AbelsonTaylor Receives 2nd MAHF Honor

One year after receiving a Medical Advertising Hall of Fame (MAHF) award for a groundbreaking creative campaign that changed medical advertising forever, Chicago agency AbelsonTaylor is honored again. The agency accepted the MAHF Heritage Award last night at the Pierre Hotel in New York City.

This year’s honored ad campaign, “Lifelines” (2005), launched Tarceva (erlotinib), a new type of targeted oncology drug that extended the lives of cancer patients. Today, Tarceva is a billion-dollar blockbuster drug that is co-marketed by Genentech, Astellas Oncology and OSI Pharmaceuticals, LLC.  Click here to view

The creative team who brought “Lifelines” to life includes Noah Lowenthal, VP and creative director, and Andy McAfee, creative director.

“Prior to this drug, cancer patients suffering from a certain type of lung cancer had very limited treatment options,” said Stephen Neale, SVP and executive creative director for AbelsonTaylor. “The drug was a game changer because it was able to extend survival in patients who had relapsed. Our ad campaign emphasized to oncologists the promise that it offered patients simply and powerfully.” 

The campaign was also memorable with oncologists and, at the time, was voted by them as their favorite campaign for two years in a row.

Lowenthal joined AbelsonTaylor in 2000 as a digital art director and rose through the ranks quickly. Under his creative leadership, Lowenthal’s teams have received many national and global creative awards, including CLIO Healthcare, Mannys, MM&M, In-Awe, Global, Doctors’ Choice, DTC National, WWW Health, and Rx Club.

Andy McAfee joined AbelsonTaylor in 2003 as senior copy writer after working for several years at consumer agencies. McAfee’s approach to creative content has bolstered the agency’s creative wins in consumer health. Under his guidance, McAfee’s teams have won Mannys, Rx Club, MM&M, DTC National, PharmaChoice and Davey awards. 

The MAHF was established in 1996 to preserve the history of healthcare advertising. Today, the organization is one of the most respected in the industry, honoring the retired men and women who have made significant contributions to medical advertising, as well as recognizing creative that changed the industry through the Heritage Award.