Paul Harrington
Beyond the Brand
Driven to innovate by Nonsense
Paul Harrington is tireless in his commitment and passion to bring brands to life. He was the driver behind Palio+Ignite’s huge global campaign for the world’s first, once-weekly treatment for type 2 diabetes Bydureon.
Seven years after pitching the account, and subsequently winning the entire professional and digital franchise, as well as the Byetta brand, and the team launched Bydureon.
Mr. Harrington and Palio+Ignite have enjoyed the privilege of shepherding the brand from the bench top to the global marketplace: from the positioning and the logo/identity, to the creative, managed markets legwork, digital deployments, and breakthrough tradeshow experience. Mr. Harrington notes with satisfaction that the team has gone to extraordinary lengths to nurture the brand and work with its clients through four ownership changes and two FDA delays. Members relocated 3,000 miles to work alongside the clients and throughout the lifespan of the brand to date, seven Palio+Ignite children have been born to teammates (one even went into labor in the office) and the team always came through.
Throughout the process, Mr. Harrington was there, and he’s still growing brands. One of the members of his team described him as nothing less than the heart and soul of the Exenatide franchise and the brands it encompasses.
Mr. Harrington describes himself as demanding and unsatisfied, which means he demands the highest standards of excellence from himself and his teams; the work he creates is designed to inspire emotion and he’s unsatisfied with anything less than creative brilliance.
Members of his team concur on the demanding leadership description, but also say his leadership style is supportive and collaborative. Mr. Harrington is the first to roll up his sleeves and jump in. And, everyone who has ever worked with him, from agency teammates to clients knows of his integrity and fiercely loyal streak. For more than 25 years, Mr. Harrington has been producing award-winning creative in both consumer and healthcare accounts, across a wide range of media. His unwavering focus on pushing the limits of creativity brings out the best in everyone he works with.
He has shot commercials for the Olympics and with Hillary Clinton when she was First Lady, and even named the fan base for an NHL team, but a real highlight was helping his team win “Brand Team of the Year," as it was a proud moment for the whole team, and it’s a team he’s proud to be part of.
His wicked sense of humor is always ready to be unleashed with flawless timing. He says the best advice he received when switching from one agency to another was to recognize it’s the “same circus, different clowns."
Mr. Harrington challenges the status quo and is always searching for ways to improve. He will scratch the itch until the solution is found. When creative teams are working long into the night and through weekends, Mr. Harrington always finds the bright side of the situation that keeps the team going. He never leaves the office until the work is 100% done and the entire team is out of the building.
He learned his work ethic from his father, an otolaryngologist who until his recent retirement at 70 was on his feet operating 12 hours a day, carving out cancers and saving lives, only then to drive home to the family farm and get on the tractor or snowplowing their half-mile driveway.
“It was hard to be a slacker with a dad like that," Mr. Harrington says.
Going forward he is working with Guy Mastrion, founder and chief global creative officer, to elevate creativity in the healthcare arena. To transform the industry and build brands with simple, powerful stories, Mr. Harrington knows we need big ideas — big ideas that fit into tiny places.
“It’s a work in progress," he says. “We need to hold the industry to higher standards because the end result is better work. Our messages, ideas, and insight will connect with greater effect. And, we all need the courage to push back against bad ideas, as well as, ‘go for it’ with great ideas."
Speaking frankly, Mr. Harrington says what he hates most is the obvious campaign — the pretty lady with the fluffy dog walking on the beach whilst describing her IBS.
“Hey, we’ve all been pushed there; I’m as guilty as any," he says. “So I try to make my penance and do better work whenever I/we can."
Mr. Harrington is the first person to organize a response to a crisis. He inspired the leaders of the agency to match donations to the American Red Cross to help the victims of the earthquake in Haiti and the tsunami in Japan.
Having been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at the age of nine, Mr. Harrington is also a strong supporter of JDRF. While he doesn’t let the condition define him, Mr. Harrington says the work that JDRF is doing is fantastic.
