Group Health Salutes DDB Staff

Group Health Cooperative made a concerted effort to get to know the people behind the PowerPoint presentations when searching for an agency to handle its estimated $2 million account.

“Ad agencies are very good at selling things and selling themselves,” said Sharon Thomson, executive director of marketing communications and advertising at Group Health. However, the company wanted to find out “who the wizards were behind the curtain,” Thomson said.

During its two-month review, the Seattle-based nonprofit managed healthcare group conducted individual interviews with the creative directors, strategic planners, agency heads, account managers and media buyers at each of the 10 Pacific Northwest agencies that pitched the business.