Adweek’s AgencySpy recently picked up the news surrounding Michele Hart-Henry’s appointment to Managing Director of CP Health. As mentioned in the coverage, Hart-Henry will lead the practice into its next phase of growth, shaping the strategic direction of the firm and expanding its opportunities for brands across health and wellness.

Check out the full article here. 

Congratulations to CP Dublin and ZOO Digital, as they have received 16 nominations in this year’s Digital Media Awards, including Best Agency. These awards are the most prestigious digital awards in Ireland and celebrate creativity and innovation across a wide range of areas, including social networking, app development, marketing and advertising, and more. Here’s a look into the categories and some of the work we’ve been nominated for. 

The Abbey Theatre / ZOO (Best Collaborative Campaign, Best Use of Video, Best Creative)

The Abbey Theatre is the national theater of Ireland and this campaign centered around transforming their digital business. The first deliverable of the transformation was the redesign and development of the abbeytheatre.ie website. With the primary objective to sell more tickets online, the team at ZOO focused on key areas of the site to amplify simplification and focus, speed, deep content, and digital-first marketing. The site navigation was flattened down to the bare minimum, resulting in improved site speed, with the focus of selling tickets. Since the launch of the new site, ticket sales have increased exponentially. And, did we mention how great the site looks?

Give Better A Try / CP Dublin (Best Strategy, Best Creative, Best in Financial Services)

Irish insurance company, 123.ie, was celebrating 20 years in business and wanted to disrupt the category loathed by consumers. The campaign was built around the human insight that people appreciate effort over results. We want to know people are trying their best at all times. Actor John Michael Higgins, with his dry humor and wit, was brought in to portray the fictional CEO of 123.ie. He and the company strive for better in some of the most unlikely of ways – like giving away a free pony with every policy! But it turns out, the world wasn’t ready for that idea… There are also some fun surprises for customers as the campaign brings back the original 123.ie jingle, with a twist.

MyExpressway / CP Dublin (Best Use of Video, Best Social Media Campaign)

The MyExpressway campaign promotes Expressway’s introduction of new ticketing technology which is the company’s biggest investment in a decade. These improvements will further enhance the customer experience, providing guaranteed seat reservations for all customers including those with travel passes, mobile ticketing and contact-free payments on board with Android and Apple Pay. The campaign uses comedian Darren Conway as an Expressway brand ambassador of sorts, showing his passion for the new improvements in all five videos in different humorous situations.

Jellyfish / CP Dublin (Best Creative)

During the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, this eye-opening campaign was created to bring awareness to the negative impact that discarded masks can have on our environment if they are not disposed of properly. A disposable mask takes 450 years to decompose in the ocean. Which means the masks designed to protect us are ironically killing the life engine we all depend on. Mattress Firm and sleep.com wanted to remind everyone to protect the ocean and dispose of masks properly. That will help us all sleep better.

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Integrated Agency Brings Its ‘Defiantly Human’ Approach to Healthcare Marketing

Independent agency Connelly Partners (CP) has hired Michele Hart-Henry as Managing Director of its Connelly Partners Health (CP Health) practice. Building off of the agency’s work in healthcare over the past two decades, CP Health launched in 2021 as a dedicated practice and part of the agency’s integrated offering. After early wins and work for clients like Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, FluidEdge, and the Public Health Institute’s Tracing Health COVID tracing initiative, Michele joins the team to lead the practice into its next phase of growth. Tapping into her expertise across healthcare delivery, health technology, ancillary health products and services, and health insurance, Michele will reshape CP Health’s strategic direction and expand opportunities for brands across the health and wellness spectrum, as well as internationally. 

“Based on all that COVID has wreaked around the world and in the marketplace, we are at the right time to bring Connelly Partners’ Defiantly Human approach to healthcare – to protect the the voice of the consumer and build relationships among brands and their audiences around shared values,” said Michele Hart-Henry. “Our goal is to engender good health by connecting people to what they need to ensure that their health isn’t a limitation, but rather, an asset.” 

Before joining CP Health, Michele was Director of JPL Health, creating its first-ever health care vertical for the mid-size independent agency with offices across the Northeast. In addition, Michele led Nashville-based Decode Health through a repositioning as it turned its AI and machine learning capabilities from chronic disease management to also predicting the risk of COVID-19 spread.  She also helped grow employer-sponsored onsite healthcare provider, CHD Meridian Healthcare, into a unique care delivery powerhouse. That company was eventually acquired by Walgreens. She has also held positions across Blue Cross and Blue Shield; Wilmington Trust Company (financial services); Ameritox (specialty lab services); Lingraphica (assistive technology, apps, software and tele-speech therapy); Blood Bank of Delmarva (blood products and testing services); and a long-term consulting role with Healthstat (onsite healthcare provider). 

“2022 was a great first year for formalizing our health practice and bringing all of our health, Pharma, and wellness experience together into one dedicated unit. CP Health grew to being ranked as one of the 100 top health agencies to watch in the country this year,” said Steve Connelly, president and copywriter, Connelly Partners. “Michele has the requisite energy, experience and vision to take CP Health to the next level and we are over the moon excited to have her join us.”

As the practice has grown, so too has the team. Mary McMahon, based out of CP’s European hub in Dublin, Ireland, has been named Group Strategy Director for the Connelly Partners global network. While she remains part of the Dublin leadership team overseeing strategy projects, Mary will also be leading strategy for CP Health, which will be soon expanding into Europe. 

CP Health provides a fully integrated healthcare marketing capability to holistically develop and measure strategy and creativity through implementation, optimizing campaigns with efficiency and effectiveness. With offices in Boston, Dublin and Vancouver, the agency provides global perspective and integration, while delivering local expertise based on clients’ needs.

