Gold
Havas Lynx
While this agency has been a force in Europe for some time, 2024 was the year Havas Lynx came to North America. With a promise to deliver “Impact that matters,” it now includes 850 people in New York and Toronto and is intent on proving that scale doesn’t have to blunt agility or creativity.
Growth was fueled 65% by new business, with an extraordinary 86% pitch win rate, earning work from Arrowhead, Novo Nordisk, Eisai, Takeda, Johnson & Johnson and Boston Scientific, among others. It also deepened long-term relationships with Amgen, Merck, Regeneron, Sanofi and Sumitomo Pharma America. The judges praised “strong growth underpinned with great creative,” calling the shop’s work “very strong” and “great on the digital front,” particularly in social media.
Havas Lynx also expanded its capabilities with three transformational practices. Data-Driven Personalization at Scale blended analytics, behavioral science and AI to deliver more relevant engagement. The Rare Disease Center of Excellence integrated advocacy, medical and corporate expertise to elevate breakthrough therapies. Customer Experience Transformation paired medical anthropologists with CX experts to build cultural resonance in brand storytelling.
That storytelling skill delivered creative home runs. The agency earned recognition at Cannes Lions and the Clios, while Shape Shifting, a serialized content series on the cultural and scientific impact of GLP-1 drugs, became the most-watched of its kind on YouTube. Neuroverse, a neurodiversity consultancy developed with Understood.org and Creative Spirit, earned Havas the Corporate Champion for Neurodiversity Award.
Internally, Havas Lynx invested heavily in people, with Lynx University cultivating leaders at every level, and “Lynx in the Wild” community efforts already impacting more than 2,000 New Yorkers. The judges summed it up best: “Havas Lynx showcases exceptional creative work and a highly robust workplace culture.”
Silver
Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick’s health practice has become a leader in modern healthcare communications, growing mid-single digits in 2024 while representing two-thirds of Fortune 500 pharmaceutical companies. The agency’s strength lies in pairing scientific rigor with powerful storytelling, seen in standout campaigns such as Pfizer’s Migraine Blackout and the approval launch of Vertex’s Journavx, a first-in-class non-opioid analgesic. With new wins and innovations in women’s health and AI, it’s not hard to see why pharma loves this agency: It has a 98% client retention rate and an average client relationship of 15.5 years.