Eric is global chief creative officer at Havas Health, inspiring a creative awakening across the 6,000+ person network. Throughout his career, Eric has guided his teams to win over 100 international creative awards from Cannes, The One Show, Clios, the Webbys, Effies and more. Eric’s work can be found in the Smithsonian’s permanent collection and college textbooks, and has been covered by CNN, NBC, BCC, The New York Times and Fast Company. 

We spent two minutes with Eric to learn more about his background, his creative inspirations and recent work he’s admired. 

Eric, tell us …

Where you grew up, and where you live now.

I grew up in Cleveland, Ohio (cue laugh track). I’ve made pitstops in Chicago and Detroit, but I’ve spent most of my adult life in New York City.

How you first got interested in health.

It’s been a long courtship between me and health marketing. Betwixt briefs for beer, sneakers, jeeps and Big Macs, I started to fall in love with brands like Tylenol, Band-Aid and Listerine. That led to flirts with briefs for hospital systems, insurance, medical devices and eventually prescription drugs — all of which I found intellectually and creatively interesting, but ones most creative people ignored. Before I knew it, folks started considering me a health and wellness expert, even though I was running a general consumer agency. 

Then COVID happened, and I realized that everything about health was about to change — every brand was about to become a health brand. Suddenly, creativity in health, long the backseat of advertising innovation, was about to have a massive creative awakening, and I wanted to be a part of that. And as we all emerged from the fog of COVID, I wanted to make a difference in people’s lives and help close the health equity gap.

Some of your favorite projects you’ve ever worked on.

If you asked most people, they would tell you I’m best known for making Matthew McConaughey the creative director of Wild Turkey; Jeep’s The Middle with Bruce Springsteen, a Super Bowl spot that aimed to heal the nation after the last election; or Band-Aid MagicVision, the app that turned a billion bandages into an entertainment platform.

But those aren’t necessarily the projects that are most meaningful to me. I’ve always been drawn to work that celebrates and supports people and problems that are often overlooked.

My personal picks would be:

Healing the Healers, a film, research study and white paper that aims to ease the mental health crisis and high suicide rate of medical professionals.

Tylenol’s How We Family, a campaign launched moments after the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage, which celebrated modern love and sparked an important discussion about health, inclusivity and family.

Another favorite project was The Vitals, a Marvel comic book series celebrating the stories of real nurses and their fight during COVID. It started a national conversation about the urgent nursing shortage. The book is now part of The Smithsonian‘s permanent collection and was the most downloaded comic book of 2021.

A recent project you’re proud of.

I’m obsessed with our work with Earswitch called Airquity. This is exactly the kind of creative innovation that drew me to Havas to focus on closing the health equity gap. Because of how light interacts with melanin, pulse oximeters are less effective on black and brown skin, so Airquity was designed based on the idea that inside the ear canal, all skin looks the same. The groundbreaking campaign addressed racial bias to literally save lives. 

One thing about how health is evolving that you’re excited about.

We’re living in a time where every brand is now a health brand. Traditional health brands are now competing with the biggest brands in the world that are making health their differentiator. Apple, Amazon and Google have taken on health as a big part of the future of their business and their purpose. Before, health was in its own world. Health is the last major industry to undergo a user-centric transformation, and what we’re seeing is patient-led care like never before. We’re seeing a world where the same user transformation that happened in entertainment, telecoms and insurance is now changing how drugs are launched and how people interact with the healthcare system.

Someone else’s work, in health or beyond, that you admired lately.

I have to give massive props to Apple for their commitment to serving underserved populations. Apple’s The Greatest is a magnificent celebration of the abilities of people with disabilities. Best of all, it’s not empty purpose-washing; they have embedded accessibility into each and every one of their devices. I applaud their strategy to not just focus on the greatest number of people, but the people with the greatest need.

A book, movie, TV show, or podcast you recently found inspiring.

Rick Rubin‘s The Creative Act: A Way of Being. Beyond the book, I recently saw him speak at the Universal Music Group and Thrive Global MUSIC + HEALTH Summit. He has always personally inspired my creative journey, and I can’t get enough of how he views the world, content and the power of creativity.

A visual artist or band/musician you admire.

David Byrne. He has continued to reinvent what the standard for music and music videos looks like, and then he moved his creativity to Broadway.

Your favorite fictional character.

Yoda.

Someone worth following on social media.

