Johnson & Johnson has tapped Interpublic Group of Companies and WPP Group to handle its pharmaceutical business.
The decision was made after a formal request-for-proposal process. Few details on the agencies’ immediate responsibilities are available, but Johnson & Johnson director of corporate media relations, Marc Monseau, said Interpublic and WPP would support creative and marketing. The two would probably be assigned different tasks, rather than collaborating on projects, and would be the only agencies working on the pharmaceutical division, he said.
“Back in mid-July, as part of ongoing efforts to leverage the best creative talent in advertising and marketing and enhance efficiencies by having a more integrated approach, we decided to review the creative and marketing agencies that supported the pharmaceutical group,” Monseau explained.
“There’s not much information at this time,” he added in a statement. “We’re excited about the choice, and both organizations have the creative skills, expertise and breadth to help us accomplish our mission — to provide innovative approaches to reach and engage our customers.”
TNS Media Intelligence reports that Johnson & Johnson spent $110 million on pharmaceutical advertising in 2007. The company’s entire measured-media budget was $1.4 billion last year.
