DKY is one of the few truly integrated agencies in Montreal today, says DKY President Gary Yott, with its Pharmaceutical Division incorporating advertising, promotions, direct marketing, strategic planning, graphic design, audio-visual production, special events and multimedia. All elements of a project are handled in a smooth and integrated fashion.

‘This strength of integrated services,’ says Yott, ‘keeps the client’s brand message consistent. For example, the creative that goes into a print ad will carry through to a web-site design, because the same individuals who put together the print material are there to brief our in-house webmasters on brand image, message and so on.

‘Another important part of our integrated approach is that all aspects of a campaign are stored in our computer bank. The client gains cost-savings benefits by our having access to all the themes, design and data for any future use.’

What this does for the client, he says, is instil confidence that a well-informed team will keep the brand’s message consistent from one process, and one project, to the next. ‘Often, this synergy is lost when the work has to be farmed out.

‘Because we are in control, we maintain a time-sensitive perspective that’s very economical for both our clients and us,’ Yott says. ‘A product manager can come in to discuss packaging, the ad campaign, and address promotions, direct marketing and the product launch, all at one meeting.’

‘Of course, having an in-house special events and multimedia department has proven to be a strong selling feature for DKY, especially when it comes to pharmaceutical companies’, says Domenic Alessi, multimedia and special events producer.

‘Planning special events, such as product launches, to coincide with print or TV messages can only be done properly when two creative teams are working under the same roof. Nowadays, pharmaceutical companies are looking for the innovative edge that will make them stand out from their competitors – multimedia creative is where they’re finding it.’

‘Being the right size is also important,’ Yott says. ‘We have 36 people on staff. Big enough to accomplish everything we need to do for a client, big enough to take on any project that comes our way, yet not too big to be encumbered by red tape and bureaucracy.

‘The breakdown within the agency is equally efficient. When you take those 36 individuals and allow them to work with whomever they choose, the group dynamics and creative results are stronger. It’s a luxury certainly lost in the larger agencies.’

For Yott and his crew, one stop shopping is what it’s all about. Looking beyond its facilities, DKY is a shop where ideas drive its business and get results.

Ideas. Results. These are the two words the agency lives by.

‘Our strength,’ says Alexander Bevan, senior copywriter, pharmaceuticals, ‘is about pushing the envelope when it comes to creative ideas. We have studied our clients’ feedback from physicians. They see the material as dry and run of the mill, the same stuff they’ve been seeing for years.’

Yott agrees: ‘We’re in the idea business to convince manufacturers to buy an idea based on proper information. While many agencies claim to do creative healthcare advertising, few have the courage to challenge their audiences.

‘Traditional pharmaceutical ads are product-driven and bland. Physicians are consumers and want to be attracted to and interested in the ad while learning about the product.’

‘Physicians are excited to see ads that challenge them as the educated professionals they are,’ Bevan says, ‘and also appreciate ads that are creative.’

‘Research shows they are more open and responsive to the kind of advertising seen in the consumer sector than many agencies would like to believe,’ adds Yott.

To the folks at DKY, being creative means being able to get an intelligent message across. If the idea is strong, Yott asserts, the client will see it immediately.

‘We are successful at selling ideas to pharmaceutical companies because we can substantiate physicians’ interest in the kind of advertising we do. Our clients are intelligent and so are their audiences.’

When Schering Canada approached DKY to work on their Elocom brand, the agency was mandated to create a dynamic, impactful ad without diluting the product’s message.

‘The first thing the creative team agreed on was that the brand could be elevated through the use of a strong visual image,’ says Bevan.

‘We wanted to use this approach in order to avoid the clichžs of tiresome charts and graphs that seem to find their way into so many pharmaceutical ads these days.

‘Our goal,’ he adds, ‘was to grab the attention of physicians in a way that they would appreciate. The bottom line is that our pharmaceutical clients have faith in what we do because they recognize the potential of creativity in healthcare advertising.’

For DKY, recognizing the shifts in healthcare advertising has allowed them to protect, nurture and build their clients’ brands.

‘In the pharmaceutical industry, the marketing mix has changed significantly over the past few years,’ Yott says. Pharmaceutical drug companies spend a lot of time and money on the drug development cycle and they expect their agencies to do the same for the ‘product and image’ cycle.

‘At DKY, our clients know that the integrated approach is the best way to elevate their brand and help it stand our from all the others.’

Also in this sponsored supplement:

– Overview p. PH1

– Lally, McFarland & Pantello/Euro RSCG Advertising: Retooling for the future p.PH3

– NATIONAL PharmCom: Beyond public relations p.PH5

– Lacroix PNMD p.PH6

– Torre Lazur- McCann: Torre Lazur comes to Canada p.PH7

– Remtulla + Associates p.PH8

– Schwab & Piquette: An agency that believes the work should speak for itself p.PH10

– Anderson Toronto p.PH11

– pdg strategie concept inc. p.PH12

– Publicite Anderson p.PH13

– Healthcare Marketing Resources p.PH14

– IntraMedical Health Services p.PH15