Winston Green – chief dog officer at Havas Health and Havas Creative Network. You can follow him on LinkedIn and Instagram.

Your main strength as a marketer/creative.

Resilience.

Your biggest weakness.

Procrastination.

One thing that always makes you happy.

Matcha.

One thing that always makes you sad.

When people tell me they’ve never seen any Star Wars films.

Something people would find surprising about you.

I’m the first person in my family who is not a butcher. I come from a long line of butchers dating back many generations to Russia. Ironically enough, I’m also the first vegetarian in my family.

What you’d be doing if you weren’t in health.

I don’t have a screenplay in my drawer, I don’t play guitar, I’m not shooting a short film … I’m exactly where I want to be. 

Somebody recently asked me on a podcast: “What’s my next chapter?” I said, “Health IS my next chapter.”

The post 2 Minutes With … Eric Weisberg, Global CCO at Havas Health first appeared on Muse by Clios.

Muse caught up with two execs from Fors Marsh to learn about the agency’s addition of Brunet-García, company culture, successful work from the creative and research departments and more.

Muse: Can you tell us about the transition process as Brunet-García became a part of Fors Marsh?

Eduardo Sarmiento, president of strategic creative and communications at Fors Marsh: Fors Marsh was born a research firm, whereas Brunet-García’s roots were in developing creative for multicultural audiences. 

Prior to the acquisition, the two organizations collaborated on several public health communication initiatives for the federal government. This experience and familiarity contributed to the transition. Since 2023, we have become one organization with a vision to accelerate and scale our impact, combining science and art as the foundation of what we do and who we are. 

The process of fully integrating two companies, while simultaneously defining a renovated operating model, has been challenging and deliberate. We went through a series of intense workshops with leadership from both entities and representation from all teams to learn, unlearn, discover and imagine the best company we can be to bring the most value to our clients. We also refreshed our visual identity to express the evolution of our thinking and the value we place on diversity, evidence and creativity. 

Dr. Brian Griepentrog, Fors Marsh’s president of research and advisory services: This evolution has been incredibly timely, as our clients are tackling wicked problems, many of which are awash in misinformation. And in this battle for information, our clients have a right to win. That means they cannot blend in or be complacent. Our work must inspire people and move them to action.

How is this embedded into your company culture?

Griepentrog: The magic that is made when researchers, creatives, communicators and technologists are collaborating requires a lot of intentionality. Almost by definition, these cross-functional teams create conflict—sometimes good and sometimes bad. And candidly, we’ve been in a constant state of building and tinkering to harness this energy into something awesome.

• Culture—With differences in training, experience and perspective, we’ve leaned heavily into our culture—which prioritizes operating with a common language and set of norms—to counteract many of the technical differences. For our folks, this starts with messaging and reinforcement of our common objective: behavior change. But this also means ensuring that our core values—such as people first, making impactful work and maintaining a growth Mindset—are built into our selection criteria, management expectations and compensation system.
• Structure—We promised that evidence-based strategy, breakthrough creativity and technology would be interwoven through the company benefiting our clients no matter their size or scope. We created Craft Centers, leading each with a company executive (chief data, creative, and technology officers).
• People—The Attraction, Selection, Attrition (ASA) model holds that: (1) Individuals are attracted to organizations whose members are similar to themselves in terms of personality, values, interest and other factors; (2) Organizations are more likely to select those who possess knowledge, skills and abilities similar to the ones their existing members possess; and (3) Over time, those who do not fit in are more likely to leave. We have been particularly thoughtful regarding the selection of our team. 
• Systems & Technology (S&T)—Some of the immediate S&T changes involved selecting common collaboration and project management software that cut across disciplines, engaging broader participation in business development. We’re also updating planning and project execution tools for the inclusion of data, creativity and technology perspectives at crucial stages of execution.

With this renovated vision and structure, what’s your approach to tackling your client challenges?

Sarmiento: We are working to shape a culture where evidence and imagination are always present. We capitalize on both—the “what is” and “what if?”—and combine them, so the proportions vary in relations to the challenges we face. Because of the nature of the problems and topics we tackle (drug overdose and HIV prevention, cancer screenings, climate resilience), we must create work that invites people to pay attention. That educates and entertains. And that connects at a deeper level through storytelling. People don’t care about the good intentions behind the work or the 13 strategy calls we had. They won’t even see our work if it’s not distinctive, seductive and relevant.

