Former McCann Health strategy head Alex McCarthy and Swordfish Media founder Richard Smith launch Swordfish Health agency in Sydney

Former strategy head of McCann Health Australia, Alex McCarthy, together with founder of Swordfish Media, Richard Smith, announce the launch of Swordfish Health in Sydney this week.

Swordfish Health is a new take on the traditional full-service healthcare agency offering, created to provide next generation brand and medical communications.

Says McCarthy: “At Swordfish Health we know that today’s data has the power to transform care. That’s why, I’m excited to be working alongside a team that has, for years, used intelligent data to improve customer and patient experiences.

“For me, it’s about using data to uncover the transformative need in a category – whether it’s a clinical need, a human need or a systemic need – and empowering brands to respond in distinctive ways. And that’s just the beginning; then we must integrate into the marketing cycle a rhythm for measuring the magnitude of the effect, along with agile optimisation of the patient, payer and professional experience.

“Ideas will always engage the imagination and make brand X distinct from brand Y, but it’s the experience that translates emotion into action. If you can perfect both, brands are best positioned to grow long term.”