DDB Remedy launches specialist digital unit in Australia

John Bertolini, DDB Remedy managing director, said the move is a direct response to the volume of digital work DDB Remedy is currently producing within the healthcare sector. 

"I've been MD for over 10 years, set up the business, and in the past it was very much about traditional marketing," Bertolini told Campaign Asia-Pacific. "And I must say, in the last six months, I've never seen an industry move so quickly and so rapidly."

Digital revenue has gone from 10 per cent of the business a year ago to about 30 per cent today, he said, adding that he sees no real ceiling on that number.

Like the doctors they want to reach, pharmaceutical companies are racing to adopt iPads and other devices for one-to-one sales calls and other forms of marketing. "In the past we would have developed paper-based brochures that sales reps would take out," Bertolini said. "Now we develop an iPad platform that can link through to things like commentary from specialists and guidelines for usage. It becomes a much more complete sales tool in the hands of a rep." 

The agency has also developed apps that integrate augmented reality for trade-show demonstrations, he added.

To lead this unit is Thurborn, who has worked with a host of major pharmaceutical companies including Boehringer, Ingelheim, Lilly, MSD and Bayer. Bertolini called Thurborn a skillful leader with very strong digital credentials. 

The DDB Remedy digital unit will work with DDB's digital agency, Tribal DDB, to bring an international network of digital specialists to bear for clients in the healthcare sector in Australia, the company said.

"We will be utilising Tribal from a back-end perspectice," Bertolini said. "We'll be the programme managers, the creative side. And we'll utilise Tribal from more of a production perspective."