WCG is a global independent agency offering integrated creative, interactive, and marketing communications services to clients in healthcare, consumer products, entertainment

Entertainment

Entertainment consists of any activity which provides a diversion or permits people to amuse themselves in their leisure time. Entertainment is generally passive, such as watching opera or a movie. Active forms of amusement, such as sports, are more often considered to be recreation...

, and technology. Established in 2001 by Jim Weiss, the agency has over 230 employees serving clients from offices in San Francisco, New York City

New York City

New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...

, Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

, Austin

Austin, Texas

Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...

 and Los Angeles

Los Ángeles

Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...

. The company also has a U.K.

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 office in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

..

Foundation and expansion

Founded by Jim Weiss in 2001, WCG began as a healthcare public relations firm based in San Francisco, servicing biotechnology, specialty Pharma and device companies primarily on the West Coast. To meet the growing, integrated communications needs of clients, the company acquired ODA, a creative services agency, and CommonSense Media Group, a social media consultancy founded by Bob Pearson, who joined from Dell

Dell

Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...

where he was vice president of communities and conversations. WeissComm Partners, ODA and Common Sense Media Group then integrated at the end of 2009 to form WCG, a global communications company focused on creating the positive future of communications.

WCG specializes in branding, design, digital, interactive, social and traditional marketing, corporate and product PR, media, investor and advocacy relations, clinical trial recruitment, corporate and product communications marketing, location based marketing, and grassroots direct-to-patient communications campaigns.

WCG opened its first office in San Francisco in 2001, as their client base expanded they opened offices in New York (2004), Chicago (2007), D.C., London (2008), Austin (2009) and an office in Los Angeles (2011). WCG grew revenue by 37 percent to $37 million in 2010, and is on track to achieve close to $48,000,000 in total revenue in 2011.WCG has hired over 70 new staff since January 2011, 25 of whom provide creative and interactive services to its clients.

Employees

The company's leadership includes:

• Chairman & CEO Jim Weiss
• Chief Client Officer, Healthcare Diane Weiser
• Chief Financial Officer Tony Esposito
• Chief Technology & Media Officer Bob Pearson
• Chief People Officer Laurie Torres
• Chief Creative Officer Paulo Simas
• Practice Leader, Global and Acting Practice Leader, Interactive Gail Cohen
• Practice Leader, BioPharma Jennifer Gottlieb
• Practice Leader, Creative Laura Fusco
• Practice Leader, Technology and Analytics Tim Marklein

Publications and mentions of WCG and WCG employees

• “Pre-Commerce: How Companies and Customers Are Transforming Business Together,” by Bob Pearson
• “Location Based Marketing For Dummies,” By Aaron Strout and Mike Schneider
• “Social Media Analytics: Effective Tools for Building, Interpreting, and using Metrics” By Marshall Sponder
• “Pre-Commerce: How Companies and Customers Are Transforming Business … Together” – An exclusive preview of Bob Pearson’s book, “Pre-Commerce,” in The Game Changers, a Troyanos Group Ldt. Publication
• The Role of Social Media in Clinical Trial Recruitment - Byline by Tali Kaplan, featured in Applied Clinical Trials
• What Companies Should Know Before Tweeting - BNN interviews Bob Pearson on what companies need to know before they join the forces of Twitter
• Online Boost For Drug Trials - Social media have an important role to play in the recruitment of patients for clinical trials By Nigel Breakwell
• The Communications Convergence - Biotech Companies Have Set a News Standard for Communications By Jennifer Gottlieb and Jim Weiss featured in Pharmaceutical Executive (PDF)
• WCG's Mark Bennett interviews Ray Kerins of Pfizer on eve of FDA healthcare hearings (video)

Clients of record

• Actelion
• Dendreon
• Galderma
• Genentech
• Genomic Health
• Medtronic
• Onyx Pharmaceuticals
• Pfizer
• Viropharma
• Regeneron
• Vertex

Recognition

• Named 2011 Digital Agency of the Year by The Holmes Report
• Ranked #6 on list of Top Independent PR Firms 2011 by O’Dwyers
• Ranked #7 in PRWeek’s Agency Business Report 2011
• Named Editor's Choice of Who to Watch in 2010 by PRWeek
• Chairman & CEO Jim Weiss named to PRWeek’s Powerlist for 2010
• Ranked #6 in PRWeek’s Agency Business Report Rankings
• Won 2010 North American Agency of the Year in the SABRE Awards
• 2010 Named Midsized Agency of the Year by the Holmes Report

Affiliations and memberships

• Jim Weiss is the Founding Board Member of the CLIO Healthcare Awards
• WCG is a healthcare partner within Public Relations Organisation International (PROI)
• WCG UK is a communications partner for the Stent for Life Initiative (SFL)
• WCG is a member of the Council of PR Firms
• WCG is a member of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA)
• WCG is a member of the Word Of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA)