Real Chemistry

Founded a little more than two decades ago as WeissComm, a biotech-focused healthcare specialist, the firm was renamed W2OGroup in 2010, by which time it had established itself as an integrated healthcare communications agency with multiple acquisitions spanning advertising, digital, data and analytics and more—a unique blend that put it on the leading edge of technology. Early in 2021, there was another evolution, to the Real Chemistry brand, with an attendant focus on “the real chemistry between people and the brands born to change their lives.” Today, Real Chemistry is one of the five largest PR agencies in the world and while the US operation constitutes the bulk of its revenue, its UK (and European) presence is growing.

Not surprisingly, the growth story has been the dominant narrative around Real Chemistry but the firm’s proliferation of non-traditional services also serving to set it apart from the competition. The agency has had an office in London since 2010 (it added Zurich in 2017 and Brussels and Munich more recently) and the UK is by some measure the largest office outside of North America. It grew even larger in 2024 when—despite some softness in the pharma sector globally—it worked with 30% of the top 50 blockbuster life science brands; supported 25 new drug approvals; won 10 competitive pitches; and ended the year up by about 20% and with EMEA fee income just shy of $50 million.

Real Chemistry’s 360-degree model is what sets it apart, with units devoted to integrated communications (still the largest segment of its business), advertising, activation, and medical communications supported by what might just be the PR industry’s most robust data and analytics capability. That unusual structure is reflected in the UK management ream, which includes presidents Lucie Harper and Mike Nelson; head of earned media Christopher Silverwood; and head of advocacy Abi Drabble.

The past couple of years have seen Real Chemistry’s already-impressive data capabilities supplemented by new AI tools, enabling the firm to dive deeper into the online conversations that matter to patients, physicians and policy makers, predicting likely outcomes and measuring effectiveness. It is reflected in work such as building a digital profiling sample of 4,500 CSU patients across nine markets to identify defining features of the audience and then developing a clear, insightful, actionable segmentation solution for the engagement of four patient profiles. In another instance, AI mapped the conversational landscape to define themes, trends, leaders, and opportunities, highlighting best practice and thought leadership opportunities. And when the first animal-to-human transmissions of bird flu happened, the firm leveraged its AI-enabled newsroom to conduct media analysis, ensuring misinformation was addressed the instant it was posted to prevent wider dissemination.—PH