insights and strategies for brands across a range of other therapeutic categories. She has an avid interest in promoting brands that stand to have a significant impact on patients' lives, both from a physiologic perspective and a quality-of-life perspective.
For 15 years, Eric has been inspiring, building, and launching brands across the healthcare space—everything from vitamin C to IV antibiotics. Starting on the brand consulting side, Eric used proprietary consumer insight techniques to help position OTC brands.
Looking to take strategic thinking further into the creative world, Eric joined the nascent planning department at Cline Davis & Mann. Over 10 years there, Eric helped shape and launch brands for Pfizer, Novartis, Amgen, Genentech, and Merck. Along the way, he helped solidify the planning discipline at CDM, became a certified Synectics facilitator, trained moderator, and led every type of ideation session imaginable.
Most recently, Eric led the global strategic development of Novartis' COPD portfolio, consisting of 4 pipeline brands. Additional areas of experience include OTC, respiratory, infectious disease and antibiotics, nephrology, bone health, oncology, and portfolio/added-value programs.
After all that, he remains fascinated with the drama of medicine and the changing realities of healthcare today.
Brian has 20 years of experience in the technology field. As SVP, Technology & Delivery for The CementBloc, he has responsibility for providing technical strategy, ideation, and the management of technical solution development for each of their clients' initiatives. The work he oversees ranges from patient and physician websites, global HCP portals, CRM platforms, to e-detailing platforms and mobile applications.
Before joining The CementBloc, Brian was head of the technology group at Digitas Health in Philadelphia, where he was responsible for technical solutions in each of the company's client engagements. He worked closely with capability leads to deliver technical solutions that fit client business needs, utilizing a diverse set of development languages and tools. In addition, he managed the technical directors, developers, and software quality assurance teams.
Previously, he oversaw the technology initiatives for a New York-based advertising agency, HNW. His work there included the development of their publisher and campaign manager applications and oversight of all technology aspects of the company's strategic interactive engagements. Prior to joining HNW, Brian was Senior Vice President, Global Business Solutions with Christie's. There he managed a global technology team and oversaw the company's integrated business systems, including Siebel, JDE, and many custom-designed auction-specific applications. He was instrumental in the launching of "Christie's Live," an online, real-time interactive bidding engine.
Dan has spent his entire professional career in the healthcare industry and has a track record of innovative, results-oriented outcomes. Since joining The Bloc, Dan has provided strategic and tactical support for the Managed Care Group at Bayer Diabetes Care and works closely with the converged teams managing the Celgene Oncology franchise and the Bristol-Myers Squibb/Pfizer brand Eliquis. In addition to his 7 years with managed care prescription benefit manager Medco Health, Dan served in a number of sales and marketing roles prior to joining The Bloc. At Watson Pharmaceuticals, he developed the payer marketing function and managed the relaunch of multiple brands to managed markets. At Sanofi, he was responsible for branding for the US Managed Markets team, while supporting marketing initiatives for Plavix and Ambien, and was the lead managed care marketer on the launch of Uroxatral.
As Director of Client Services at Ogilvy CommonHealth’s Payer Marketing division, Dan worked closely with the AstraZeneca oncology team, participating in the development of a contracting strategy and the repositioning of AstraZeneca’s Cancer Support Network. Additionally, Dan managed nearly $10 million dollars in revenue annually and worked across multiple accounts, including Abbott, Lilly, Shire, and Janssen.
Prior to healthcare, Dan was a sportswriter and sportscaster in Philadelphia. An avid Rutgers University fan, he can be seen dragging his family to multiple sporting events on weekends and even some weeknights.
Steve is passionate about starting and growing organizations, including an agency unit, a consulting unit, an online company, and a nonprofit. For the past 15 years, Steve’s main focus has been harnessing digital and traditional channels to profitably grow world-leading brands.
Prior to joining The CementBloc, Steve was the lead strategist at Saatchi & Saatchi Health and founded and led Channel Strategy at Cline Davis & Mann. Before agency life, for 12+ years, Steve was a strategy consultant and global account relationship leader at Monitor Group and was the founding consultant of Marketspace Advisory, Monitor’s digital and cross-channel unit. Steve also founded nestingmode.com, an online baby product selection site, and Cab Watch, a nonprofit that provided 911-only cell phones and training to thousands of cab drivers to report emergencies they saw while on duty. Steve graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with honors in American History.
In healthcare since the early 1990s, Steve has worked with several dozen prelaunch and inline brands in a wide variety of categories, including cardiovascular, oncology, men’s health, women’s health, multiple sclerosis, pain, anesthesiology, thyroid, bone health, and others for companies such as Pfizer, Merck, Amgen, Novartis, and Johnson & Johnson. He has enjoyed working with brands such as Lipitor, Zocor, Sutent, Viagra, Celebrex, Premarin, and PremPro. Outside of healthcare, Steve advised clients such as AT&T, Fidelity, BASF, Fruit of the Loom, John Hancock, and various startups.
Steve and his wife live in the Upper West Side with their 3 kids, Daniel, Lindsey, and Claire. Steve is a lifelong fan of the Steelers and a long-suffering fan of the Mets.
Our clients: Building better health.
We are proud to partner with clients
who believe in building a better,
healthier future for all of us.
who believe in building a better,
healthier future for all of us.
Buzz: Belief goes places.The Bloc fosters thought leadership in every aspect
of health and wellness marketing: customer insights, channel strategies, analytics, and beyond. Our incisive thinking across disciplines is driving and shaping the future of the industry.
of health and wellness marketing: customer insights, channel strategies, analytics, and beyond. Our incisive thinking across disciplines is driving and shaping the future of the industry.
Convergent Times is the first online forum for emerging innovations in health and wellness. Discover thought leadership in every aspect of marketing—from customer insights to channel strategies to measurement and analytics.
Visit convergenttimes.com now.
The Bloc fosters thought leadership in every aspect of health and wellness marketing—from customer insights, to channel strategies, to measurement and analytics, and beyond. Our top talent and incisive thinkers from across industry disciplines are driving and shaping the future of the health and wellness space.
Belief builders wanted.For career opportunities,
please contact:
Lawton Taylor, Director,
Talent Acquisition
646-616-2585
ltaylor@thebloc.com
please contact:
Lawton Taylor, Director,
Talent Acquisition
646-616-2585
ltaylor@thebloc.com
We have two offices in New York City.
We build as one.
641 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10011
162 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
212-524-6206
jmatthews@thebloc.com
