Publicis Groupe has acquired Toronto-based In-Sync, a market research firm which specializes in providing information to the pharmaceutical and healthcare verticals. The acquisition price was not disclosed.
Publicis’s acquisition marks the latest in a series of changes in the healthcare marketing field. Tuesday also saw the launch of Method Communications, a public relations and marketing firm specializing in the healthcare, biotech, technology education and financial services vertical. And last week, Hacker Group launched HealthHG, a dedicated health insurance marketing unit.
The movement is the first in the wake of the new U.S. healthcare reform package. Under the newly passed legislation, more than 30 million uninsured Americans will be required to purchase health insurance – and insurance marketers will be required to reach out to those it might have previously denied coverage.
Both of these requirements have created needs for healthcare marketers to address markets with new approaches. Health insurance marketers will need to sell their services to small businesses that might not have previously provided coverage to their employees. And individuals who previously didn’t purchase coverage, such as the so-called “invulnerable” cohort of young adults or those for whom insurance was considered an expensive luxury, will have to be sold on the merits of specific plans.
As for the industry’s most recent acquisition, In-Sync will become part of Publicis Healthcare Communications Group. In-Sync employs 75 individuals. The company will maintain its current location and name and will continue to be led by founding partner and president Janet Winkler. The agency will report to Sam Welch, COO of Publicis Health Communications Group North America.