And he loves the local Saratoga Shakespeare Company, which he says puts on an amazing performance each summer in historic Congress Park in Saratoga Springs. “This year it’s Macbeth, and my creative team did a killer poster design for the production," he says. “Did you see what I did there: killer? Macbeth?"
Somewhere in the course of juggling work, helping his wife raise their two teen boys, and wrangling the family dog, Henry, he wrote a book, Epiphany: The untold epic journey of the Magi. Mr. Harrington wants everyone to know that it’s available on Amazon and the iBookstore.
Getting to Know…
Paul C. Harrington Jr.
Title: Senior VP, Creative Director
Company: Palio+Ignite, an inVentiv company
Education: M.A., University of Rochester; B.A., Boston College
Family: Wife, Denise; two sons Paul III and Will; dog, Henry McHiggins Harrington, Esq.
Hobbies: Fine wine, fast women, sharp cheeses, great novels, funky music, movies he can’t figure out the ending to before the final frame, griping about future college tuition payments, college football, New England sport franchises
Bucket List: Jump out of a functioning airplane
Awards/Honors: Brand Team of the Year for the Palio+Ignite team’s work on the Exenatide franchise, CLIO, Manny, Graphis, Caples, Hatch, London Advertising Awards, MM&M
Social Media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube
Jonathan Isaacs
Changing Perspectives
Driven to innovate by mediocrity
There is no such thing as great healthcare advertising; there is just great advertising. That’s the view of Evoke’s Chief Creative Officer Jonathan Isaacs.
Known for award-winning work on Lipitor, Mr. Isaacs has a way of getting people to think differently.
At Evoke, he is helping to bring exciting new ideas to life and resetting how his colleagues view the world. He has upped the game from a creative quality perspective, and has reignited his colleagues’ passion for what they do.
Mr. Isaacs joined Evoke late last year after 10 years at Ogilvy & Mather, a move that he describes as a career challenge since it meant reintroducing himself to the world.
And he has a very strong and clear goal for Evoke — to turn it into the best consumer health and wellness agency anywhere.
He demands a lot of himself, so he expects the best from everybody he works with. And he has a way of making others want to give it to him, time and time again. He does this by creating an environment where people can thrive. The inevitable results are outstanding work and enduring partnerships.
The most rewarding part of what he does is watching the talented people he has hired over the years go on to run their own kingdoms.
As for good career advice, Mr. Isaacs says be good to people on the way up because you’re going to see them on the way down.
Outside of the office, Mr. Isaacs supports the JED Foundation, founded by his aunt and uncle who took a personal tragedy and turned it into a legacy that will save countless lives. The foundation works to promote emotional health and prevent suicide among college students.
Getting to Know…
Jonathan Isaacs
Title: Chief Creative Officer
Company: Evoke Health
Education: B.A., Northwestern University
Family: Married, three kids
Bucket List: Learning Spanish (everyone on Sabado Gigante seems to be having a hoot and he wants to know why)
Tina Fascetti
The Idea Factory
Driven to innovate by Complacency
Creative and collaborative, Tina Fascetti is a visionary marketer and an inspiring team leader.
As chief creative officer, Ms. Fascetti has been instrumental in the process of re-defining what PulseCX, formerly Roska Healthcare, truly is, how it distinguishes itself in a crowded market, and how to convey that message to busy marketers in a way that is compelling, genuine, and unique.
She has led the agency’s massive rebranding efforts — new name, new logo, new website — co-led new business pitches, overseen current brands, brought in new talent and formed successful new creative teams, and nurtured present talent in a gentle and inspiring manner.
She understands the importance of delivering the optimal customer experience (CX) across all channels, and works side by side with clients to ensure they remain relevant and their brand messages are clear and engaging.