“Nothing is more defiantly human than our need to be seen, heard and respected as individuals with unique care needs and unique life  goals,” Hart-Henry said. “We exist to facilitate connections among people and the products, services, providers and therapies they need to achieve those life goals. Connelly Partners, more than any agency I’ve known or worked with, understands that good health starts with recognizing the value of all of those in the vast healthcare ecosystem.”

Michele joining CP closes the loop on a relationship she started with the agency more than a decade ago when she selected the firm in a national search for a new agency for her then-employer, an international financial services organization.

Recent pop culture has tended to revere more glamorous influencers in the beauty and travel sphere. But as of last year, the rise of finance-focused ‘finfluencers’ is helping people demystify money advice in easy-to-digest, punchy messages. And traditional financial institutions like banks are beginning to take note. In an interview with IMAGE, Director of Public Relations & Social Media, Alyssa Stevens, weighs in on how money talks in the digital age.

Read more in IMAGE here

Want to learn more about our influencer marketing capabilities at Connelly Partners? Click here.

CP’s Director of PR and Social Media, Alyssa Stevens, appeared in a segment of “Taking Care of Business” on Ireland’s Midlands 103 radio. During the show, hosted by Ronan Berry, Alyssa was called upon to share her expertise on influencer marketing, specifically in the financial space. Finfluencers, as they’ve come to be called, have gone viral among Gen Z’ers on social media platforms, specifically TikTok.

Young people have turned to social media due to their lack of trust in traditional mediums, coupled with their lack of education in the financial space. Here, they receive peer-to-peer guidance and advice on how to invest their money from influencers. Alyssa explains that when selecting influencer partners to work with, it’s important that financial institutions (and agencies like CP) pick content creators who are authentic and relatable and produce easy to digest content for their followers. By doing so, these institutions can take advantage of the major opportunities, such as awareness and reach, that these influencers bring. 

Listen to the full interview:

Want to learn more about our influencer marketing capabilities at Connelly Partners? Click here.

CP’s Director of MKR Studio, Barry Frechette, has a passion for storytelling through film. A screening of his piece, Paper Lanterns, was recently co-hosted by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs and the Government of Japan. The documentary follows Shigeaki Mori, a survivor of the atomic bombing at Hiroshima, as he searches for and connects with the familes of the American POWs who lost their lives during this bombing. 

It is a moving story about reconciliation and friendship between former enemies, whose lives were forever changed by the disaster. Frechette stresses that regardless of who we are or where we come from, we all can make a difference in the world. It is the smallest of steps that lead to peace. 

Read more about the film here.

Eoin Welsh has been appointed as creative director of Connelly Partners Dublin.

Born in Dublin, he has worked in South Africa for the last 30 years for advertising agencies such as Oglivy, TBWA and Havas Worldwide where he was the agency’s chief creative officer.

A recipient of a Cannes Lion, Loerie and AMASA Media awards, Welsh  also served on a number of international juries including Cannes Lions and The New York Festivals.

Read more in Adworld here.

Eoin Welsh has been appointed creative director of independent creative agency Connelly Partners Dublin. He is part of the Boston-based group’s global creative team, led by chief creative officer Alyssa Toro. A native of Dublin, Welsh has worked in South Africa for the last 30 years at Ogilvy, TBWA and Havas Worldwide where he was chief creative officer.

Read more in marketing.ie here.

We’re thrilled to welcome Eoin Welsh as Creative Director of Connelly Partners Dublin. He will drive the agency’s ongoing vision of becoming one of Dublin’s most highly-regarded creative agencies, with particular focus on work inspired by genuine human insights. Eoin is part of the Global Creative Opportunity Team, led by Chief Creative Officer Alyssa Toro, to support global integration and creative ideation for clients across offices.

Born in Dublin, Eoin has worked in South Africa for the last 30 years for advertising agencies such as Ogilvy, TBWA and Havas Worldwide where he was their Chief Creative Officer. A recipient of Cannes Lions, Loerie and AMASA Media awards, Eoin has also served on a number of international juries including Cannes Lions and The New York Festivals.

Speaking on the appointment, Steve Connelly commented: “Eoin is a rockstar hire for us. It’s not just his creative work and credentials which are impressive, he totally embraces our ‘Defiantly Human’ approach and ego-free culture. He’s all about creating empathy over entertainment, and building deep lasting connections for his clients with their customers. We did a global search and found one of the very best in the world. Eoin will be an amazing asset and resource for our clients in Dublin, Boston, and around the world. I am excited to work with him.” 

Eoin Welsh added: “It’s great to join the team here at Connelly Partners. The ad industry in Ireland is buzzing and energised and the chance to become part of it proved irresistible. Connelly Partners’ “Defiantly Human” ethos was also a major drawcard. Regardless of all the latest industry developments, we should never lose sight of the fact that we are people talking to people. People feel – that’s what defines us. So we use everything at our disposal to help us master the art of making people think and feel.”

Eoin’s announcement reinforces Connelly Partners’ integration between global offices. As part of this work, Vaunnie McDermott has taken on the role of Managing Director in Dublin, while Mary McMahon and Ronan Doyle have taken on roles for the Connelly Partners global network as Group Strategy Director and Global Art Director, respectively.  

Connelly Partners has also recently joined forces with the award-winning digital agency, ZOO Digital which together won the recent pitch for The V Foundation for Cancer Research, one of the leading cancer foundations in America. 

In the coming months, we will be further enhancing our offering to the Irish market by launching a more enhanced media and analytics offering to clients and will be expanding CP Health to Dublin.

Coverage of CP’s Abroad Program was featured in the Boston Business Journal article covering unique employee perks. In the piece, our own Dana Wantman, senior partner, chief client and integration officer, explains the program and the opportunities to recruit and retain the best talent while also giving CPers a diverse perspective. Read the full article here.