Publicis buys Chinese med comms firm
pharmafile | February 22, 2012 | News story | Medical Communications | Publicis Life Brands Watermelon, UBS, publicis
Publicis has acquired Chinese healthcare communications firm U-Link Business Solutions (UBS), adding to its portfolio in Asia.
UBS will become part of Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG) and will be renamed UBS Saatchi & Saatchi Health.
Founded in 1997, UBS employs approximately 170 people at its Shanghai headquarters and Beijing office. The agency uses a multidisciplinary team and market intelligence to offer PR, events management, medical association relationships and brand management to its clients, which include Abbott, GenSci Pharmaceuticals, Johnson & Johnson, Novartis, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Roche, Wyeth and Xian-Janssen.
“The Chinese healthcare market is one of the fastest growing in the world” declared Nick Colucci, chief executive and president of PHCG: “Adding UBS to our portfolio brings the Saatchi & Saatchi Health flagship brand to China, and will make PHCG one of the largest healthcare communications groups in the region.”
UBS is a full-service agency specialising in pharmaceutical PR, marketing and events management. Its offices in Shanghai and Beijing offer brand management and marketing, creative design, medical association relationship-building and CME programme development. The company was founded in 1997 and is based out of Shanghai.
Frank Xu is co-founder and chief executive of UBS and will remain at the helm, taking the title of managing director and reporting directly to Ash Kuchel, president of PHCG Asia Pacific region. Xu said: “We are excited to be joining the world’s leading healthcare network at such a pivotal time in China. Combining our expertise with the resources of PHCG will benefit our clients.”
Other recent acquisitions in the region include Beijing Dreams Advertising, Beijing Dreams Zhiyang Communication (May 2011) and the India-based Watermelon agency (March 2011). PHCG counts now 220 employees in Greater China and is present through its agencies Publicis Life Brands Dreams, Publicis Life Brands China, and now UBS Saatchi & Saatchi Health.
The move is the just the latest in a string of acquisitions in China for Publicis that includes Wangfan and Gomye (November 2011), Genedigi (June 2011), Dreams (May 2011), Interactive Communications Ltd (February 2011) and Eastwei Relations (November 2010). It is in line with Publicis Groupe’s strategy to increase its presence in fast growing markets, with China at its core and where Publicis has set an objective to double its size.
Jean-Yves Naouri, Publicis Groupe chief operating officer and chairman of China Publicis Groupe added: “Addressing the large and fast growing healthcare market in China is essential to our global clients and therefore one of our strategic priorities. I am particularly pleased with the acquisition of UBS, an outstanding agency that will further enhance PHCG’s offering in China and in Asia. We maintain our course and we’re on-target to achieve our objectives in China.”
PHCG is the largest health-orientated agency network in the world. A division of Publicis Group, PHCG agencies provide services in advertising, medical education, sales and marketing, digital, market access, and medical and scientific affairs.
The division has 3,000 employees, and manages 14 agency brands through 53 offices located in 11 countries. PHCG’s global brands are Saatchi & Saatchi Health, Publicis Life Brands, Publicis Healthware International, Digitas Health, Razorfish Health, Publicis Touchpoint Communications, and Publics Medical Education Group, as well as regional brands.
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