It’s never too late for a great ad campaign to have its day in the sun. Healthcare specialist AbelsonTaylor’s “Lifeline” campaign that bowed in 2005 and introduced a life-extending oncology drug, was accepted into the 2016 Medical Advertising Hall of Fame.
AbelsonTaylor SVP/ECD Stephen Neale accepted the crystal trophy on behalf of the agency Feb. 11 at a ceremony held at the Pierre Hotel in New York.
“Lifeline” introduced Tarceva (erlotinib), a new type of targeted oncology drug that extended the lives of cancer patients. Today, Tarceva is a billion-dollar blockbuster drug.
“Prior to this drug, cancer patients suffering from a certain type of lung cancer had very limited treatment options,” says Neale.
“The drug was a game changer because it was able to extend survival in patients who had relapsed. Our ad campaign emphasized to oncologists the promise that it offered patients simply and powerfully.”
The campaign was also memorable with oncologists. At the time, they voted it their favorite campaign for two years in a row.
The creative team who brought “Lifeline” to life includes Noah Lowenthal, VP/creative director, and Andy McAfee, creative director. VP/account directors Nadine Fabish and Allan Mills were the account team.
Lowenthal joined AbelsonTaylor in 2000 as a digital art director and rose through the ranks quickly. His teams have received many national and global creative awards, including CLIO Healthcare, Mannys, MM&M, In-Awe, Global, Doctors’ Choice, DTC National, WWW Health, and Rx Club.
Andy McAfee was a senior copywriter when he joined AbelsonTaylor in 2003 after working for several years at consumer agencies. Under his guidance, McAfee’s teams have winners of Mannys, Rx Club, MM&M, DTC National, PharmaChoice and Davey awards.
The Medical was established in 1996 to preserve the history of healthcare advertising and today it’s one of the industry’s most respected awards. It honors the retired men and women who have made significant contributions to medical advertising, as well as recognizing creative that changed the industry through the Heritage Award.
