“Be a department of one”

It's challenging enough for a brand to survive in today's market, let alone thrive, given the ever-increasing volume of available data, the seemingly constant introduction of new competitors, and the ever-evolving nature of acceptable care practices. Brandscapers are experts at breaking through the clutter to promote your company's brands. At “Biophilia Partners,” according to Marvin Bowe, Co-Founder & Managing Director, they set out to disrupt the traditional advertising model by offering their clients the best marketing services, at the utmost convenience, and for the lowest possible cost. Marvin says, "Our goal is to have a true partnership" with life-sciences marketers to develop and cultivate ideas that will help their brands grow.

Being an Ad Guy has been my life, not too often can one say they are doing exactly what they set out to do with their career. From the beginning, I have made it my mission to understand every aspect of pharmaceutical advertising—from product launches to life cycle management, from creative development to strategic services.

Marvin strives to be a servant leader who focuses on helping his teams succeed. He was blessed to have played every role in advertising over his 25-year career, so now he can say that he has walked a mile in many people’s shoes professionally. As a result, he is very comfortable pinch-hitting and lending a hand to the various departments. Motivated to be a role model, he often becomes a safety net and encourages his teams to stretch their wings and try new things.

For Marvin, the vision for their culture is familia! Biophilia fosters an environment where staff treats each other like family. This means respecting one another; being courteous; lending a hand when needed. Their vision feeds their mission. “We think that if we create an environment where people are free to think and solve problems without being told what to do, they will do their best... for less,” he says.

Since they are an independent agency, Biophilia typically hires seasoned staff to exhibit strengths in their field, a unique differentiator for the company. Many advertising agencies recruit less experienced workers to boost corporate profit margins. They use an "up and out," management strategy. But not Biophilia. That’s not to say their agency is exclusively senior-level staff. "When we employ someone from outside the industry for example, a PhD from academia, we partner them with a seasoned veteran to ensure they understand industry regulations, guidelines, and other industry nuances,” Marvin explains. “Hands-on leadership is important for us,” he says. Biophilia has no "ivory towers,"—everyone within the agency contributes. This enables Biophilia to be agile and manage higher salaries.

Marvin adds that their most valuable offering to clients is problem solving, so each of the employees is not only wired to think this way, but they are also encouraged to seek out those opportunities when speaking with their respective clients. Within our small group, cumulatively, their staff have over 160 years of marketing and advertising experience in 10 therapeutic areas covering almost 60 different diseases. This experience helps with cross-pollination of ideas and makes their expertise highly competitive, and their clients value that expertise the most. From Marvin’s perspective, the greatest frustration their clients face is when agency partners lack therapeutic knowledge. “It’s hard to move a brand forward when the lack of knowledge of your agency partner is holding you back,” adds Marvin.

The latest technology that has enhanced their business is probably video conferencing. “It seems silly to say,” explains Marvin, “since we have had this technology for almost two decades.” Like many industries, advertising executives previously stayed away from the use of cameras and leaned on in-person meetings or conference calls. COVID has made video much more common, and Marvin agrees that his agency has benefited from using video conferencing while working remotely. Biophilia started as a Center City, Philadelphia, brick-and-mortar agency, but shortly after the COVID pandemic, Biophilia went virtual. Although Marvin still sees value in a physical-agency model, he sees the virtual model being the new norm.

Marvin advises budding entrepreneurs to be prepared to roll up their sleeves and get everything done they have started. “Being entrepreneurial sounds sexy and tends to get romanticized, but the reality is, it’s messy, it’s a lot of trial and error, and most importantly, it’s long hours,” he says. He further emphasizes that having confidence in yourself, believing that you can do when others do not, and most importantly, doing the work, will make you successful! “No longer is there a department for that... it’s you!”