When working on brands and campaigns, Ms. Fascetti can quickly zero in on the stories and journeys that matter most to the customers of those brands. She knows precisely what will motivate patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to change their behavior, and how to deliver those motivational messages with tremendous impact.
More than taking core creative and overlaying it across all channels, she understands and empowers her creative team to ensure all communications are customized and segmented according to the channel and medium in which customers seek to engage.
Ms. Fascetti is a true believer in the idea that great brands do not expect customers to engage with them. Instead, great brands demonstrate how they integrate into customers’ lives on the customers’ terms. In fact, one of her mantras has quickly moved into the core of the agency mindset at PulseCX — tapping into customer experiences touches the heart, mind, senses, and creates moments of truth. Only then can marketers succeed in making brands part of their customers’ lives, building brand loyalty.
Ms. Fascetti not only helps others align to the over-arching brand goals and messages, but zeroes in on the small details — the lighting of a photograph or the copy at the bottom of a Web page.
Strategic leadership is also one of Ms. Fascetti’s strengths. She guides both clients and internal teams, understanding that great creative is a result of great strategy. She embraces this approach and employs all the teams’ talents to build solid strategic platforms.
What makes Ms. Fascetti so inspirational as a creative lead is that she is unafraid to make a brilliant mistake. She challenges the status quo and never ceases to explore new avenues and learn from new sources. Ms. Fascetti is a leader who realizes that passion is what separates great from good. Her personal passion keeps her from stopping short, keeps her from compromising, and keeps her and her team wanting more for the brands they work on.
Another inspirational aspect to Ms. Fascetti’s leadership is her ability to align talent to task. Ms. Fascetti inspires leaders across the agency and the industry with her commitment to forming the right teams to surround an existing or new piece of business, customizing each one by bringing in the right partners for the project — people who immerse themselves in the customer experience and are fully invested in the success of each brand.
She inspires all those she works with to do their best for the end user, inviting team members to share new ideas. She believes in creating an environment where the leader steps back, gives ownership to the team, and allows them to thrive, innovate, and grow. She doesn’t want credit, she wants solutions. She wants the collaboration, not the trophy. In fact, Ms. Fascetti says if you’re the smartest person in the room, you’re in the wrong room.
Ms. Fascetti is unwavering about providing a culture that allows staff members to grow, for example budgeting dollars for training, creative workshops, and outside seminars. She likes to give people the challenge to be inventive and the space and time to actually do it, and make it safe for them to fail. And she believes in being positive, transparent, honest, and fair.
Working at PulseCX is a true career highlight for Ms. Fascetti who is doing what she loves with the people she wants to work with. The excitement comes from partnering with people who have similar values and being part of an independent company that puts clients’ needs first while still creating its own destiny.
Given all this, it’s not a surprise that others call her “The Idea Factory."
Outside of work, Ms. Fascetti is committed to charities involved with organ transplantation. She lost her brother after two liver transplants due to infection, but remains committed to the belief that organ donation is the most amazing gift a person and family can give. Additionally, her best friend received a liver transplant and is thriving because of the generosity of an amazing family who lost their child on Christmas Eve.
Getting to Know…
Tina Fascetti
Title: Chief Creative Officer
Company: PulseCX
Education: Visual Communications, Art Institute of Pittsburgh
Family: Husband, Tom DeLorenzo; son, Maro
Hobbies: Bicycling, rollerblading, swimming, music, decorating
Bucket List: Travel with family
Awards/Honors: Global, Clio, RX Awards, Web Health Awards, Manny Awards, Addy, MM&M Awards, PM360
Associations: Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, Liver Life Walk
Social Media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest
Diane Iler-Smith
Master Storyteller
Driven to innovate by Curiosity
Diane Iler-Smith started her career in the pharma industry as an assistant scientist of genetic toxicology at Schering-Plough (now Merck). She worked there for three years before trying her hand at copy writing for Thomas Ferguson Associates. Over an eight-year period, she worked her way up to VP, associate creative director, and the rest is history. Her 20 years of marketing experience combined with her deep understanding of science makes her a healthcare marketer’s dream — a perfect marriage of creativity and impressive, hands-on scientific knowledge.
