The Ogilvy Group has acquired the UK’s largest independent
healthcare advertising agency, Matthew Poppy Advertising.
The deal brings names such as Bristol-Myers Squibb, Glaxo Wellcome and
Pharmacia & Upjohn to the Ogilvy Group’s client list.
Matthew Poppy reported revenues of pounds 1.3 million in the year to
July 1999, and employs 27 people. Its managing director, Neil Dickinson,
and creative director, Piotr Hennig, will continue to head the
operation.
The agency will form part of the Ogilvy Group UK, with access to the
wider resources of the group including the OgilvyHealthcare network in
Europe and the global resources of CommonHealth, the WPP-owned
healthcare communications company.
This is the third acquisition by the Ogilvy Group this year and follows
the purchase of the interactive agency, NoHo, in June and the financial
PR agency, Select PR, in September.
