IPSEN

Showing the human side of pharma deal making.

Pharmaceutical companies are partnering with smaller-scale biopharmaceutical companies as a source for innovative therapeutics. It’s an intensely competitive space. During the deal discussions, the small companies can feel overwhelmed by a large partner’s scale and frustrated about their slow, often impersonal culture. Ipsen takes a different approach. Their lean deal-making team has direct access to Ipsen’s top scientists and management—their process is designed for agile decision making. And they provide a level of personal engagement where it’s easy to build trust. So when the Ipsen Group asked us to renew their partnering message, we developed a strategy that focused on this team itself—a person-to-person approach. The messages are centered on the team in everyday active mode—so if you were to you meet them, you might almost feel like you already know them. While the requisite messages about Ipsen’s global capabilities, financial stability and past successes are still there, the emphasis is on Ipsen’s people and culture. And their passionate drive to find the next idea that will save more lives.