Publicis Groupe Acquires Healthcare Consulting

PARIS, December 20, 2010 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Publicis Groupe announced today that it has acquired Healthcare Consulting, a strategic consulting firm focused on the healthcare sector. This new agency will be renamed Publicis Healthcare Consulting, and will continue to be led by the agency's founders Francois Sarkozy, Chairman, and Yannick Sabatin General Manager. Following the acquisition, Francois Sarkozy will act as a special advisor to Jean-Yves Naouri, Chief Operating Officer of Publicis Groupe. Jean-Yves Naouri also supervises Publicis Healthcare Communications Group, which is led by PHCG CEO Nick Colucci.

Headquartered in Paris, with an office in New York, Publicis Healthcare Consulting provides strategic consulting to healthcare and pharmaceutical companies. The agency's key clients include GSK, BMS, sanofi-aventis, Saint Jude Medical and the Leem. Publicis Healthcare Consulting offers a comprehensive range of consulting solutions, organized around five core centers of expertise:

    - Market access
    - Promotion/distribution - new technology
    - Emerging markets
    - Research and technology transfer
    - New industrial actors

With this acquisition, Publicis Groupe continues to strengthen its leadership in healthcare communications and strategic consulting. The Groupe has been very active in the healthcare and especially the digital healthcare sectors in 2010 with the recent acquisitions of In-Sync in North America (March 2010), Resolute and Elevator in the UK (May 2010), and Digital District in Germany (earlier this month). According to ZenithOptimedia estimates, pharmaceutical advertising accounts for 9% of global expenditure, representing US$41 billion in 2010. Advertising Age's 2010 recently ranked the Publicis Groupe network of healthcare communications the first in the world.

Jean-Yves Naouri, Chief Operating Officer of Publicis Groupe, stated "I am delighted to welcome Francois Sarkozy and Yannick Sabatin to our expanding healthcare offering. The duo brings a very compelling yet innovative approach to serving clients and we will benefit immensely from their expertise".

About Publicis Groupe

Publicis Groupe [listed on the Euronext Paris Exchange - FR0000130577 - and part of the CAC 40 index] is the world's third largest communications group. With activities spanning 104 countries on five continents, Publicis Groupe offers local and international clients a complete range of advertising services through three global advertising networks, Leo Burnett, Publicis, Saatchi & Saatchi, and numerous agencies including Fallon, 49%-owned Bartle Bogle Hegarty, and Kaplan Thaler Group. VivaKi combines digital and media expertise, allowing to connect with consumers in a holistic way, with Starcom MediaVest Group and ZenithOptimedia worldwide media networks; and interactive and digital marketing led by Digitas and Razorfish networks. VivaKi develops new services, tools, and next generation digital platforms. Publicis Groupe's specialized agencies and marketing services offer healthcare communications with Publicis Healthcare Communications Group (PHCG, the first network in healthcare communications), sustainability communications and multicultural communications. With MSLGROUP, one of the world's top five PR and Events networks, expertise ranges from corporate and financial communications to public relations and public affairs, branding, social media marketing and events.

Web site: http://www.publicisgroupe.com

SOURCE Publicis Groupe