She brings insights and new thinking to her role, and motivates not just her immediate creative department, but also all of those around her to challenge their thinking and search for the unexpected. With a rich history of work under her belt, she continues to push for creative excellence and brand differentiation.
“I have a real passion for healthcare and wellness communications," she says. “It’s incredibly exciting to be part of bringing a brand to life through visual and verbal storytelling. And our stories can make a huge difference in the lives of people by improving their health or helping them get treatment for serious illnesses."
Colleagues say that Ms. Iler-Smith has helped shape brand stories that have forever changed the industry. Her brands benefit from her touch, as the resulting work delivers powerful efficacy.
She dives deep into the science and the customer insights to identify that moment of clarity that provides great strategic direction to the team. She aims big to create campaigns that will ultimately help drive behavioral change.
Ms. Iler-Smith says striving for that kind of impact day after day is a big challenge. The best creative begins with a single-minded brand promise, which is perhaps the most important element of a well-crafted creative brief. To achieve this goal, difficult choices need to be made in order to focus on that “one thing" that is most special, most motivating about the brand.
“Finding the right brand promise is becoming increasingly difficult considering that many launch brands are working with early data," she says. “In addition, the pressure to get it right and optimize brand performance from the beginning can be a barrier to making a clear choice for what the brand should stand for, resulting in a brand promise."
Her accomplishments as a creative leader and marketing innovator go well beyond any campaign or initiative developed in the industry. She is a true mentor and teacher, more committed to seeing others succeed than herself. Her impact on pharmaceutical marketing is felt throughout the industry, in the multitudes of people, creatives and account managers alike, who emulate their own careers on what they have learned watching and working with her. Ms. Iler-Smith is that one-of-a-kind rare combination of talent, intelligence, creativity, and humanity.
“I love seeing people whom I’ve hired into entry-level positions grow and progress into senior-level management," she says.
A fearless leader who approaches every challenge head on, she inspires her teams and everyone around her to achieve things they never thought possible. Her energy is infectious and her bravery for taking on healthcare’s most difficult problems is humbling, her colleagues say.
“It’s very important to me to help the next generation of talent entering the healthcare communications industry," Ms. Iler-Smith says. “Our business is constantly changing and we need young talent to keep our business thriving for the future."
She inspires her team by sharing her belief that what healthcare communications specialists do can make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients.
“We are helping people to find better ways of managing disease or lead a healthier lifestyle," she says.
In just under a year, Ms. Iler-Smith has transformed the creative department at Ogilvy bringing it quickly up to speed with her leadership. Creative talents are tough to attract but she had “star power" in drawing and attracting talent that deepened the bench-strength of the existing creative department. With her typical insight, she proposed a department of diverse talent that includes consumer storytellers, specialty pharmaceutical experts, and digital creatives. As a result, her efforts led to the successful realization of such a group and an environment that nurtures creativity regardless of audience and channel.
Getting to Know…
Diane Iler-Smith
Title: Executive VP, Chief Creative Officer
Company: Ogilvy Healthworld, part of Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide
Education: B.S., Biology, ,minor in Chemistry, Montclair State University; M.S., Biology, minor in Pharmaceutical Marketing, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Family: Husband, Patrick Smith; son, Collin, 23; daughter, Kayla, 20
Hobbies: Supporting her daughter’s rock band, The Glycerine Queens; biking; hiking; swimming
Bucket List: Meet Elie Tahari; visit Tahiti; see penguins of Prince Edward Island; make it to the top of Angel’s Falls Landing in Zion National Park; swim with dolphins;
attend the Oscars
Awards/Honors: American Graphic Design Award,
Doctor’s Choice Award, numerous Rx Club Awards
Associations: Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association
Social Media: LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram
