Publicis makes German digital healthcare acquisition
pharmafile | December 15, 2010 | News story | Medical Communications | Digital District, Publicis Groupe, Publicis Healthware International, healthcare communications agency, medical communications, publicis
The healthcare arm of French communications giant Publicis Groupe has bought a German agency specialising in digital health comms to “expand its digital footprint in the EU”.
Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG) has subsumed Dusseldorf-based Digital District into its global digital division, Publicis Healthware International (PHI).
“With the ever-increasing focus on providing our clients with dynamic digital experiences, the addition of Digital District strengthens our prowess in this sector,” says PHCG Europe president Alain Sarraf.
The German company’s offering includes branding, content management, e-commerce strategies and social media, Web 2.0 and online marketing.
Founded in 2002, its clients have included AstraZeneca, Siemens, Bellicon, Weleda, and Sara Lee. Earlier this year, the agency was awarded top position in the Benchpark Interactive Agency Quality Ranking for the second time.
General manager Aleksandar Stojanovic will now report directly to PHI president Roberto Ascione, who is based at PHI’s HQ in Salerno, Italy.
Stojanovic said becoming part of Publicis means his company can “take our vision to the next level”.
“Our clients demand both deep expertise and a wide range of capabilities to succeed in this rapidly changing environment, and the agency’s ‘full-service’ approach enables us to provide more focused and integrated campaigns,” said PHI president Roberto Ascione.
Buying the company represents a step towards developing a single global brand for digital comms, PHI says. PHI itself recently merged with US-based iMed Studios, another PHCG agency, to build on its US presence.
Publicis is certainly no stranger to the acquisition trail in Europe and North America: in May it bought independent UK healthcare comms agency Resolute Communications and rebranded it Publicis Life Brands Resolute.
And in June PHCG took over Toronto-based healthcare market research company In-Sync, which specialises in providing services to biopharma companies worldwide.
PHCG has more than 3,000 employees, with 20 agency brands in 42 offices across 11 countries.
Adam Hill
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