OCREVUS Marketing Team
Genentech
Agency Partners: VMLY&R, Snow Companies, CMI Media Group, Wavemaker, Intouch Solutions
Genentech Team Members:
Linda Konkoski, Senior Marketing Manager
Lesley Cerdan, Senior Marketing Manager
Delivering Patients What They Want
OCREVUS (ocrelizumab) is a major brand that changed the game for many people living with relapsing and primary progressive forms of multiple sclerosis. The brand team unites two of the finest marketers in the industry: Linda Konkoski and Lesley Cerdan.
Linda brings all the important leadership qualities to the table while navigating responsibilities for not just OCREVUS but also ENSPRYNG (satralizumab), which is used to treat neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD). Lesley is a very quick and courageous thinker, ready to act fast and to adapt to changing market trends, even when it entails major pivots.
Linda and Lesley lead with a sense of purpose. There’s never any ambiguity around who or what is top of mind: It’s patients in everything they do. Being great collaborators, they know that everything hinges on the people who are in place to put the plan to action, so they always approach challenges with a “people first” mentality. Their collaborative strengths extend beyond the walls of Genentech—they partner closely with agencies to elevate the thinking and the approach by incorporating multiple perspectives.
Their marketing initiatives are highly effective, such as the DTC campaign for blockbuster drug OCREVUS. They keep the bottom line in mind and apply market research and advocacy feedback to ensure what they are putting into the market will move the needle. On top of that, they’re always focused on patients: What will be well received by them? What will ultimately be helpful to them? The starting point for the team is not what they are doing but what the patient community wants and needs, and the strategy follows along.
These team characteristics have given them the nimbleness to thrive, all while making an impact in the midst of a global pandemic. More importantly: They have provided products, solutions, and services to patients that they will actually use.