Design is also an essential component. We use design to translate complexity into clarity and understanding. Our work is presented in a way that’s attractive, compliant, engaging and accessible. We strive to facilitate comprehension and increases people’s willingness to interact with the content. This reduces resistance to persuasion and promotes the effectiveness and enjoyment of the communications. The impact of our work is exponential when big insights and big ideas find expression through exceptional craft.

Can you share examples of successful collaborations between the creative and research teams?

Sarmiento: During National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, we launched a visual identity and video series for “Screen for Life,” the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) national colorectal cancer action campaign. Audience research uncovered that the biggest hurdle to screening was discomfort in talking about the process, including preparation and recovery time. We used a fresh approach to storytelling for content that simultaneously educates and entertains. The “Strangers With Colons” video series features two people with different backgrounds meeting for the first time and having a candid and unrehearsed conversation about their screening experience.

And as part of our work with CDC’s Division of Overdose Prevention, we created the “Campaigns to Stop Overdose.” This effort aims to affect change in the areas of harm reduction, substance use and stigma.

Our approach was informed by interviews and focus groups with diverse people who use drugs, their families and friends, as well as subject experts. The concepts were tested and refined to secure cultural competency and relevancy and to avoid contributing to the stigma. The initiative garnered more than 2.7 billion impressions and 1,000+ news stories.

Are there any upcoming projects or initiatives that you’re particularly excited about?

Griepentrog: I’m excited about the launch of the Climate Resilience Insights and Survey Project (CRISP)—a partnership between Fors Marsh and the Center for Climate Change Communication, George Mason University (Mason 4C) to produce highly localized insights, gathered on an ongoing basis, into public perceptions, beliefs and behaviors related to climate risk and resilience. You can stay in touch with the project here.

Sarmiento: We are currently producing a national food safety campaign with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to educate diverse audiences about the risk of foodborne illness. The concept is called “Kitchen Drama.” It capitalizes on the kitchen as a social space—an epicenter of emotions. Videos and accompanying social media content leverage TV tropes to teach food safety in culturally relevant, over-the-top interactions. It promises to be entertaining and very educational.

The post Fors Marsh on Its Acquisition of Brunet-García, Renovated Vision and Latest Projects first appeared on Muse by Clios.

Ian McCulloch of Echo & the Bunnymen is one of my favorite singers. I got a rare chance to see him and the band in Chicago recently. I bought my ticket months in advance and got to the venue early, ready for a great show. But as the band began to play, it was clear Ian was suffering from a raw throat. He struggled during the early numbers, then left the stage after 45 minutes. 

Not knowing if he was coming back and thinking of all the time, expense and anticipation I’d invested in the show, I started feeling disappointed. But then he suddenly came back onstage and broke into another song. He was soldiering on, driving the audience wild, and giving us all he had! His voice weakened toward the end of the show, but rather than getting irritated, the crowd hit the high notes for him. In the end, it was a glorious and memorable night.

This musical experience reminded me of something that is easy to forget—the value of trust. The positives seem obvious enough since it’s easier to buy into trusted brands. 

But a reservoir of goodwill can also help see a brand through stormy weather, be it a PR crisis, social media mishap or product recall. Here’s how:

1. Customers come to your defense: Trust can give brands the space they need to recover.
2. Media is more sympathetic: Trust can lead to a more positive framing of the bad news.
3. The investment community stays confident: Trust can help keep things less volatile by lowering the odds that investors will “sell the news.”

Earning Trust with Consistency

Building trust is an investment. Brands like Hermes, renowned for their dedication to the finest details of design, and FedEx, innovators of overnight delivery, earned it with smart choices over many years. In pharmaceutical marketing, with shorter competitive windows, time is not on our side. However, the road to trust can be found via a simple and insightful rubric from Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton: Set an expectation, meet or exceed it, do that consistently. 

Show Sincerity

Our work in the oncology sector highlights the power of building trust as a strategic and operational imperative. A client with a reputation as a generic products manufacturer with competitive pricing was looking for growth in the face of a far more prominent and respected competitor. The cancer community was increasingly demanding more from their providers. To elevate the client’s position, we launched a branding campaign aligned with their vision to transform cancer care, focusing on the message that every patient is seen as a person first. This approach provided a more intimate, personal portrayal, a stark contrast to the anthemic and company-centric approach of the category leader.

