PM360 is proud to announce the winners of its 10th annual Trailblazer Awards. Established in 2009, the Trailblazer Awards are given to outstanding companies, marketers, marketing teams, brand managers, and initiatives representing the best the industry has to offer. The award finalists and winners are selected by the PM360 Editorial Advisory Board, which is comprised of some of the most forward-thinking leaders in their respective fields.
The winners were honored at a gala banquet at Gotham Hall in Manhattan in front of a sold out crowd. Emmy-award winning actress, comedian, and writer Judy Gold served as the emcee of the event for the fourth consecutive year.
As always, the awards honor work from over the past year based on different criteria for each major category including Company of Year (innovation, talent development, and social responsibility), Brand Champions (innovation, leadership, communication, analytical, and organizational skills), and Initiatives (content, format, success in reaching targeted audience, and overall quality). Additionally, the Marketer of the Year award singles out the individual who best exemplifies the most insightful, forward-thinking, and transformative marketing ideas, and actions in the industry, while the Marketing Team award recognizes the group who best met those qualifications.
New this year, PM360 established the Vanguard Award to recognize an industry pioneer who developed a new service, strategy, product, or technology that greatly impacted the industry. This award was given to MediSolutions Chairman Joshua Lapsker, who invented the concept of advertising inside the prescription pad 35 years ago. Today, every third script written is on one of the company’s branded prescription pads.
PM360 honored another industry veteran, Sander Flaum, Principal of Flaum Navigators, with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award Winner. Sander began his career in the industry at Lederle Laboratories, which merged into Wyeth and then Pfizer. He would go on to become Chairman and CEO of Euro RSCG Becker (now Havas Life) before launching Flaum Navigators in 2004, where he continues to encourage and coach his clients to embrace disruptive innovation in marketing, sales, and leadership. Sander has innovated such blockbuster drugs as Plavix, Flomax, Ativan, BuSpar, and Mobic and is known for several innovative strategies including creating the first persistency program, the first patient guarantee program, the first indigent patient program, and the first “War Games” program.
The full list of this year’s PM360 Trailblazer winners is:
PM360’s LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD RECIPIENT
Sander Flaum, Principal, Flaum Navigators
PM360’s VANGUARD AWARD RECIPIENT
Joshua Lapsker, Chairman, MediSolutions
MARKETER OF THE YEAR
Kendra Fanara, Director of Marketing, Cross Platform and Patient Marketing, Johnson & Johnson
MARKETING TEAM OF THE YEAR
COMPANIES OF THE YEAR
PHARMACEUTICAL/BIOTECH: SILVER WINNER
PHARMACEUTICAL/BIOTECH: GOLD WINNER
MEDICAL DEVICE/DIAGNOSTICS: SILVER WINNER
MEDICAL DEVICE/DIAGNOSTICS: GOLD WINNER
SPECIALTY PHARMA/BIOTECH: SILVER WINNER
SPECIALTY PHARMA/BIOTECH: GOLD WINNER
ADVERTISING AGENCY: SILVER WINNER
ADVERTISING AGENCY: GOLD WINNER
SUPPLIER/VENDOR: SILVER WINNER
SUPPLIER/VENDOR: GOLD WINNER
BRAND CHAMPION AWARD WINNERS
Autoimmune: Helen Gray, Medical Director, EMD Serono Research and Development Institute, Inc.
Cardiology: Chuck Hrushka, Executive Director of Marketing, Kowa Pharmaceuticals America, Inc.
Central Nervous System: Edward Banfe, Associate Director, Neurology Marketing, Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Dermatology: Sandy Sexton, Director, Consumer Marketing, Regeneron Healthcare Solutions
Diabetes/Metabolic Disorders: Stephanie Wenstrup, Marketing Director, Cardiovascular and Metabolics, AstraZeneca
Diversity/Multicultural: Betty Webb, Manager, Patient Marketing & Digital Health Innovation, Novo Nordisk
Gastrointestinal: Kevin Johnston, Director, Sales and Marketing Operations, Synergy Pharmaceuticals Inc.
Hematology/Oncology: Jessica Hayes, Director NET Marketing, Novartis
Infectious Disease: Robert Ashton, Senior Director – Marketing and Commercial Operations, Theravance Biopharma
Innovation: Natalie Mancuso, Associate Director, Marketing, Regeneron
Managed Markets: Larry Labagnara, Director, Managed Markets Marketing, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals
Medical Device/Diagnostics: Sarah Foster, Enterprise Website Global Marketing Director, Eli Lilly and Company
Men’s Health: Chris Horvath, Director of Marketing, Prostate Cancer, Bayer Pharmaceuticals
Ophthalmology/Optometry: Santos Torres, Jr., Director of Marketing, Bausch + Lomb
Pain/Inflammation: Matteo Trotta, Head of Marketing, Rheumatology PsA, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation
Rare Diseases: Bonnie Ben-Shmuel, Director, Planning and Innovation, Pfizer Rare Disease
Respiratory: Denise Strauss, Former Vice President, Marketing, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals
Women’s Health: Tonya Conklin, Associate Director, Marketing, AbbVie
INITIATIVE WINNERS
APP/DIGITAL SOLUTION OR SUITE
MNG Health Media Hub (MNG Health)
CONSUMER WEBSITE/ONLINE INITIATIVE
COOLIEF Website www.mycoolief.com (Halyard Health, AbelsonTaylor)
DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER CAMPAIGN
“Silence Sucks” (Sage Therapeutics, Concentric Health Experience)
DIRECT-TO-PATIENT CAMPAIGN
Clear Path Campaign (AstraZeneca, Patients & Purpose)
HCP EDUCATION
INTERACTIVE MARKETING PROGRAM
Ask Sophia Digital Assistant (Novo Nordisk, Verint Systems Inc., HyperPointe)
PATIENT/CONSUMER EDUCATION
ViiV Healthcare Go2Events (ViiV Healthcare, Snow Companies, Havas Tonic)
PERSISTENCE/ADHERENCE PROGRAM
Inspire+ App (Jazz Pharmaceuticals, Atlantis Healthcare, Pixel Light Digital Media)
POINT OF CARE
Mydayis Go Early Program (Shire, Intouch Solutions)
PRODUCT/SERVICE LAUNCH
ZILRETTA “Meet Your Match” (Flexion Therapeutics, Dudnyk)
PROFESSIONAL CAMPAIGN
HyperRAB (300 IU/mL) (Grifols, Elevate Healthcare)
PROFESSIONAL WEBSITE/ONLINE INITIATIVE
SALES AID
HER Interactive Sales Aid (AbbVie, Intouch Solutions)
SELF-PROMOTION
“Make It Matter” (Concentric Health Experience)
SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN
Fractured Truth Campaign (Radius, Patients & Purpose)
UNBRANDED CAMPAIGN
The Wrestler (Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Klick Health)
VIDEO/TV CAMPAIGN
Myrbetriq “Keep On Dancing” (Astellas Pharma US, Pathway, FCB Health, Katalyst and Golin)
