Ogilvy Healthworld and CommonHealth, two of WPP’s premier healthcare marketing networks, today announced the formation of Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide. The new entity, a combination of Ogilvy Healthworld and CommonHealth, becomes “the single most innovative, resourceful – and largest – healthcare communications network in the world”, with over 1,100 employees in 64 offices across 33 countries.
Matt Giegerich (above), President and CEO of WPP’s CommonHealth, will serve as chairman & CEO of the newly-formed organisation and hold responsibility for continued growth through client-focused insight, innovation and integration across disciplines, channels and geographies.
The core offerings of Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide will span the 360 degree range of professional and consumer advertising and promotion, relationship marketing, digital/interactive services, media planning and buying, public affairs and relations, managed care marketing, medical education, clinical trial recruitment, market research and analytics, and strategic consulting.
Says Mr Giegerich, “This couldn’t be a more perfect union. CommonHealth has collaborated extensively with Ogilvy Healthworld for the past fifteen years and we have an enormous amount of trust in the talent, leadership and capabilities of this considerable network. By combining our two organizations – and the remarkable collective talent pool within – we can now offer clients all the communications resources necessary to create and grow powerful, unified global brands in a rapidly evolving healthcare environment.”
Miles Young, Global CEO of Ogilvy & Mather, adds: “We are very proud to welcome the CommonHealth family into the Ogilvy Network. The two brands are both consistent and complementary. The healthcare business is undergoing a seismic shift as clients seek greater efficiency and effectiveness for agency alignments. The scale this venture brings us will be a powerful catalyst to this change, and will give clients access, innovation and creativity, in depth, around the world.”
Moving forward, the group will operate under the Ogilvy CommonHealth Worldwide umbrella, but maintain individual Ogilvy CommonHealth and Ogilvy Healthworld brand identities in some markets. An executive council, comprised of leadership from both organisations, will oversee all day-to-day operations, reporting to Matt.
London’s Gloria Gibbons (below) will head up Ogilvy CommonHealth’s operations outside the US.