To make this expectation a tangible reality, the client took proactive steps to enhance their operations, including improving patient and healthcare provider support programs. These efforts, along with other marketing and internal initiatives, resulted in a 25 percent increase in oncology sales and a noticeable improvement in the client’s reputation. When it comes to earning trustworthiness, it all comes down to what you say AND what you do. 

Small Gestures Pay Off

With all that scientists and marketers need to address, the idea of building trust can sometimes seem like a luxury we cannot afford. As with most things in life, however, even small gestures can pay big dividends down the road. So always look for opportunities to give your “trust tree” stronger roots. Like Echo & the Bunnymen, you just might build a loyal fan base that gives you the benefit of the doubt when things don’t go as planned.

The post How a Rock Concert Highlighted the Value of Trust first appeared on Muse by Clios.

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21 Grams wants clients to know that there’s deep meaning behind all of the style it has built in recent times to conduct business. As the agency celebrates six years in 2024, it wanted to bring back the entrepreneurial energy it was founded on. In March, it launched six “houses” with each one offering something different to clients, though all are built on the same premise: to make the companies it works with have a sense of, well, home. 

Part of this move is due to the high growth 21 Grams experienced, rising from 40 in 2018 to roughly 400 in 2021 after it was acquired by Real Chemistry in 2020. But there are other critical reasons to create these six separate houses. Frank Mazzola, founder, says the intentions for the overall agency is to make its mark on the industry by demonstrating how it’s operating differently such that others can follow suit. 

“We want to be the most influential healthcare agency,” he says. “In ten years, we want people to look back and see the legacy of what we did to change the industry.”

Kat Piscatelli, agency group president, emphasizes the support it created internally: “This structure moves to ensure that our next generation of leaders have that baton pass to them,” she says.

Mazzola and Piscatelli now serve as cross-functional co-leads.

Moreover, the new structure gives more ownership to its ad execs.

“It’s the idea that if you have smaller parts of the organization, you allow people to almost run it like an agency within an agency,” says Mazzola. “It provides the scope to be more creative, to have a better relationship with the client, and to do things in a more efficient way. And really drive the ability to build a sort of a subculture within 21 Grams. It’s been an exciting process for us.”

Mazzola acknowledges that health advertising is not where it should be—and this is a key driver in creating its six-house structure. He points to the lackluster given to the space “because it’s medicine” while brands like the big sneaker, fast food and snack brands can deliver those memorable experiences.

“Our point of view is that our clients deserve it more, because the information is vital, and if they miss those things, they’re missing something that can affect their lives,” says Mazzola.

The six houses are restaurant-themed: Our House, Mirebelle’s —with ‘rebel’ at its core, The Bar, Duck & Waffle, The Diner and Zero. 

“Each has its own identity and hospitality, based on the ‘restaurant’ a client wants to enter,” explains Piscatelli.

The six represent ideals within advertising like being unafraid to fail when it comes to the creative and working under the notion that anything is possible.

Mazzola notes that the inspiration for the restaurant style came from a discussion at Cannes Lions a year ago which boils down to this: foreigners dining at a New York hot spot were lamenting that the only thing they didn’t get to enjoy was a dirty water hot dog. The general manager ran out, got one and dressed it up to look like gourmet food. The point? Offering up something no one else was doing. And the differentiator was the hospitality–not the food.

“So we adopted that as something that we think about as an agency of ‘how do you make people feel like they’re cared for?’ ‘How do you surprise them?’ ‘How do you be more thoughtful than they would think you would be?’,” says Mazzola. “That became a big part of how we do things.”

Piscatelli highlights that the houses share account leadership, project management leadership, strategic leadership, medical strategy leadership, creative leadership, “so that when they’re making decisions, they’re thinking about them from a cross-functional perspective. It’s important that we are not account-led, creative-led or led by any particular department. We are all in this together,” she says.

It’s a point of pride that 21 Grams attracted Harold Einstein, known for directing Super Bowl commercials, to work with The Bar to create a humorous and informative spot on bunions. Mazzola points out that Einstein was vocal that he would never work in healthcare advertising, saw the script—and the rest lives in ad land.

This is the crux of 21 Grams’ structural motivation. 

“People love ideas, and they love to be entertained, and if they’re going to be interrupted, you better reward them with something that feels at least a little bit valuable,” Mazzola says.

The post How 21 Grams is Building Its Own House(s) of Style first appeared on Muse by Clios.

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