WPP announced yesterday that they have agreed to acquire Element Marketing Group (EMG) on behalf of Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide (OCHWW). EMG is a leading market access agency in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries and will rebranded as Ogilvy CommonHealth Market Access and will be based in Newton, Connecticut, with a satellite office in Irvine, California. The new company will, according to a press release issued by WPP, “Help clients maximise the reimbursement and market share of their brands through smart, focused access solutions that span strategy development, market research, marketing programs and digital solutions.” The acquisition also means that OCHWW will have access to EMG's proprietary digital reimbursement tool, which is designed to run on a sales representative's tablet, in parallel with brand sales aids.
The acquisition also means that OCHWW will have access to EMG's proprietary digital reimbursement tool
The agency will be led by Michael Navin, the former CEO of EMG, who will be reporting to OCHWW CEO Matt Giegerich. According to Giegerich, “OCHWW is all about leadership in the fields of health, healthcare, and wellness communications,” and he believes that “This acquisition was an ideal fit, because EMG had the right expertise and a suite of digital pull-through tools,” which proved a perfect complement to their “Existing client relationships and offerings in the payer arena.” Navin adds that one of his initial goals for EMG, as a smaller firm, was to bring their proprietary solutions to a wider client base. He said “OCHWW provided the best opportunity to do that, through both its presence in the pharmaceutical marketplace and the agency's attachment to Ogilvy and to WPP.” He praises the “Depth and breadth of these two companies,” and says it was their shares operating philosophies that helped them make the decision to join the network.
According to Matt Giegerich, “OCHWW is all about leadership in the fields of health, healthcare, and wellness communications.”
The agency will also be reporting to OCHWW managing partner Shaun Urban, who will help ensure integration with the organisation's existing agencies. Urban said that “In addition to furthering,” their leadership position in the sector, Ogilvy CommonHealth Market Access will lend them “The ability to equip clients and sales representatives like never before with up-to-the-moment local cost and reimbursement information for their brands, helping doctors to make better-informed decisions for their patients.”
The deal was aided by M&A advisory firm AdMedia Partners
This latest acquisition marks the latest in a series for WPP, who have recently been investing in both developed and emerging markets across the world. EMG, which was founded in 2007, generated $8.3 million in revenue last year and had gross assets of $2.4 million as of August 31, this year. The deal was aided by M&A advisory firm AdMedia Partners, whose managing director Seth Alpert, said “EMG’s unique pull-through tools provide important differentiation for OCHWW, and the two companies are a great cultural fit.”
Official Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide Website
Official Element Marketing Group Website
Official AdMedia Partners Website
Benjamin Hiorns is a freelance writer and musician from Kidderminster in the UK. There is nothing even remotely common about his health.
