In a market saturated with charitable events, we needed to find a fresh and compelling way to activate our industry to support a great cause. The answer: Pharmapalooza—a fully integrated and unique participatory event that calls on the healthcare industry to come together, put business aside, and compete in a new arena—a battle of the bands. The outcome was a night of fun and fundraising to support The Creative Arts Therapy Program at The Children’s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM). By deploying a traditional print campaign alongside a heavy dose of inclusive and promotional social channels, we enticed and engaged pharma agencies and industry professionals. As a result, we succeeded in drawing together one of our largest fundraising events in support of art and music therapy programs for the children at CHAM, while affirming the life-sustaining purpose of our industry.

Our theme “Music is our Medicine” inspired by using bold colors and colorful iconography. Through custom email blasts, a print advertisement in Med Ad News, and the dissemination of branded campaign posters, we reached previous and returning attendees, sponsors, pharma advertising agencies, and clients.

We launched social media tactics (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), and digital initiatives (website, online banners, and a ticketing site), which centered on band and sponsor engagement, and recycled other agency’s hype and sentiments in our own media blasts to further our campaign.

On the night of the event, we decked out the B.B. Kings concert space with our bright and bold campaign. We handed out a 30-page custom program book to attendees, and also had our artists, as well as artists from other agencies, create original posters to auction throughout the event.

Pharmapalooza continues to be one of the most recognized and anticipated fundraising events for the NYC-area healthcare advertising industry. From band member to sponsor, crew, partygoer, or artist contributor, more than 500 people came together for a single night. This year we brought in seven agency bands—all of which were returning participants from large agencies.

The campaign raised nearly $100,000 for CHAM. The proceeds from Pharmapalooza continued to fund a full-time art therapist and help to further art and music therapy program offerings. Because we help lift the financial burden of fundraising, CHAM now has a Family Art Therapy program and Nursing Student Art Group. Creative arts therapy is an integral and essential part of the phenomenal care that CHAM delivers, helping providers and families understand, experience, and incorporate the healing benefits of art and music. We are proud to help this worthy cause.